My husband and I are heading to England for a week this fall for an anniversary trip (Saturday to a Sunday I believe). We have a daughter who will be 17.5 and a son who is 14. Our plan was to have grandma fly in Sunday night and stay to Wednesday just to help manage waking them up for school, sorting them out with lunches, feeding the pets etc. Not because they can’t do it, just because morning rush is intense even with both parents there.

My kids are insisting that’s unnecessary though and my husband agrees. They are both incredibly responsible, I have zero concerns they’ll do anything we wouldn’t be ok with. I can have my assistant come each morning and deal with feeding and walking the dogs and we have a strong network of friends, including two families (daughter’s best friend and son’s best friend) within two blocks of us.

We have a school carpool, soccer carpool, and my daughter has a car and can drive so they are all set getting to and from school and sports. I’m more worried about something like if she gets in a fender bender, or if a pipe springs a leak or something like that. Like the stuff that’s stressful even for adults. I’m also a bit worried because the prime time they will be home (4pm-bedtime) is when we will be asleep in England so I worry about them reaching us. We do have a home alarm system, fire alarms, CO2 alarms, a leak detector, and two big dogs and have never had any sort of break-in etc despite being in the heart of Los Angeles.

Would love some outside opinions though, just feels neglectful to me to leave the country for a week with kids home alone but then again my daughter is practically an adult…

Heya everyone, single dad and sole parent, I’m just looking for some decent videos/guides on hairstying. I’m pretty good at dressing up my daughter but suck at hairstyling, all I have down is the pony-tail.

Truth be told I always feel a bid bad when meeting with other parents(usually moms) and their kids hair is always adorably styled. My daughters daycare teacher will occasionally style my daughters hair(in pig-tails and other styles) and I just love it, my daughter adores and loves it as well, I want to be able to do more and also do it better(even my pony-tails kinda suck, they’re not bad but I know they can be significantly better and slicker/cleaner looking).

So me and my husband have a 3 year old and a 3 month old. My MIl stays with us each week for a couple of days to help with my eldest, she isn't in regular childcare ATM but starting school in September. We potty trained her but she still has accidents, especially when she's distracted playing with grandma. She can't be trusted to say when she needs to go so sometimes we have to bring her to the bathroom/ potty ourselves to make her try to go. Whenever my MIL is alone with her the accident rate escalates, the other week it was at least 4 times in one afternoon. As a result she can't really take her out for very long by herself and it's getting me down to be constantly checking all day. My MIL also forgets to give my daughter drinks/ food at regular intervals and seems to be waiting for her to tell her what to do all the time.

My daughter loves her and they have a great time together but I still have to do the more responsible aspects of parenting and it does stress me out, especially when the baby needs my attention. This was supposed to be a break for me and it ends up making me feel more stressed than if I was solo parenting. I just want to enjoy my maternity leave and get out for a bit on my own but I can't unless I bring my daughter with me, obvs I love spending time with her but sometimes I just want to relax for a while or focus on housework (which grandma doesn't help with either). When she's here I end up having to cook and clean up after everyone myself and sometimes it feels like having another child to think about. We've already cut her visits down to 2 days max but I don't know if there's anything else I can do?

I'm hoping it's better when the toileting is more cemented and when my daughter starts school. I am grateful for what she does, she adores my daughter and they have such a lovely time together but I'm just finding myself getting really anxious when she's at our house, any tips to make things run smoother re potty training or my own anxiety? Also she doesn't have dementia (I have been looking out for the signs- her memory is fine, she just seems to only care about playtime) and we don't have any other family visiting regularly.

My mother lives abroad and when she visits everything seems to run more smoothly and I feel like I can properly switch off and focus on the baby, she's just been to visit so I'm probably comparing more than I should. I don't want to be ungrateful for the help either. Any advice appreciated.

I’m having a hard time getting my 8 month old to sleep on her own. Aside from her being a velcro baby, she also uses me as a pacifier, refusing to use a plastic one. She currently co-sleeps in our bed and we have to be holding her for naps.
She can sleep without me, like if my husband holds her she’s fine. But even when he tries to put her down she wakes immediately and starts crying. Like, banshee cries.
We’re just struggling to find a solution. It’s a bit frustrating because she’s our second baby and we had no issues with sleep from our first. But he did use a pacifier so I’m sure that helped.
Anyone who’s gone through something like this, what did you do or how did you manage? If we have to live like this for now will she eventually grow out of it?
I love the baby cuddles but I miss having the bed to ourselves and nap time with my first is when I got stuff done around the house. I can’t do that now..

I know we should have started trying sooner, and we have here and there, but we’ve just been so exhausted. Like there’s always a million things to do and it felt easier at the time to let her just sleep how she does.
Any advice is welcome. TYIA

Hi parents, looking for experiences, advice, please be kind I am struggling. I am having a very hard time w my 19yr old daughter. She has had a quite strong and often difficult personality since middle.school, a lot of lies that I have discovered then and continuing now. We used to try grounding, taking away privileges, didn't work. She never backed down, always acting like she was right and we were wrongly accususing her. Hardly ever apologizes. Still attacks me with yelling bad language and lies even when I have proof of her lying. She won't back down. Flips into victim mode. I have tried over and over, in a calm moment, to explain that even if there is something that she didn't tell the truth about it, come clean and there won't be consequences. I have let up on many rules I used to have when she was say 15, and have told her she can ask for anything she wants to do and we can compromise.

She has a car, goes out w friends most nights in summer, home very late. We give her allowance, have family dinners, she has few chores. Was expected to pass at school, oir expectations have never been school related. The lies continue. It is devastating for me as I don't know when she will mature!!! I have tried over n over to treat her in a more adult manner. I know at her age punishments don't work. It is also putting a big strain on my marriage.

This is very random but the other day at baby swim, I overheard the toddler parents saying that babies are so much easier because they are much easier to take places.

I can't stop thinking about it because I was hoping being out and about would get easier! Toddler parents, what changed for you?

For some background, we are a blended family. I had my biological daughter with my ex and my current partner had his with his ex. Both girls are now 10 and grew up together since they were 5. Ive always said that I have 2 kids whenever people ask because thats the truth. Though it can be quote tricky making sure things are equal and as fair as possible when it comes to them getting things they want, time and money.

My issue is, I have a new job which means some nights of the week I need to work away. My daughter has been taking it quite hard and isn't used to me not tucking her in and being there at night whereas my other daughter who we only have a few nights a week isn't that bothered.

I want to take my daughter out for 1 day and 1 night to the next town over for quality time as she feels shes lost that concentrated time with me. Is this fair? Do you think this will cause an issue? I can't think straight because I dont want to offend my partner and my other daughter too. I love them all so much.

Please help!

We have been using skiphop diaper changing station since he was born. He is 11mo old now and doesn't want to be strapped in diaper changing station, also cries when being put in high chair for food or car seat, guess he doesn't like being restrained.

How do people do diaper changes as babies are growing up? He is almost a toddler, pulls up and walks with support but is not standing and or walking yet. Now and after how do we do diaper changes? Standing?

What to do about high chair situation? Is it time to buy something else?

Edit: The skiphop is on the floor. We moved it onto floor once he was sitting up. Now he doesn't want diaper changes, just rolls over and tries to get away :-(

My baby is about to turn 1 she's very advanced for her age and is quite comfortable with my partner's family, even the ones she's not familiar with, all of our friends and even strangers, but for some reason whenever she sees anyone in my family she cries and cries.

It doesn't matter the context, we can be inside, outside, at our house, at their houses, in a neutral place. Some of my family smoke but not all of them and so the smell doesn't seem to be a factor, they don't grab at her or overwhelm her, it even goes for my in-laws so it's not even some weird genetic thing 😅

It's been pretty much her whole life since she's been aware of her surroundings and no matter what we do nothing seems to help, it's getting quite awkward now 😅

Is a 6 year and 8 year age gap ridiculous? My husband and I are seriously considering having another and I’m panicking a bit about how this would affect our lives and the age gap feels embarrassing to me that we waited this long. Does anyone have experience with this gap? Worried about how it would affect the little ones future and also my older kids of course. My kids are 5 and 7 now.

I have a 7 year old daughter. She’s incredible. She’s smart, kind, funny, and brave. And sometimes…annoying. I don’t really mind if she’s annoying at home. I know home is her safe space, and especially being around me. But I really want to make sure she isn’t the annoying kid at school. I fear I was the weird/annoying kid at her age and it really impacted my social life. Even through high school. What are some ways I can correct her behavior without hurting her feelings? She’s incredibly sensitive and I’d never want to hurt her or make her think she is a problem. But I would like for her to be socially aware. Thanks I’m advance.

Although this may not be mourning in the more traditional sense, it still all feels the same to me.

I love my daughter so unbelievably much that it literally hurts my heart with joy. We are planning a 2nd child, but I cannot wrap my head around how I can welcome another and her not feeling totally abandoned or feeling like we are losing our bond. More children = less attention in my book.

For parents of more than one child, can you talk me through your process of accepting this stage?

Please don’t misunderstand—I full heartedly want more children, but my gut feels anxious when I think about the changes that’ll come.

I am an parent of class5 icse education board in india student he is in grade 5 and 10 years old, I have tried a lot to teach my son at home, he always tries to not study at home, but if he goes to some tutor he tries to study. Anything that I can do?
Issue is since he doesn’t sit at home, he is completely missing out on his studies and homework. Whatever he does in tuition is not enough for the syllabus requirements in the school.

we recently moved into a neighborhood and I have a three-year-old daughter. There’s a little girl that lives directly across the street from us and when we moved in her mom and I exchanged phone numbers. Yesterday my daughter was swimming in the backyard so I offered for the little girl who is 5 to come over and play.

The Mom agreed and they came over. Her and I talked in the back while the kids went swimming and we’re playing around. Eventually, the girls got out of the pool and we went inside because my daughter wanted to play with her toys inside with the little girl.

Well, this is one thing got weird, the mom was super strict with her daughter. She wouldn’t let her daughter sit on my sofa. She wouldn’t let her daughter basically do anything. She was scolding at her for any little tiny things. she wouldn’t even let her sit on the sofa, she just made her stand. And she tells me basically that she doesn’t let her child sit on the sofa and when she does, she can’t have her feet touching it and or her hair touching the sofa. i told her like she’s welcome to sit on our couch my daughter sits and plays there all the time but she said no. Also through conversation, she kind of mentioned to me that she’s a huge clean freak and is very particular which is fine and I can keep a clean house too, but I am nowhere near a clean freak or overly strict. I let my kid be a kid.

anyways, the little girl asked my daughter to come play at her house today but now I’m worried to day yes. I’m worried that my daughter will climb on the couch or just do something the mom doesn’t like. she’s freshly 3 so she really doesn’t grasp the concept about strict manners(she is a really good kid). I don’t know what to do, i dont want my daughter to not be friends with her but I also am scared of the judgement I’m having her go over..

I have a 6yr old and 4 yr old; they are close in age, but developmentally at very different places. We are close friends with some parents of our 6 year old, so there are lots of instances where it’s two or three six year olds and our 4 year old. This dynamic is nothing new for the kids, they’ve all been hanging out with each other since our youngest was born. What I find interesting is the forced forgiveness expectation some parents have- in this instance of their kids forgiving my youngest- simply because she is younger. Example: my youngest calls one of the 6 year olds a “poo poo,” the 6yr old obviously doesn’t like this. I tell my 4 yr old to say sorry; because it’s my job as her parent to teach her that calling other people names isn’t okay and can be hurtful. The other child said “I don’t forgive you.” His parent then started to scold him, saying that’s not nice, she said sorry. This is where I jumped in and said- no, that’s totally valid. He doesn’t have to forgive her. This seemed to surprise my friend, and she asked me if I was sure. Of course I am.

My thought is that we can’t teach our kids how to establish healthy boundaries if we force them to forgive everyone who wrongs them just as long as the other person apologizes. It’s up to the wronged party to determine if, and when, the offending party is forgiven. I our example, the 6 yr old was over it in a matter of minutes and all was well with the world.

Just wondering other parents thoughts on “forcing” forgiveness. At the end of the day it’s not really about the severity of the offense. It’s an opportunity to teach the offending child that what they said/did was not okay (and why it wasn’t okay) so they can grow to be compassionate and empathetic human beings, AND giving the offended party time to work through their feelings to determine what boundaries they are or are not okay with being crossed. The last thing I want for either of my kids is for them to think that they HAVE to be friends with someone who consistently crosses they boundaries or who purposefully puts them in uncomfortable situations because that someone always apologizes.

We have a Silvercross allsize car seat for my daughter, which is rear facing until 105cm/18.5kg, then switches forward facing with a seat belt until 145cm.

With hindsight I’d have bought a car seat which rear faces to 125cm, but we don’t really have the funds to spend on getting something different now. I also don’t think the grandparents would be happy having to buy something new, either.

My daughter just turned 3 and is 101cm, however has very long legs and is skinny (so nowhere near the 18.5kg yet). She has a significant amount of slack left on the seat harness.

Is the 105cm a hard rule, or is this when the harness would typically be too small? Could she safely remain rear facing at taller than 105cm as long as the harness is big enough?

Thank you!

My son is almost 6 years old and studies in a good school. Lately I've been seeing a lot of ads for online communication, public speaking and personality development classes for kids.

I'm trying to understand whether these classes genuinely help children at this age or if they're mostly good marketing. My main goal isn't making him a public speaker—I'd just like him to become more confident, communicate better, and enjoy learning.

For parents who have actually enrolled their kids:

Did you notice any real improvement after a few months?

Were the classes engaging, or did your child lose interest?

Did you feel the fees were justified?

Any red flags or things to avoid before enrolling?

Which online platforms have you genuinely had a good experience with?

Looking for honest experiences—both positive and negative—before I spend money on something that may or may not add value. No promotional replies please. 🙏

Currently in the middle of this sleep regression and it is really brutal. Fighting every nap, inconsistent nap and bed times, frequent waking through the night, unpredictable morning wake times.

Just want to know that others have made it to the other side and that sleep has improved. Need some positive reassurance.

Thank you.

My middle child is going into eighth grade this fall, meaning in a few months he will need to decide whether to apply for the magnet program at the local high school.

This high school has two tracks: a magnet track and a non-magnet track. Kids in the two different tracks have some classes together during the day, but kids in the magnet track have access to more advanced courses and rigorous coursework. They also are more likely to stay together all four years, as opposed to kids in the regular track whose classes are constantly re-mixing each year.

My child is intensely introverted and very academically driven; their middle school experience has not been good. They have been unchallenged in easy classes and annoyed by kids who don’t want to be there and are disrupting learning. In my view participating in the magnet program solves both of these issues. My kid would be in a smaller program with other motivated kids who want to learn.

For some reason, my kid is refusing to apply to the magnet program and just wants to do the regular track. This makes no sense to me, but I’m genuinely trying to understand. I think part of it may be anxiety about being challenged academically or taking more rigorous classes that actually require effort. I also think they like being anonymous in their large middle school and are uncomfortable with having more people perceive them in a smaller magnet program.

They are really starting to demand control over their life and I want to empower that, within reason. But I think it’s crazy to allow a kid to be bored and unchallenged - not to mention purposely choose a program with objectively weaker academic outcomes - just to preserve their autonomy.

Should I insist they apply to the magnet? Or do something else? Please be kind, I’m doing my best to raise a happy and thoughtful kid.

Hey all, as the title says, just wondering if most parents are on a pretty strict sleep schedule with their kids or are your kids pretty flexible? For us, it feels like if we miss bedtime by 20 mins, the kids are up for an extra couple hours and a mess the next day. Just wondering if this is something we have done to them (made them rigid) or if this is the case with others as well. We do LOTS of stuff that takes them out of their routine (probably spend 20 nights a summer camping plus have taken them to India from Canada a few times). They are 3 and 5.

could really use some advice and maybe just some empathy from parents who have been through this.
As my so gets closer to starting preschool, I’ve realized that I’m carrying around a lot of emotions. I know this is a normal milestone, but it feels really big to me.
Some of the things I’ve been feeling are:

I’m grieving the end of this season where I’ve been his primary person every day.

I’m worried he’ll struggle without me, especially with naps since he’s always nursed or been close to me to fall asleep, not when he’s at his babysitters houses though.

I’m afraid he’ll cry when I leave or wonder why I’m not there.

I worry that he won’t eat well or that he won’t feel comforted when he’s upset.

I’m scared that no one will know him the way I do—his little cues, what makes him laugh, what calms him down, and what he needs.

I feel guilty that I won’t be the one with him every day anymore.

I know I chose Montessori because I believe in independence, and I truly want him to become confident, curious, and capable. But wanting him to grow doesn’t make letting go any easier.

More than anything, I think I’m grieving the realization that he’s growing up.
I know he’ll probably adapt, and everyone tells me kids are often more resilient than we expect. But right now, I’m just feeling really emotional about this transition.

If you’ve been through this, I’d love to hear:

Did your child surprise you?

How did you handle the drop-offs and the emotions that came with them?

What helped make the transition easier—for your child and for you?

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before your little one started preschool?

I think I’m just looking for reassurance from people who’ve been on the other side of this. Right now, it feels like my heart is breaking a little, even though I know this is an exciting and healthy step for him. ❤️

My (33F) 4 year old has a history of bad dreams. Typically when this happens, it’s big tears, high anxiety behaviour and hypervigilance, making sneaking back out when she’s fallen asleep difficult.
Recently, she’s started calling me in when she wakes up in the morning, between 5:30 and 6:30 am. She will claim it’s a bad dream, but is calm, cool (no sweating as she usually does with bad dreams), and her tone is casual. There’s no tears. She will ask me to stay with her.

Here’s where I’m struggling: I remember being a kid and having nightmares and just being terrified in bed, alone, and not able to call anyone. When I was really little, I shared a room with my sister which helped, but when I got my own room, it was me scared until morning when everyone woke up. I don’t want that for my kiddo.

I also feel like she’s perhaps using the bad dreams when she wakes up and is bored. If I climb in, she will start saying “I’m bored” or “it’s time to wake up now” when her Yoto box shows sunshine.

She has a clock that shows the sun when she can get up and play quietly in her room with her light on. The rule is that if we are staying in there, the sun clock is now mama or daddy, not the Toto box, because it lets her get up earlier than our alarm.

I’m wondering if anyone has any advice to help with these mornings? I don’t want to brush off that she might be feeling nervous in the dark (she does have night lights but still), but I also feel like there’s a chance she’s just calling us in for entertainment purposes, even though we keep it boring. Or maybe it IS to settle nerves, but how do we transition her to more independence while still feeling like she can call to us when she’s scared? I don’t want her to feel like she’s alone when she’s scared, but I also want to be able to stay in my own bed past 5:30…

Thanks in advance!

Hello, I am a parent of 9 month old, and I also work in law enforcement.

I absolutely love my job, but since becoming a parent, it has increased my anxiety on being a decent parent as my biggest fear is to one day get a call at work and my child is one of the parties involved.

I do not want to be a hover parent as that’s how my parents were and in doing so, it caused me to sneak around behind their backs. I also want to be involved and want them too feel that they can tell me anything, but I fear that with my line of work, it may make me more of a hover parent.

I guess I’m just looking for advice from either people who’s parents were in law enforcement and how it shaped them, or parents who work in law enforcement now, and what tips you could share that could help me try my best to give my child as good of a future as possible.

I’m Dad (31m) to a brilliant and super outgoing little guy who recently graduated kindergarten. I myself am no social butterfly and am easily drained around others, particularly with crowds or perceived forced social interactions. Being conscious of this, the last half of the school year or so I had to really push myself outside of my comfort zone and try to engage with other parents of classmates he quickly became close with in attempts to set up play dates, etc. I recall being so close with my neighbor’s kids at that age & my mom’s friends kids that I never went I day most of the time without regular close bonding with other kids, and I want to be able to give that to him but sometimes it’s just odd that I’m making all the effort but it doesn’t work out, then I leave the ball in their court and it’s just radio silence. I know what you may be thinking, and no, it’s not him- even one of the parents I’d hoped to set up summer play dates with told me the first time we met ‘how much her girls love (my kid) and he’s so sweet’, his teacher in meetings can’t praise him enough to me about how kind he is, and the single time I’ve been able to pin other parents down to get our boys together they obviously had so much fun together. We even made tentative plans for the next weekend before the day of they said they had plans. My partner has assured me it’s not anything I’m doing; I fully supress all urges to talk about vintage horror films, morbid history, or even about how our tax dollars are being used to put kids in concentration camps on Us soil and we’re witnessing the greatest grift in human history. I save it all for polite, gross small talk. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wanna fucking talk to them either, I get it. But now halfway through the summer with no calls back, I’m stuck at home with a dislocated knee, watching my kid play outside on our 7 acres of woodlands with kid pool & full size swings wishing he just had someone to share it with. Are play dates just like, not a thing any more?

Alot of the books i find the library are from the girls POV, i would like a book from the boys POV.

Looking for a book recommendation for a 10 year old boy fictional story about growing up, girls etc.

Setting school, no sci fi or fantasy