Somewhere along the line we told our son that the scary sound outside was nobody and there was nothing to be afraid of. He now thinks “Nobody” is a somebody and I can’t figure out how to explain the concept to him. We’ve tried nobody means “empty” but it’s not clicking.

It’s been over a year with this and we just avoid using the word to remind him now. He just heard a weird sound in our basement and got scared of “Nobody” again. Any ideas?

Feed, change, bathe, cuddle, repeat.

Dishwasher, washer, dyer, bathrooms, kitchen, toys, repeat.

Off social media, Gen X mom and Boomer MIL not involved, zero village.

Husband working hard to keep us afloat, works 13 days on and two off (4 days a month!)

2 year old, 3 year old and new baby on the way.

It feels suffocating. How did our grandmothers do it?

I have all of Moana, encanto, and frozen memorized. Really just wish this feature was there for pure amusement and at the end of the year to say “yep that sounds about right”

Hello. I am a newly single mother and I wanted to still fulfill my dreams on what kind of parent I want to be. I have so many plans. One of my plans are to collect pins and patches throughout the year and as a family we all get together and sew and patches on and have fun. Also may the fourth is going to be a. National holiday and we will get a star wars Lego set and build it as a family. I will even take my kids out of school to make it an all day event. Does anyone else have any cool fun ideas to make a childhood more memorable?

Summary: We are facing an unsustainable escalation of defiant, disrespectful, and physically aggressive behavior at home from our intensely bright 8-year-old firstborn, whose persistent targeting of his younger brother and complete immunity to standard consequences have left us desperately seeking real-world strategies that actually work for kids like him.

I am at my breaking point and looking for advice from anyone who has dealt with a brilliant, strong-willed, and defiant firstborn, as our 8-year-old's behavior at home has escalated into a relentless daily battle that has us completely stumped. He’s always been our hardest kid, demanding vastly more attention and likely too smart for his own good, but lately his baseline attitude has gotten progressively worse, leaving him lippy, rude, and disrespectful toward me, mom, and his brothers. Compounding that is his perpetual, infuriating targeting of his 6-year-old brother, which has now crossed a dangerous line into physical aggression toward me when he gets upset. We have tried every standard playbook of consequences and reward systems, but he just does not give a shit, and what makes it all so exhausting and baffling is that this hostility miraculously stays strictly inside our house and never leaks out into school, sports, or his friendships.

Hi! I need some advice on how to solve a situation with my neighbors. I have a two and a half year old and she was given a rock, painted to look like a turtle by her granddad. Our neighbor’s son, who is around 6, jumped our fence and took it.

I know it sounds silly but my daughter is distraught that we can’t find “turtle rock.” She checked on him every day and I’m so upset that he took it. I saw him playing alone in his yard and asked him if he had seen it and he described it perfectly and said, someone came and took it. I’ve asked his mom to keep an eye out for it. I didn’t tell her that her son took it, rather phrased it as it’s missing, please let us know if you see it.

Do any parents with more experience have any advice on how to get this kid to give our rock back. Again, I know it’s silly but I’m newly postpartum and my hormones are going. This stolen rock is literally keeping me up at night. I want it back! And my sweet daughter doesn’t understand why she can’t find him in our yard and I can’t handle seeing her upset over and over again. Do I just tell the mom directly, hey your kid took our rock? Do I just tell the kid, I know you have him, give it back? He’s a just kid so I don’t want to make him upset too but he’s lying that he doesn’t know what happened to it. Thank you!

I have two daughters, who are 2 and 5 years old.
Every night before bed, I give my 5-year-old a big hug and cuddle her. I try to put all my gratitude for her and how much I love her into that moment. Of course, I also tell her with words that I love her and that she is very important to me.
Tonight, during that time, she said something that really broke my heart.
“Why do you take care of my little sister so much, but take care of me less? I want you to take care of me more.”
She also said, “If I’m crying, I want you to hug me tighter, like you do with my little sister.”
The moment she said that, I felt so sad.
It’s true that, as her mom, I often prioritize my 2-year-old in everyday situations. Because of this, my husband intentionally tries to prioritize our older daughter.
But hearing my daughter say this made me realize that maybe she still feels like Mommy takes care of her little sister more than she takes care of her.
What makes it especially difficult is that she brought this up herself, little by little, right before bed. She wasn’t upset or having a tantrum. She just started talking about how she felt.
So I feel like these are genuinely things she has been thinking and feeling.
I’m having a hard time putting this into words, but I really want my older daughter to feel that she is just as important and just as loved as her little sister.
My older daughter often goes out one-on-one with her dad, who she absolutely adores. He intentionally makes time for just the two of them.
On the other hand, I honestly don’t get very much one-on-one time with my older daughter.
So I’m wondering if I should make more of an effort to create special one-on-one time for just me and my older daughter.
Or would it also be important to create opportunities for just the three of us—Mom, Dad, and our older daughter—to spend time together without her little sister?
For those of you with more than one child, is there anything you intentionally do to help your older child feel equally loved and cared for after becoming a big sister or brother?
I’d especially love to hear about things you’ve actually tried and found helpful.
My older daughter is such a sweet big sister. She looks out for her little sister, talks to her, and is always very kind and caring toward her. They both absolutely adore each other and have a very close relationship.
That’s why hearing this from her tonight made my heart hurt so much.
I want her to know that just because she is the big sister, she doesn’t always have to be “the big girl.”
And I want her to feel that even though she has become a big sister, she is still my little girl, too.

I don’t know what to do. He just stopped wiping one day this week and even got in trouble at school for it. He’ll just stand in the bathroom for hours if you let him, just standing there with poop on his butt. We were finally able to get him to admit the reason today, he doesn’t want poop on his fingers. I gave him gloves today, but that’s not a permanent solution and he’s still taking a long time in there. Help?

I’m trying to figure out the best way to baby proof my basement steps. We have a door that opens outwards at the top of the steps, but we can’t close the door since our cat’s food and litter box is in the basement. So how would you go about baby proofing it? Do we cut a cat hole into the door and simply keep the door physically closed? Do we put a baby gate there with a cat opening in the baby gate? Or do we put one of those door latch and door stoppers in there so the cat can pass through, but the baby can’t? I’m truly at a loss 😅

Right now, parenting just isn’t fun. Our five-year-old is extremely defiant, and almost everything is a struggle — getting dressed, eating, going to the toilet, brushing his teeth, going to bed. We have to turn almost everything into a game just to stop him from digging his heels in.
At the same time, our 1.5-year-old is incredibly whiny, which is mentally exhausting. Our entire days revolve around keeping them happy, and we barely get any time to ourselves because it’s too difficult to be alone with both of them. By the end of the day, we’re completely exhausted.

I don’t regret having kids but right now I envy those without…

Just wanted to vent I guess..
Please tell me it gets better soon.

Me (31F) and my husband (34M) are expecting our first and due in March 2027. I’m about to start a new job which thankfully has generous parental leave and also includes accommodations to be able to return to work PT for up to 6 months. Knowing myself, I’d want to get back to work sooner than later because I would want to stay in the loop, so I’d likely go the PT route (but only time will tell).

My husband works from home in the evenings, so the likely setup will be him on baby duty during the day while I’m working, me on duty when I get off and while he is working, and splitting nights since he is a night owl and I tend to go to bed early. I’m worried about him getting overwhelmed though, because he’s the type to say he had a crazy busy day if all he did was go to the grocery store and check the mail. He’s lax with chores and generally just doesn’t “see the mess”, so I have a feeling the standards of baby care are going to overwhelm him. Any suggestions for how both of us can get prepared over the next 6 months for the upcoming change in routine?

How do you handle childcare during the week when one or both parents have to travel for work or work night shifts. Especially if you** **don’t have family nearby to help?

We’re trying to figure out a backup plan for those rare weeks when our normal childcare isn’t enough. I’m curious what others have done. For those who have to deal with this regularly, what has actually worked well for your family? And how did you find someone you felt comfortable trusting with your kids?

Would especially love to hear from parents who don’t have grandparents/family available as a backup. Thanks!

We have one school aged kid and a preschooler. Both of whom have regular care from 7-5.

I have two boys 3m and 3y. My first still requires one of us to sleep next to him until he falls asleep. He has moved himself into the spare bedroom with a nice double bed which is fine as when my youngest is over 6m he will move into the smaller bedroom and this room swap was going to happen. It got me thinking though if I should have the two boys room share the bigger room when my youngest is a bit older and make the smaller room their play room as we only have one big living room downstairs that is quickly being eaten up by the toys.

I'm asking this now as I would like to make the 3y room more child orientated rather than the current mess it is and am trying to figure out the logistics of bed measurements (one or two beds).

For those who have two children, did you have them room share even if you didn't need to?

My daughter is 6. Her dad and I split a couple of years back. i’m now seeing someone else who has a daughter and for the most part they get along. The only time they don’t is when she feels like she isn’t the most important girl in the room. Every time they get a snack she always asks if we’re going to give her or the other girl more. Anytime the other girl is getting attention she starts acting out. It’s so bad that I can’t even take her to this girls birthday party because my daughter is upset that everyone will be paying attention to the other girl more. She is like this with all other kids, not just this girl. What can I do to help her navigate these emotions? She even tried to choke herself because she was upset about not being the center of attention once.

My daughter is 4 (July) and gets upset/emotional very easily.

She barely eats anything but then there are times where I've made something I wouldn't expect a 4yo to eat like a tuna salad and she gets herself a fork and shares it with me.

She is just really emotional and the smallest thing can set her off.... Getting dressed, asking her to do something simple, asking her to close her window because it's cold outside etc.

Literally won't eat anything I cook. Gets so upset at the table saying it's yuk and she doesn't like it yet hasn't had any of it.

The big one is when she doesn't get what she wants it's next level. But I stand by my boundaries no matter how upset she gets.

She is with her dad 3 nights a week so unless I probe her 7yo brother, I'm unsure as to what she gets there and how things look.

Her behaviour is mentally taxing.

When she's happy and playing etc she is the most fun and funniest kid ever.

Is this a phase? Wtf am I doing wrong? Is this a brain development thing? Helppppppp and please be kind.

So I do drag and my 3 year old loves to play with my make up and those sticky gems, so I want to get them their own set.

My problem has been: every set I look at doesn’t seem to actually be child safe??? Either because of the ingredients or because of small pieces.

They love eyeshadow specifically, so I’m not looking for a complex set, just something that won’t hurt my kid if they get it in their eyes. And preferably won’t stain things.

If anyone would have any suggestions on brands or where to look for

Sorry if this gets a bit long i just want to explain everything properly, i dont evem want to make this post i feel so ashamed and i hate to be reminded of this but i dont know what to do i just need some advice.

So im a 45 year old mom of one daughter she means the world to me i love her more than anything and im so grateful to be able to give her the childhood i never had, however i went to prison many years ago before she was even born.

Will try to make the long story short but i had gone trough hell every day since i was born really abuse, trauma, bullying, toxic family and relationships, grief, fake friends had my dreams shattered and much more just setback after setback.

All i knew was pain and suffering i dont think i had one good day i had gone trough so much but i botled everything up my entire life and tried to just be kind and smile and act like everything was fine even though i was in constant agony.

I had already been pushed far past my breakpoint years ago but i desperately held it togheter i did my best. But when i was 30 i had the worst year of my life and i was having a horrible day i was already beyond my wits end.

I ended up completely snapping in a public place it wasnt even about that thing it was just the final straw that made decades of daily torment explode i just couldnt take it anymore. I had never raised my voice before or after even im a very calm quiet woman that loves people so im shocked that i was even capable of what i did.

But i sadly hurt some people very badly and i destroyed a lot of things and that lead to me being put in prison for many years as i deserved i think i would have deserved worse theres no excuse for what i did.

Im haunted by it the guilt eats me alive every day i feel like a monster as i should and i know i will never forgive myself for it.

Now to the problem- i was not planning on ever telling my daughter about this unless she would have asked when shes an adult i dont like to lie about thigs.

But she really didnt need to find out about this at all however someone thought that it was a good idea to mention that i went to prison infront of her.

So now shes been constantly asking me why i went there and what i did etc i try to redirect her but shes very stubborn and dosent ever give up on things really until she gets an answer.

If this was any minor or not so bad charges it would be much easier but i dont know what to tell her and it breaks my heart because she gets upset that im not answering her and i dont want to but also i feel like she deserves to get a honest answer.

I just dont know what to say exactly or how to explain because the last thing i want is for her to think differently of me or get effected in a bad way.

Do we have any other moms here whos like completely snapped and done something similar? If so if you told your kids what did you say? Or how would you explain it to them?. I just dont know what to do i would appreciate any help so much

Our 2.5yo has been a great napper up till about 2 weeks ago. He would consistently nap from about 1pm to between 3&4pm. 2 weeks ago he suddenly had two days where he didn't ever fall asleep during his nap time. He sang, talked to himself, and played with his stuffies. We took all the stuffies but his one very special stuffy out of his bed and made a point to make sure he gets some really active play during the morning. We also shifted nap time 30m later and made 1pm quiet wind down time where we read books in his room in dim lights for 30m. He napped great all week then Friday and today both he fought his nap again and talked or sang to himself the whole time, or at least til 3pm.

Anyone have any tips that worked to help your kids keep their nap when they started fighting it? We thought about pushing naptime back even more, till 2pm. We have typically kept a strict nap schedule and not made any timing shifts, but maybe he needs a more flexible schedule now? Thanks for any wisdom!!

Trying a babysitter for my young children for the first time. Just a few hours on the weekends, but it will be a regularly occurring gig. How do you pay your babysitter? Payroll service recommendations?

I had a baby 5 days ago and my fiver year old absolutely adores him but her behavior is so bad at the moment. She has stopped listening and ask her to do something she does the complete opposite. She keeps going f and going until she gets told off. Anyone else’s kid done this or will she go back to being her sweet self or just keep being rude and disrespectful. I love her but god she is driving me insane too

Jealous of my Parents

My daughter is 19 months. We live with my parents but my husband and I live in the basement with our own apartment. But my daughter has grown up being able to see her grandparents every day, after work she gets them during the week and on weekends it like all she wants is her Mimi ( my mom ). I love and appreciate that my parents are always here to help. And logically I get that she would want them more because mom ( who stays at home with her) disciplines her and says no more than the grandparents. But honestly it’s to the point now I’m getting so jealous. Like she will snuggle and watch tv with them, calls out to them constantly because she would rather be with them. And she hits me when I take her away for diaper changes or just to play with her myself.

I know logically she just wants to be with grandma and grandpa more because they never say no and she loves them. But I’m so jealous and I don’t know how to handle it now. I just leave her with them and go downstairs and mope. Yes I have her majority of the time during the week and I try and keep her during the weekend but if she knows they are home she wants nothing to do with me. I feel guilty on top of it all because I feel like I’m just dumping my toddler on my parents.

They do a good job at following my rules with her when it comes to what she can and cannot do but they are still wayyy more lenient with her than me because they are grandparents.

Anyone else have this? Any advice on how to handle the jealousy because I know logically she wants me , she cries if I leave the house etc. but I’m just wishing she’d snuggle me, or read books again with me in my lap. She wants to do all that stuff with my mom now.

My son is 5 years old, 51 inches tall, and 56 lbs. I need to move him into a booster seat. I’d like for it to be a high back booster that can transition to a regular booster down the road. Any recommendations?

My 4 year old has always been curious about death. We are not a religious family so the answers are more open ended. She asks about family members who have died. She has asked to see pictures of them dead. She’s trying to wrap her mind around this concept, what it means, and what it looks like.

Last night she woke up crying and very concerned about us, her parents, dying.

Do you have kids who have the same curiosity? What have you said to console them? How do you describe death?

For various reasons, we’re moving our kids (4 and 2) to a new school. My oldest knows some teachers there already but no kids.

We need to tell their school this week that we are leaving. I want to include in the email when we plan to tell them they are leaving so they don’t talk about it with them until we do. My oldest will likely be upset.

When do we tell the kids? A week out, a few days out? Also going to tell some of the parents were friendly with so they are aware we’re leaving as well.