The Parenting Thread

Thanks so much all, it's really appreciated.

Generally we bumble along ok - it's hard and as Tonka (🐑,🪤) said, especially for my daughter - we have to work hard to make sure H doesn't get all the attention.

He's had the diagnosis for a long time and we're used to it. He's high functioning enough that he'll be fine, but I've always just been sad that it'll mean his life will be harder than the neurotypical.

His meltdowns were more frequent and harder over the summer as he was anxious about going back. The changes at school due to covid were hard enough for all kids but especially him. At 12 I do wonder if there's a bit of hormone stuff going on as well.

Either way, he's back at school today, and luckily he tends to bounce back quickly, and the school will continue to support him.

(oh and we'll have a look at Atypical)

As for the bullying stuff, man it's gross. My daughter had a boy in her class who spent ages calling her (and other girls) names and generally pushing them around. The impotence of what you actually can do definitely eats at you. In the end we met the head teacher and even though it was "relatively" low level had it shut down. Of course the kid had his own problems, which is always the truth, but doesn't mean you don't want to protect yours.

I figure the answer is start offering crisps to the biggest kids in the school. Basically a primary school bounty. (it's obviously not the answer)

I wake the kids by turning on some music on the upstairs speaker.

I just got the brilliant idea to always have it be "I got you babe".

They'll get it whenever they watch groundhog day for the first time.

So like an Oliver Jeffers/Julia Donaldson style book, it appeared at the end on the "also by this author" page. The cover reminded me of this, so a forest/wood/trees/green but something predominantly red in the foreground. Little Red Riding Hood?! Not sure. And yes, I've been through all the books we have!

Just getting in to a new routine? When everything is new and different from before it could take a while to get bedded in.

Just make sure you add the cost of replacements on to the ‘leaving home bill’

Yeah, same with us. First time in her entire life she had been responsible for anything. We now now have a rule that lost things get replaced with something of equal or (usually) lesser value by us once and then it gets paid for out of her own money.

'Cuz everyone makes mistakes but doing it repeatedly just feels like 'i'll just get a new one' disrespectful white privilege.

Yeah we've got this attitude from our eldest, his words were "it's your job as parents to provide for me".

Sometimes, he can be such a little cnut, I wish I could tell him.

We were in the same bit last week with my youngest who is at nursery. Really horrible cough that lasted about four days. On poor kid at his nursery got it and was hospitalised (Sotho’ he does have pretty rough asthma). Our PCR tests were negative so assume just another shift bug doing the rounds. Hope all good with you and yours.

We took the little one in to hospital for her blood test following a thyroid test earlier in the month.
Wheel her in the front door in her buggy and it's like she is returning from a short trip to see her 'people' - everyone gets a smile and a wave and big 'HULLO' on sight.
From the fucked-off security guard at the door to the nurses and other patients waiting in the waiting areas they all respond with a nice 'hello' back
It is actually a pleasant experience to go back to hospital.
She was very brave for the nurses taking the blood (phlebotomist?) which I think made them happy as they must get a lot of upset souls in for blood. Didn't even flinch.
Now the wait for results...

Nursery is a constant source of illness for mine. We’ve had bad colds, gammy eyes and norovirus so far this year.

Been offered a flu vaccine spray for him which I think could be essential for the coming months.

cheers, she has had the test now (waiting for results) I'm 99% certain it is just a bug. She was ill at weekend, but now its just a bad cough.
Apparently she started a coughing fit in assembly and one of the teachers had to take her out and then they called us to tell us to pick her up and don't bring her back without a negative PCR test, which is fair enough in the current climate.

Exactly on the 4 month mark my son is going through 4 month sleep regression. HELP!

We've had ear infections and really bad coughs and colds before going back. They've been back a week so bracing ourselves for the next one!

RobEG that sounds rough - my sympathies. Our youngest is 5, nearly 6, and she's gone really clingy when her mum drops her off at school - not so much the tantrums, but very out of character for her. All I can say is persevere and know that you're doing what's best for them by teaching them to manage without you. And it's a cliche, but every time I've had issues dropping any of my 3 off, I check back in 10 minutes and they're fine.

My friends had something similar. Turned out there was a little wanker in their kids class who kept pinching her.