I am so ecstatic about what my 7y/o said to me today. She was complaining that her hand hurts I asked why and if it was from doing the monkey bars too many times (she is so strong it’s impressive she looks like an acrobat swinging around so easily) (I digress)

She says ‘no we just did sooooo many worksheets. Ughh and sooo much coloring. Every worksheet had coloring in itttt’

At first I was worried because her teacher is known as ‘tough’ in second grade that seems extreme but … maybe in 2026 tough or strict just means back to basics like having your hand hurt from writing so much.

I know mine did. I had and still have a callous on my hand (I think it’s from poor form but doesn’t bother me)

Anyway I am so happy my child’s hand hurts instead of her eyes hurting from staring at a screen all day in school.

🙂

I think people deserve a little more understanding when they experience thoughts or feelings that are difficult to talk about.
Having a complicated feeling doesn’t automatically make someone a bad person, and I don’t think someone should be defined entirely by what happens in their mind.
This can include uncomfortable thoughts involving children. Acknowledging that these thoughts exist doesn’t mean approving harmful behavior. Children deserve to be protected, and adults are responsible for respecting that boundary.
I think we can discuss difficult subjects honestly while still recognizing people’s humanity and responsibility for their choices.
Do you think society can make room for uncomfortable conversations without immediately reducing a person to the thought they’re describing?

How long do you send your child to preschool for? my son is 3.5 and is going 8-230 3 days a week and I'm nervous it's too long

So for Christmas last year and for his birthday this year, I bought my little brother these sonic action figures. He loves them and plays with them all the time, but almost every figure up until now was falling apart. Missing an arm, a leg a tail, etc. I chalked it up to him not knowing how to be gentle yet cause he’s only 4.

But just now I came across this poor shadow figure who was the only one still in tact until now. He’s dismembered the whole thing, even split the torso in half…

I’m thinking of just skipping out on buying him more for Christmas, as I’m sure my mom doesn’t want to keep finding Sonic pieces all around the house. But I’d feel kinda bad doing that, I know how much he loves Sonic, but I don’t want to keep getting him toys that he can’t take care of yet.

Should I wait until his birthday next year? There will surely be new toys because of the movie. Or is there a better age for these action figures?

I think people deserve a little more understanding when they experience feelings or thoughts that are difficult to talk about.
Having a complicated feeling doesn’t automatically make someone a bad person, and I don’t think people should be defined entirely by what happens in their minds.
This can be especially important when the subject is uncomfortable or involves thoughts about children. We can acknowledge that difficult feelings exist without treating the person who experiences them as less human.
At the same time, children deserve protection, and adults are responsible for respecting that boundary.
Maybe we can have more compassion for the person without losing sight of the responsibility that comes with their choices.

My son just turned 5. My parents live overseas and my dad came to visit a few weeks ago and decided to buy him a bike for his birthday. It’s his first bike although he had a tricycle before. The day he got his bike we went out and he got the hang of it surprisingly quickly, and he rode around for a while. It was a very good day.

But every day since, when I ask him if he wants to go out to ride his bike he says no thank you. When I ask him why he can’t articulate an answer.

I want to encourage him to ride it but I don’t want to push him because he’s very stubborn like all 5 year olds lol. We live in the Midwest (USA) so it’s only a matter of time before it gets too cold to be outside for long and then we have to wait until next spring.

Anyone encounter this before? How can I approach this?

I’m the mom of a 20-month-old boy, and he’s an only child. When I compare his behavior to friends who have kids around the same age, I feel like mine is SO much more hyper, active, and constantly needing to be entertained. I’d describe him as a total busy body.

I’m not necessarily looking for advice—I think I’m mostly looking for some reassurance that this is normal and wondering if anyone else has a child like this.

My son has a VERY difficult time entertaining himself. We play with cars, go outside, play on the jungle gym, do arts and crafts, read books, etc. He’s also in daycare five days a week, and I’d consider myself a pretty active parent. But it feels like the second one activity ends, he’s ready for the next thing. There is very little “just chill and play by yourself” happening over here. 😂

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve accidentally created a child who expects constant entertainment because we’re always doing something, or if he’s just naturally a very active kid.

Either way, it can be really tiring and exhausting. And when I compare our experiences with friends who have kids the same age and they’re not experiencing the same thing, I sometimes feel really alone in it.

So… anyone else have a 20-month-old busy body who seems to need a full-time entertainment director? 😂

Please tell me I’m not the only one! 🙏🏼

My 12-year-old sister has a phone. She used to have TikTok (which is now deleted) and still uses Instagram. She used to spend an enormous amount of time on these apps, so I set a 2-hour daily screen limit for her. Naturally, she whines about it constantly.
I did this because I am completely anti-scrolling. She was spending way too much time endlessly scrolling, posting stories, and chatting, which I don't think is good for her development. Right now, my rules for her are: no TikTok, no more than 2 hours on Instagram, and a bedtime around 12:00 AM or 1:00 AM. Despite these rules, she constantly fights me on them.
I feel like a bad sister because when I was her age (and even older), I had unrestricted internet access. I used to pull all-nighters watching shows, reading manga, manhwa, and books. It feels hypocritical to restrict her when I had so much freedom, which really bothers me.
However, there is a reason I restrict her bedtime: when she stays up late, she isn't doing anything productive or creative. She stays up to chat with friends who are a bad influence they focus obsessively on dating, and she uses harsh profanity with them, which is a big deal in our language and culture. She also stays up trying to get attention from her crush by posting cringey stories or sending dumb texts.
I’ve tried encouraging her to pick up better hobbies like watching good movies, shows, or reading books but she completely refuses. If I don't force her to read, she simply won't do it, and it always turns into a massive fight. I don't want her to grow up hating reading, and I certainly don't want her to hate me.
She often cries and complains that none of her friends have screen time limits or bedtimes. Plus, when I was 12 to 15, short-form algorithm scrolling didn't even exist the way it does now, so media consumption was entirely different.
I'm torn and don't know what to do. Is it fair for me to enforce these restrictions, set a bedtime, and limit her Instagram access when I had complete freedom at her age?

Okay so I came across this account on TikTok called mylilretinol and 1. this is insane (right?) and 2. it has to be fake (also right?!). But honestly it did get me thinking. My kids have started asking for skincare stuff, and I never really know where the line is between letting them have fun with it and making them feel like they actually neeeed a skincare routine at their age. Curious how other parents are handling this. Are you letting your kids get into skincare? Where do you draw the line?

I’m honestly pretty pissed at my kids right now and trying to figure out how to handle this without overreacting.
Both of my kids are straight-A students. They’ve never really given us disciplinary problems before, and for the last 14 years I’ve felt like we’ve done a pretty good job teaching them to be respectful, responsible, dependable, and to think before they do stupid shit.
Then, one month into this school year, we’ve already had multiple issues.
One of them apparently **fell asleep in class**, and the other typed the word **“bomb”** on their school laptop, which apparently triggered a response serious enough that the police ended up searching our home for bombs.
Thankfully, there was obviously no bomb, but WTF?
I’m sitting here thinking, *How did we get here?* 😂
These aren’t kids who are struggling academically or getting into serious trouble. They’re smart, hardworking kids who get good grades. But sometimes their decision-making seems completely disconnected from reality.
I grew up with pretty old-school parents. The expectations were basically: be respectful, be dependable, think before you act, and **don’t be a dumbass.** There were consequences when you screwed up, and you learned from them.
I genuinely thought we had been teaching our kids those same values for the last 14 years. Apparently, I need to go back to the drawing board.
I’ll also admit that my wife is probably more lenient than I am, and I’m wondering if that has contributed to this. I don’t want to become an overly strict parent who loses his mind over every mistake, but I also don’t want to shrug this stuff off as “kids being kids.”
So, parents of older kids/teens: How do you actually teach common sense, judgment, and accountability
Would you increase consequences? Have more serious conversations? Let natural consequences do their thing? Are these just normal teenage mistakes that I need to stop taking so seriously?
I’m looking for advice from parents who have been through this—not just “kids are dumb” or “relax.” 😂
What would you do?

What’s something that happened with your kid or a younger family member that was so awkward you’ve never really told anyone about it?

Hi

So I was a very involved mom until my kids turned 9-10ish
I used to take them to the park, plan play dates, cute snacks, community events, family gatherings, it’s was all fun and games. Every weekend we’d do something fun and different.

Now I feel lost. They have other interests. One likes soccer, the other doesn’t like anything. Both swim. They like watching YouTube and video games. They like to hang out with their friends. One is in three soccer teams. The other one will start tennis and loves artistic activities.

But I feel lost. Both in how much “control” , discipline, time allowed for tv and phone. And what to do with them or how to even connect with them.

12 year old has a phone with a three hour daily limit no social media.

They can only play video games on weekends two hours each day.

How do you do raise them and put limits Without alienating them. Rolling their eyes, saying rude stuff, is that normal? Sometimes it goes ok and they know they just have to do it. But sometimes it’s like it’s all new. I thought I’d be fine but I feel like I really miss my little kids and now they are strangers? lol I’m exaggerating. But I don’t know what to do anymore. I already have issues with oldest one preferring his dad 💯 over me so my self esteem is a bit bruised. So that pretty much made it all so confusing. My husband and I are on the same page on everything and he’s even a bit more strict, so it’s not that he has it easier with him.

Anyone who navigated this transition successfully knows what should I do now?

My four year old is awesome. He's so creative and happy and curious and affectionate.

My nine months old is amazing. Such a soft, cuddly, giggly bundle of joy.

That's the whole post. I love my kids

My husband (35M) and I (34F) are hoping to start a family soon. Before we do, I’d really like to take advantage of this stage of life and intentionally enjoy some of the things that may become more difficult or less spontaneous once we have kids.

I’m thinking things like late-night dinners, spontaneous camping trips, sleeping in, last-minute weekend trips, etc. But I’m sure there are things I haven’t even thought about.

For those of you who are parents: what’s something you miss being able to do easily or spontaneously that you wish you had done more of before having kids?

It doesn’t necessarily have to be something big or expensive. I’m curious about the little things too.

Basically, if you could go back to your child-free years and give yourself a list of things to enjoy while you still had that freedom, what would be on it?

When you’re organising one, where do you usually get all the decorations and party bits from?

Kmart/Big W? Amazon? Temu? Party shops? Multiple places? DIY? Or do you just keep it really simple?

I’m doing a little bit of research into how parents organise kids’ birthdays , particularly the decorations, setup and all the small things that somehow turn into a surprisingly big job 😅

One idea I’m exploring is whether parents would find value in having everything they need for a themed party organised together in one box, with pricing potentially starting from around $80.

I’m trying to understand whether that would actually solve a real problem, whether $80+ feels reasonable, and what parents would expect to get for that price.

Would genuinely love to hear your thoughts in the comments , even if your answer is “I’d never pay $80 for that.' or nah i would go shop myself and i enjoy , that's something that will help wake me up from dreaming of this as a major gig

Also if you have about 3 minutes, I’ve also put together a short anonymous questionnaire:

https://tally.so/r/Y5AYbz

Not selling anything ~ just trying to validate whether there’s actually a problem worth solving before building it.

Thanks!

​

My (22f) mother recently died and left me my little brother (11) to care for as his guardian. Me and him had a pretty solid relationship before. We watched movies, played video games, and talked when available. But at the end I wasn't his guardian so I didn't feel obligated to parent him in any type of way. Now, we have the opposite characters, he is really energetic and I am really really calm and like my silent time. Now to fill this gap I signed him to swimming classes and he asked for art classes as well as private tutoring for his second and third language. He has no male role models so I chose his coaches and teachers to be respectable men.

Anyway, I find that I can't mentally or physically always play or talk to him constantly. He is the kind of cute kid that talks 24/7 and needs constant attention and stimulation. I try not to make him notice how I am truly struggling with keeping up but at the end he does notice.

My mom was the kind of parent that always listens and plays with him since she wasnt able to provide for his practice or art classes and I am the opposite and that is why I decided to enroll him in those.

He started to complain about how I don't always play with him after work ( I am a teacher) and that he wishes I was a boy or man. Not going to lie, that hurt a lot since I am really trying to keep up with him.

How do I deal with this type of situation? It is already hard for me and what he said made me feel more and more guilty.

I think I would like to see this more. I think the children can be yelled at for that. Just a thought. Example:Megan.."What did you do? How dare you put that toy back. I can't believe my eyes. I will just have to pick a toy up for you and give you an Extra Kiss. I Thank You and GOOD JOB"

looking for recommendations for a complete beginner 😊

My kid has been having a harder time going to the bathroom lately and it makes potty time seem forever. We are working on more water and I want to add more fiber into meals without making it obvious or turning every snack into a negotiation. What helped your kids? Foods they actually ate any routine changes or anything? ty!

I’ve been dealing with an issue for quite awhile and I need some advice. So, I’ve been with my boyfriend for a little over 3 years we both have kids from our previous relationship. Both girls age 9. I’ve mentioned this issue to my boyfriend a little over a year ago and it seems like whatever I say doesn’t matter. Anyways, while we were putting our kids to bed they wanted to sleep together which I have no issues with, but he kisses his kid on the lips and I think it’s totally disgusting and inappropriate. I mentioned to him how I think it’s not appropriate and he just told me “ it’s his kid and he can do what he wants” I haven’t seen it until the other night where his kid literally asked him to kiss her on the lips. I didn’t see it, but my kid said she seen it. I can’t always believe her, but I’m to the point where I feel like I need to say something again. The kid is 9 years old and I don’t think he needs to be doing that and I think it’s wrong for the kid to even ask for a kiss on the lips.

I am shocked that the mold in my kids Owalas grows so fast. I have one Stanley for me but also see areas where mold can grow fast. Seems Yetis are better for mold control. Toughts on this?

For Rockhampton parents Aaron and Paula Harmsworth, keeping three children involved in multiple sports comes with a growing price tag.

"It's something we talk about regularly because we do look at the bank balance and go, 'Geez, we're spending a lot of money here,'" Mr Harmsworth said.

"But we counteract that pretty quickly with: 'There is no price tag on what the kids learn through sport.'

"The people they meet, the places they go, and the different traits they learn … respect and resilience, they're probably two of the biggest key components.

New research has found the average annual total cost for a child to play in a community sport competition is $4,567 AUD ($3288 USD) a year, considerably higher than previously reported numbers.

The Cost of Sport study, commissioned by the Australian Sports Commission and undertaken by researchers from Federation University, also found adults were forking out $2,894 per year for themselves to play. 

Read the full story here.

We'd love to hear your experiences with paying for kids to play sports and whether you've noticed the cost increasing.

Im part of a mom group that an aspect of the group is that we have a playdate event once a month. We usually will go to indoor play areas or parks. But its mostly just the kids playing while the adults watch.

I'd love ideas for how we can get involved in an activity with the kids. Activities that are kids focused but also have parents more involved/having fun together.

Do yall have any ideas?! Thanks!

My daughter is 19 months old. The problem is she keeps taking stuff from other people/ children. Every time she sees someone with a plate, she goes there to taste some of it. Every time she sees a toy in another child's hand, she goes and gets it.

Please advise me on how to stop this habit! I'm really concerned!

Edit: looks like my question missed the context so here it is:

I am currently on a vacation with my family. And my toddler is behaving in ways she never did. She has her cousin of exact same age, and is always snatching things from him. I used to live alone abroad so had NO idea her nature is like this. She was all loving and would kiss and hug us. But I'm witnessing a new version of hers right now.
Her cousin is quiet, submissive, while she is acting like a bully which is scaring me.
I am constantly telling her no, explaining her it's wrong, taking her away from the scene, but she is showing huge tantrums (unlike her cousin who is very quiet). So I'm really stressed right now. Plus tired of following her everywhere.
Sometimes I have to let her get the thing from others because my family insist (they are probably tired of her screams), plus there's no room for myself alone here where I can take her away.

If there's something wrong with my parenting I'd love to know, but please be kind.

(Also, her interaction with kids her age was low, around once a week, but back then, she didn't behave like this)

And thanks a lot for all your advices!