My son will be nearly 2 this Christmas, and I was planning to give him a play kitchen and accessories. We’ll be flying to visit family, so he wouldn’t be able to open that and bring it back with us.

How have you handled larger Christmas gifts if flying to visit family?

Thank you I appreciate your time in answering this question. I have a 23 month old and a 5 and 10 year old.

Do any other parents feel like school spirit weeks have gotten a little out of hand?
Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of fun, creative ways to engage kids! Pajama day, crazy hair day, sports day, twin day, etc. Once a month? Wonderful!
But we’re now on week TWO of a different suggested theme every single day. That’s 10 different outfits or themed ensembles for parents to somehow pull together.
Beyond the added pressure on working parents, my bigger concern is the kids who don’t participate. Not every family has the time, resources, or capacity to keep up, and I can’t help but think about how those children might feel watching everyone else participate.
I’m all for school spirit, creativity, and building community. I just wonder if there are better, more inclusive ways to accomplish that without creating another responsibility for families.

Ive been having suicidal thoughts for past 2 years.. i thought college will solve it but no..its only making worse.... idk.. ive a have 100's of conversations with chatgpt... and it keeps on telling me I need to tell my parents asap... but how tf do I tell them on call ,in teext, face yo face.... and i dont even have the courage... they will never treat me the same...nothing will be same anymore..... im scared.... i have to tell them b4 i end up doing something to myself... plz help!!!.. any parent in experience plz tell me

Is puberty happening younger now a days? My child who is 9 is getting acne snd developing already. No period just moody. I was 12 when everything started happening to me but didn’t get acne till I was 14-15. Any advice for a mom trying to help during these times? I started her on a good skin care routine. Just curious when taking them to a dermatologist is necessary?

Hi all! I know this is way in advance but we are to saving up for Christmas for 2 under 2. We’re trying to do more experience-based gifts as our children have a million toys. What are some experiences to consider? TIA!

For me it was poor behaviour.

Now I accept people for who they are and what they show me…over who I hope they could be.

Good morning! I am a ftm (26) & my baby was born 8/31.

L/O is just shy of 2m old. I EBF, so I absolutely need to schedule my personal time, errands, and (basically) anything I’d like to do on my own during the time my baby is sleeping!

I’m noticing L/O sometimes needs to be put to sleep after the 60-90min wake window or else L/O is awake for hours and cranky. We have been working on that. It varies whether L/O is awake for 60min or 90min.

I’m also aware that at this age L/O still needs 14-17h of sleep in a 24 hr period- taking multiple & sometimes short spanned naps throughout the day. Which generally as of late, L/O does get between 12h-16h of sleep in a 24h period depending on the day & is awake more in the daytime than nighttime. I understand that my baby doesn’t have a circadian rhythm, to stimulate the circadian rhythm we nap with open curtains during the day, let everyone talk at normal volume / have tv on and are boring & quiet with dim lighting when waking at night time.

L/O will mainly go down for the night between 10-12AM. We occasionally wake sometime between 8pm-9pm, nurse & then go down for the night.

Wake again once between 3-6am for a 10 min nursing session & sleep all the way to 8am.. we average a good 8 hrs of sleep a night!

For the 60-90 min wake window, I let my baby wake up, change the diaper, do tummy time, and then feed which takes up to 40 mins. So we normally wait on the sleep cue after that & will just interact with eachother until I see the sleep cue.

I’m not looking for the “their schedule is your schedule” replies. I’m aware that L/O schedule mainly depends on the cues given to me- I will always follow the cues

What age are you putting your baby on a strict schedule and how did they do with the schedule?

I’d never force a nap or force L/O to stay awake, and I’d also never force feed/delay feeding to fit a strict schedule, but I like to be prepared ahead of time. I personally need to think about this upcoming routine several times before starting it, I need to type it out in my notes & set alarms. I need to “get ready” to start a routine.

I will always follow the cues but want a general idea of a routine to where I can say “he’s asleep at this time so that’s when I can go to the gas station & leave him with dad.”

What IS a good schedule to follow as a guideline around
L/O cues?

Will I never have a routine because baby is EBF & might want to wake & cluster feed so we never end up with a strict routine?

Is a strict routine only for formula fed babies?

Could maybe someone give me a guideline of a schedule for each month-1Y?

I have two friends who are absolutely lovely caring people with teen/young adult kids. When they talk about how they parent their kids I'm taken aback at how much self-sacrifice they ask of themselves. Granted, my European parents were completely different and there is a generation gap. To explain what I mean about their behavior: we 3 friends were planning to make a date but one said she could not because her 18 year old daughter might want to meet her own friends and she needed to be there to drive her if that was the case. This seems strange to me so I asked the other other mom who explained: "you never want to miss anything." I do not think either of these women are laying guilt in the kids, but their kids are quite sad and unhealthy in many ways. I'm not a parent but I was a teacher of college age kids for many years and saw a big decline in their ability to cope, accept feedback unless 100% positive, and take responsibility for themselves.

Is this what modern parenting looks like? Is there pressure to be this kind of parent? My intention is not to be unkind, I care about these women and their kids and it just seems sad to me.

I’m 17F, and when I was little, my mom used to show me videos of childbirth, and she showed my sister them too, basically to scare us out of becoming teen moms. Is this something other parents do, or is this just my mom?

I'm an 18 year old trans guy(that will be a bit relevant) but I feel like she treats me the same way she did when I was 8.

I can't go anywhere alone and I can't be alone in stores. Even smaller places that we go to often, she still has to be able to see me. I really don't understand this since I'm home alone nearly every day for around seven hours, occasionally more.

I can't spend my money how I want so I'm typically stuck asking if it's not something I originally said I wanted. One of the things about money that we've done since I was little is that if it's my money I'm allowed to spent it however I want, but she's been not letting me do that recently. We were at a store a couple weeks ago and I saw a small plush of one of my favorite characters and she wouldn't let me buy it and didn't even say why. And if it's online shopping then I either have to ask to buy it or ask her to buy it. And she's even worse about what I can/can't buy when it comes to clothes which makes shopping obnoxious.

And I couldn't even fully pick the name I go by. I had a few different ideas with my two favorites being obvious. I couldn't go by one of them because that'd "make it obvious I'm trans" but it's already obvious. I couldn't go by another one because she didn't like them or some random family member in another state that we've never met and will never meet has the same basic name. She didn't even listen to one idea, which was one I really liked, and instead suggested my least favorite of my ideas. I 'go by' that name now, and it's a great name, but it doesn't feel like me and has no importance to me like the others did.

For most of these things, I wouldn't even do them. I'm perfectly happy staying home alone, but I want the ability to go out on my own. And I should be allowed to buy things with my money. Even things I probably won't get, like a monster energy drink or something, but I still want to be able to. I don't know how to ask her about this or to get her to change without being asked.

TLDR: I'm 18 and can't be alone, can't buy things with my money, and didn't get a real choice with my name. How do I get my mom to start letting me?

Hey everyone, first of all I want to preface that I'm asking this to genuinely widen my perspective. I'm not here to vent or simply air out past trauma.

A bit of background about me: I had a stepdad in my life from ages 4-12. My mum and him had 2 kids together. I remember feeling very unsettled and anxious around him as a child, and I think I made it pretty clear to her that I didn't like him. He was really mean.

A part of me wonders if she chose to stay because he gave her things she struggled to get on her own at the time: A house, money, and love. I think at the time she was also quite isolated.

But I just don't understand how a parent can see their child be genuinely disliked and not reconsider their relationship. When I was young I think I had some behavioural issues but they were quite minor- Such as forgetting to say thank you or not wiping my face after eating. But I also didn't like this guy, so maybe I was just being honest in how I felt about him.

Just curious if you kid was on a team and one kid shined so much the rest of the kids couldn't get any playing time and weren't able to even get to yh ball - how would you have handled this?

My son is a very very picky eater so we have to be creative trying new foods. To convince him to eat apples, we told him that the more apples he eats, he will eventually be stronger than his dad and be able to beat him at wrestling 😅

EDIT: Appreciate all the comments and understand that there are many variables at play. If she chooses to stay local then I see that altering my timeline might be the best course. If she goes to school far away (she will be spending her summer as a counselor for 1.5 months) then I will make a different decision.

Had a lovely talk last night and she’s also considering going with me and it may be Scotland where she can work because she’s a dual citizen. That would be a good thing for both of us, cheaper living, she can explore her roots and get a job, and my visa is 6 months which gives ample opportunity for her to settle in and find her community.

I’m 60 and my child is a Senior in High School.

I’ve been working since I was 11 years old, applied for college on my own, 3 jobs etc

My father was a single dad of 3.

I’m a single mom and had to do a few job pivots to survive. And I’m exhausted.

I’ve told my child that after graduation I will strap on a backpack and hit the road exploring the world with what little savings I have.

Cannot afford to retire in the US so going to explore options in South East Asia.

Hate my current job and the grind.

My child is so mad at me. Expects me to continue to pay for stuff.

She’s super smart but doesn’t push to create opportunities for herself and I’ve tried everything. So college may not be an option for her. Might be workforce or community college.

Am I an asshole for “doing this to her”?

I have some guilt but I’m still planning my escape.

FYI - We rent so there’s no “family” home. I would be willing to help with rent as long as she’s working toward her goals of school or job.

** After reading comments- Clarification -
I have offered to take her with me. Offered to match dollar for dollar if she’s working to help live
Because I was a single mom with dead beat dad - I have barely enough to live in Vietnam and have a life before I die.
I was 17 when I left home, went to college, did not get money from my single dad, worked like crazy and never begrudged my Dad for lack of financial support. Called him most days - understood that! It is a little different these days but my child is highly intelligent and uses that to do the least work. She’ll find a good job, even in this economy- if not I’ll buy her A ticket to Vietnam

I’m not sure what to do. My child loved kindergarten and has good friends at school but none of them are in her class. There are 6 other girls in the class, 3 don’t speak English and the other 3 are a little trio that was also together in kindergarten and for whatever reason they enjoy being mean. My daughter is who actually really outgoing and friendly doesn’t understand why they purposely exclude her, call her names and talk about her.

She’s apparently been sitting alone at lunch and no one acknowledges her. The boys sit at one table and the girls at another. So the two trios all laugh and talk around her and she just sits there off to the side. I actually didn’t know this until another parent called me and let me know. She said it made her sad to even witness it.

My daughter did try sitting with the boys and they let her sit with them but they also didn’t really talk to her.

Oddly enough I met another mom today who had a daughter in kindergarten with the “mean trio” and they did the same thing to her daughter. She said “it doesn’t get better” referring to the mean girls.

My daughter comes home everyday just down. I ask her about her day and she says “another not great day mom, I still have no friends in my class”

All of her best friends are in another class. It makes her really sad that she’s not only being excluded and bullied in her class but all her friends get to be together in another class. I don’t know if I’m being a helicopter parent for wanting her to swap classes but it’s ripping my heart out picturing her getting ignored and bullied. I’ve already covered it with her teacher but there’s not much you can do when your kid is the odd ball out.

Would you ask to have your child moved classes?

I have a 12-year-old brother who used to enjoy life, play video games and football, and do the usual things kids his age enjoy.
Lately, he has been dealing with bullying and being left out, and it has really affected him. He has started spending most of his time alone in his room and no longer seems interested in the things he used to enjoy, not even using his phone.
What worries me the most is how he has started seeing himself. He keeps questioning himself and saying things like, “Why am I not successful? Why am I not good at anything? Why don’t I have something I’m actually good at?” It hurts to hear him talk about himself this way, especially at such a young age.
He has also been playing football since he was 8, but he feels like he is not improving. One of his friends has progressed to the point where he travels to compete in tournaments, and I think seeing that difference might be making him feel even worse about himself.
As his family, we are worried about him and do not want things to get worse. We are trying to understand how to approach him without putting more pressure on him or making him feel like we are forcing him to talk.
Has anyone dealt with something similar with a child around this age? I would especially appreciate advice from child psychologists or psychiatrists on how to support him, help him regain his confidence, and know when professional help is needed.
We just want to help him feel like himself again.

I often hear that the love you have for your child makes it all worth it. Or that the love that you have is something that you would never know etc.

But other than the love you have for your child, what are other positive things about being a parent/ having a child?

Dad of a 6-month-old here, trying to learn from parents a few years ahead of me. I keep hearing that the hard part isn't how much time kids spend on screens, but not knowing what's actually on them.

What did you find, how did the conversation go, and did anything you tried actually work?

I’m genuinely looking for some perspective from other parents because this has been an ongoing disagreement between my husband and me throughout our marriage, and I’m starting to feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle.
We have three children: two boys, ages 16 and 13, and an 11-year-old daughter.

I recently implemented a chore chart that assigns them relatively light responsibilities during the week, such as helping clean up after dinner, taking out the trash, and loading or unloading the dishwasher. On weekends, they have additional chores like cleaning their bedrooms and bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, and helping maintain our shared living spaces.

Nothing particularly strenuous or time-consuming, in my opinion. Just basic contributions to the household they live in.
Tonight, I asked my 11-year-old daughter to help prepare a box of cheesy scalloped potatoes for dinner. Nothing elaborate, just following the directions on a box and putting together a simple side dish. To me, this seems like a perfectly reasonable task for an 11-year-old, especially with a parent available to help if needed.

For context, I’m the oldest of five children, and by my kids’ ages, I was regularly preparing meals for my family, helping with younger siblings, and contributing to the daily upkeep of our home. I’m certainly not expecting my children to take on the same level of responsibility I had growing up, but I do believe that learning to cook, clean, and contribute to a household are essential life skills.

I’m also preparing to start a second job, which means I’ll be working a minimum of approximately 50 hours per week. My primary job is at a school, where I work as a teacher, school nurse, and handle several other responsibilities. My second job will be working as a nurse in a surgical pre-op/post-op setting.

With that schedule, I simply cannot continue being the person who manages and handles the majority of the household responsibilities.
Here’s where the disagreement comes in.
My husband believes that our children’s primary responsibility should be their schoolwork and that I’m expecting too much of them by asking them to take on additional household responsibilities.

I absolutely agree that education is important. I want my children to succeed academically, have time for extracurricular activities, and enjoy being kids. But I don’t believe those things are mutually exclusive with learning how to cook a meal, clean a bathroom, do laundry, or recognize when something needs to be done around the house.

This disagreement isn’t new. We’ve had variations of this conversation throughout our children’s lives, and I honestly feel that our lack of consistency and agreement as parents has contributed to them being less independent and less willing to take initiative than I believe they could be at their ages.
I’m not looking to turn my children into household staff or burden them with adult responsibilities. I want them to develop confidence, independence, and a sense of shared responsibility.

I also don’t want to raise children who grow into adults expecting someone else to cook their meals, clean up after them, and manage their homes.

So, I’m genuinely curious: What household responsibilities do your children have at similar ages?

Are your 11-, 13-, and 16-year-olds capable of preparing simple meals or helping with dinner?

How do you balance homework, extracurricular activities, downtime, and household responsibilities?

Am I being unreasonable in expecting my kids to contribute more, especially as my work hours increase?

How do you handle it when you and your spouse have fundamentally different expectations about what children should be responsible for?

I’m open to hearing that my expectations might need adjusting, but I also feel strongly that teaching children to be capable, contributing members of a household is part of parenting.

At what point does protecting kids from responsibilities actually become a disservice to them?

Just curious what your routine looks like. Does your kid take the bus? Do you help your kid get ready for school? Do you help your kid with homework? Do you feel the need to adjust your work schedule with your kid's schedule? Do you have more free time as they get older? How about weekends? Anything like this would be helpful!

My daughter goes to a small school where there are about 35 kids in the grade, 20 of whom are girls. For the most part all of these kids have been in school together since they were 3, and they are now in the 2nd grade.

As seems to be natural among 7-8 year old girls, the friend dynamics seem to be shifting, and the “bestie” groups are changing and moving around. Generally all sweet girls and sweet families, but there are a few who have been starting to exhibit “mean girl” behavior. Things like saying “you can’t sit with us” at lunch and just not being the nicest.

There are 2 in particular who seem to be taking the queen bee type spot. One of them is the daughter of a friend of mine. My friend has made comments that indicate she is worried about/doesn’t want her daughter to be the mean girl. We had a dinner together toward the end of the last school year and she mentioned that she had asked a teacher who is a friend if she saw anything in that vein happening, and the teacher said no, which comforted my friend. But I have heard little comments from my daughter and some of her other friends that indicate this may not be entirely true.

Since I don’t work at the school and am not on the playground with them I can’t say for sure what is happening vs a 7 year old’s perspective on things. But I’m wondering if I should say anything to my friend or just hope the teachers this year are seeing it and letting her know?

Would you want to know if your kid was starting to be the mean girl, or should I just let things play out naturally?

My popular sister (14) keeps telling me (15F) about all of the stuff she does at parties, like getting completely drunk (my parents know about this) and making out with boys (not sure if my parents know). This is all fine with me as someone as someone who is kind of loserish and doesn’t really do anything.

However within the past couple of months my sister has kind of been upping the ante and has been vaping and even bought her own vape (parents DEFINITELY do not know about this) which I have not told anyone about on the condition she doesn’t do it in our shared bedroom which she has already broken once.

Yesterday she got back from a party and brought a friend with her who told me she’d given some random boy a BLOWJOB?? and not to tell my mum.

My parents are also struggling with work and i just don’t know what to do!!!

I’ve given her a lecture about how dangerous that is and how unfair it is to put me in this position, and I fear it could change our relationship as a family if I tell anyone. I just don’t want her to get hurt. Please help me!!!!!!

EDIT: I feel like it’s important to note that she’s drinking, vaping and now giving people head which in my opinion is definitely dangerous for a 14 year old to be doing!!!

Okay parents, I need help. I do not have a human child but have a REALLY strong and determinated cat. You have children. What have been the best child safety locks you have used? Some info to consider:

- we rent so it limits what we can install a bit but if something is really really good we might consider modifications

- our cat is smart and strong. He can open simple safety locks if he tries. He can move 20liters of litter and box of heavy books at the same time if he really wants to get in a cabinet

- we can't use locks that are inside the cabinet and need to be pressed when opening it. Our counters come over the tops of bottom cabinet doors

- aesthetics no longer really matter. He is too strong and smart

- consider our cat a crumpy toddler, angry he can't access everything

Thank you so much already for any insight!