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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Raising Children Thread

Note to self: don't call kjelsadek after you've had a couple of glasses of wine and you need to pee bad. The woman will talk your ear off.


Why did I post this comment here? I have no clue.
 
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RichmondJake said:
Note to self: don't call kjelsadek after you've had a couple of glasses of wine and you need to pee bad. The woman will talk your ear off.

Why did I post this comment here? I have no clue.
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Well you called me remember. Besides I was unlocking the mysteries of women for you...sometimes it takes a while to teach an old dog something new. :D
 
btrage said:
Perfect. She decided that her fear of the poo-poo was not going to get in the way of getting yet another My Little Pony. She must have 5 or 6 of them now. :-D
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Congrats dude. We have had a break through ourselves with the "diabla". She has totally stopped having accidents at night and tonight she told me she needed to go poo poo and than came out and said she wasn't afraid of the "poo" anymore. She even asked me to take a picture to show mama.


I did


I showed mama....



She laughed....

We still have the occasional accident, but it usually involves her playing on the playground and so excited to be there and a few hours since we asked her to go or reminded her.
 
R.T. pissed off at me over her History II placement next year. Her current teacher recommended A.P. History next year. Today she came home and said that there was a mix up in the criteria so the recommendation can only be honors History since her overall score in the class is not sufficient for A.P. next year. I have the right to override the recommendation to her counselor, but refused to do so because her grade isn't to the standard to succeed in A.P. So...I'm Public Enemy #1 tonight.
 
kjelsadek said:
R.T. pissed off at me over her History II placement next year. Her current teacher recommended A.P. History next year. Today she came home and said that there was a mix up in the criteria so the recommendation can only be honors History since her overall score in the class is not sufficient for A.P. next year. I have the right to override the recommendation to her counselor, but refused to do so because her grade isn't to the standard to succeed in A.P. So...I'm Public Enemy #1 tonight.
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My daughter took AP and regretted it. She wished that she took Honors History instead.

Look on the bright side; RT will find a different reason to brand you Public Enemy #1 some other time.;-)
 
kms said:
My daughter took AP and regretted it. She wished that she took Honors History instead.

Look on the bright side; RT will find a different reason to brand you Public Enemy #1 some other time.;-)
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OK, now I don't feel so bad. She works hard for the grades she gets and I don't have any issues with her school performance. I just don't want to put her in a class that I think she's going to struggle with and in turn despise the subject entirely. I do foresee some A.P. classes in her senior year in science and math which she excels at. For now I am enjoying the total control over the tv remote since she's pouting in her room. :D
 
kjelsadek said:
R.T. pissed off at me over her History II placement next year. Her current teacher recommended A.P. History next year. Today she came home and said that there was a mix up in the criteria so the recommendation can only be honors History since her overall score in the class is not sufficient for A.P. next year. I have the right to override the recommendation to her counselor, but refused to do so because her grade isn't to the standard to succeed in A.P. So...I'm Public Enemy #1 tonight.
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My parents made me take AP English, History, and Latin. Talk about hating the parents. You probably made the right call. I wish my parents had thought about me as a person, instead of bragging on what they signed me up for. Glad you're thinking about what is best for R.T.

I'm getting resigned to the fact that my kid probably won't go to college. He's bright enough but has no interest. Well, maybe we can get a discount at Wal-Mart when he ends up working there...
 
kjelsadek said:
R.T. pissed off at me over her History II placement next year. Her current teacher recommended A.P. History next year. Today she came home and said that there was a mix up in the criteria so the recommendation can only be honors History since her overall score in the class is not sufficient for A.P. next year. I have the right to override the recommendation to her counselor, but refused to do so because her grade isn't to the standard to succeed in A.P. So...I'm Public Enemy #1 tonight.
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Inform RT that if she feels so compelled to, she can still take the AP History test even though she wasn't enrolled in the class. I did at my high school (and we didn't even have an honors course) by paying the 80 bucks (in 1999 $) and took the test. 4 weeks later received my score, pleasantly surprised it was a 5. If she is in it for just the extra grade point, i think the honors class is just as weighted as the AP class.

Than again, this is from the same dude that took History as a part of SAT II (do they still have that test? ) and scored a 780.

Heh, she will get over it. Thanks for reminding me what i have to look forward to in say 13 years.
 
Zoning Goddess said:
My parents made me take AP English, History, and Latin. Talk about hating the parents. You probably made the right call. I wish my parents had thought about me as a person, instead of bragging on what they signed me up for. Glad you're thinking about what is best for R.T.

I'm getting resigned to the fact that my kid probably won't go to college. He's bright enough but has no interest. Well, maybe we can get a discount at Wal-Mart when he ends up working there...
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Thanks. I've seen what happens when kids are pushed hard academically. Learning is a life long process and I don't see the need to have it all crammed into 4 years while under the age of 18.

ZG your son might not have an interest now, but he might come around to it in his own time. There are quite a few technical trades that don't require a tough academic regimen and still provide a good earning. Finding something that piques his interest will be the key.
 
Mortification at the checkout line

Last month I was telling my friends how proud I was about Junior and how well he was doing lately at the store. Junior was a pretty good shopper up until he hit the age of 3 and it was downhill from there. He's had a couple of tantrums in the store about wanting to leave but the worst thing with him usually has always been grabbing things off the shelf and handling/breaking them, throwing things into the cart when we aren't looking, or pulling things out of the shopping cart and handling/breaking them. I was so pleased that we hadn't had any incidents the last few times out that I thought we were through the nightmare shopping phase.

Lately he has added a new trick to his bag. He's stopped breaking things now he's bent on commenting on people in the checkout line. A couple weekends ago we're standing in line and there's a heavy set lady in front of us whose shirt is riding up and Junior announces "Look daddy, that lady is fat". Now fortunately there was not a hint of judgement in his tone and she was really cool about it smiled and said something to him like 'yes dear people come in all shapes and sizes'. But last night, however, he took it to a new level. We're in line and Junior says "Excuse me" really loud, then a few seconds later says "Excuse me" again even more emphatically. Finally Junior points to the older guy in front of us and says "Daddy that man farting alot and not say excuse me." I shush him but that only gets Junior pouty and sullen and he proceeds to engage in dialogue with himself....."Daddy not fair....man farting....not say excuse me.....wonder why he farting so much...not saying excuse me.....farting man....". Meanwhile the guy in front of us is stoicly ignoring all of this but then the guy behind us can't hold it in any longer and starts busting up laughing. At that point the old dude turns around and says "I think you need to teach that boy some manners.":-| I didn't know what to say at that moment. What would you have said/done (several witty/impolite things occurred to me then but I failed at that critical moment) and more importantly how would you prevent future occurrences of this sort?
 
I don't think there is much you can do Maister, except wait for your boy to get older. My daughter says similar things sometimes, and I just try to get her to think about how she'd feel if somebody talked about her like that.

One time we were in the stands at a sporting event and a long-haired teenage boy with delicate features was sitting below us. There weren't hardly any other people around at the moment and my daughter loudly asked me "Mommy, is that a boy or a girl?!" The kid turned around and kind of chuckled in an embarrased way and I apologized. He shrugged and said "it happens." Then I explained to my daughter how sometimes boys have short hair and sometimes they have long hair, and that's okay. (God knows I use to really dig the boys with long hair ;-)) I'm glad the kid was so cool about it.
 
Maister - the funnily ironic part of your story was that Junior was trying to impose manners on someone else that he had presumably learned from you and your wife.

He knows his manners and just others to exhibit the same social graces. Seems like the old guy may need a refresher course himself.

My boys are are 20 and 5 months right now, so I'm certainly hesitant about the next couple years with these two.

Though, I got a nice sample when my brother, SIL and nephew visited this past weekend. The nephew is 3 and half and all kinds of "joy".

It's amazing how fast they can have meltdowns. :-|
 
Maister, the only cure is time. However, remember and treasure these moments because Junior will be embarrassed at everything you do or say in a few years. You can add to your enjoyment then by bringing these memories out when he brings his friends or dates home.
 
Maister write it down before you forget. Whether you or Ms., of the little one says/does it, these are nice funny stories later in life.

Wee P turns 6 today and Ms. P said to me last night "Do you realize that 1/3 of her life living with us is gone now because she'll go off to college at 18?" I wrote that one down on a running word document I've sort of been keeping.
 
Oh man, Maister, I'm wiping the tears from my eyes. Farting man...

That is embarrassing, I won't deny that, but there probably isn't much you can do about it. The only advice I can offer is to have a discussion with Junior about it at a different time (when you are not embarrassed or correcting him) and explain how saying those kinds of things can hurt people's feelings. It may not stop the behavior, but if it does happen again you have a previous conversation to refer to (remember when we talked about how that can hurt people's feelings?).

It may not curb the behavior the first time, but eventually they will get it. In fact, you will probably end up being on the other end of the conversation in not too long with Junior correcting YOU for saying something that could hurt someone's feelings. At least that is how it tends to go with us.

We have definitely had our share of "fat people" observations and the like. Most of the time, its as you said - just an observation. But people can take offense and the "people come in all shapes and sizes" comment is one I have used myself.

As for the grumpy farting man. Well, not much to do about that. People who admonish parents of three year olds probably have not had one, or forgot what it was like. You are teaching him manners, I would assume, but I expect this is the first time this issue has come up. And - he's three! Is a child supposed to come pre-mannered? This is how they learn. And, yes, its messy and uncomfortable and awkward at times. But most people understand.

My most recent embarrassing child story was actually with our 8 year old who vomited all over a fellow traveler's carry on bag just as we were boarding a plane :-c It could have been so much worse, but the guy was super cool about it and the people behind us happened to have copious amounts of baby wipes on hand (and they were too old to have their own kids - I assumed they were just always prepared). It probably helped that I was traveling alone with an 8 and 3 year old. People had pity...
 
Funny. My father and his nephew went out to an Olde Country Buffet and made comments about one of the regulars. I kept shushing them. "Do you think he doesn't know he's fat?" And they were 80+ and 40+ !!

Maister, tincture of time works. Meanwhile, maybe develop a family signal that means "hush right now talk later." Perhaps the geriatric subject has a medical issue (oooh, back to the doctor thing).

HTH
 
Time usually cures this kind of thing and the suggestions have been spot on. Kids notice differences and like to point out the obvious even if it isn't polite to do in our universe, but it isn't judgmental in theirs.

I told R.T. when she was about 3 and commented on someone being fat, "People come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and are special in their own way. It's not nice to point out those differences because it might hurt their feelings."

To the grumpy ol' man I would have just said "I'm sorry."
 
maister, when the man said that the boy needs to be taught manners, you could point out that he said "excuse me" before he interrupted what you were doing. Or point out that it could be considered rude to fart in public without excusing oneself.
 
Maister said:
. . . But last night, however, he took it to a new level. We're in line and Junior says "Excuse me" really loud, then a few seconds later says "Excuse me" again even more emphatically. Finally Junior points to the older guy in front of us and says "Daddy that man farting alot and not say excuse me." I shush him but that only gets Junior pouty and sullen and he proceeds to engage in dialogue with himself....."Daddy not fair....man farting....not say excuse me.....wonder why he farting so much...not saying excuse me.....farting man....".
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Maister

As one father to another, I hate to say this, but you are remiss in your duties as a father. Each generation of fathers must pass on simple truths to their sons. Be respectful of women. Work hard. Change your oil every 3,000 miles. And farts are funny!

Your son's response to the flatulent old geezer should have been: "Whoa, dude. Good one. My eyes are watering!" :-c
 
otterpop said:
Maister

As one father to another, I hate to say this, but you are remiss in your duties as a father. Each generation of fathers must pass on simple truths to their sons. Be respectful of women. Work hard. Change your oil every 3,000 miles. And farts are funny!

Your son's response to the flatulent old geezer should have been: "Whoa, dude. Good one. My eyes are watering!" :-c
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That's what I was really afraid of.
I should have feigned discomfort at that moment and implored Junior to help daddy out by 'pulling on his finger'.

Thank you for the brutal honesty.
 
Maister said:
At that point the old dude turns around and says "I think you need to teach that boy some manners.":-| I didn't know what to say at that moment. What would you have said/done (several witty/impolite things occurred to me then but I failed at that critical moment) and more importantly how would you prevent future occurrences of this sort?
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I agree with otterpop and the guy behind you... farts are funny!

What would I have said? "His face is right at the level of your flatulence area, pal... be glad he didn't jam tic-tacs up your ass!" Or perhaps... "Really? What do you think Miss Manners would say about passing gas in public?"

Man, be glad your kid doesn't hang out with mine. Since I loathe shopping, I'll make a scene just to have some fun. Be glad he doesn't know the finer points of "Bowling", "Clumsy Shopper", "The Check-Out Surprise", "Chatty Coat Rack", or the "Mall Stall". Funny stuff, man... funny stuff. Oh, my wife hates taking me shopping, which was the whole point! :a:

Oh, and "Pump it Up!", which was our latest caper!
 
Teenage Drivers...
Procrastinating daughter dinks around not getting ready to head to her Sisters for the Grandsons 1st birthday party so she has to drive herself 35 miles. She leaves before us. When we fnally get on the road home we get a call. The truck has died on the interstate. She is crying and dad is mad because she can't tell him where she is. So my truck is now sitting on the interstate. I sure will sleep good tonight knowing that.
The wind is blowing insanely tonight so I am worried someone will get blown over into it...I just have to keep telling my self that it is only money...
 
I don't think that my nephew is fed anything that is cooked from scratch or from a few ingredients. It must all be prepared, processed food. He showed up here this morning with some toaster pastry with egg in it.

The last time he was here, I cooked frozen cheese steak patties. He assumed that I slaughtered a steer, and butchered the meat myself in order to make cheese steak. So he concocted a story that he ate extra breakfast without telling his mother and he was too full to eat lunch here. He told my sister that I made home-made cheese steak and he didn't want to eat it. :-c
 
kms said:
I don't think that my nephew is fed anything that is cooked from scratch or from a few ingredients. It must all be prepared, processed food. He showed up here this morning with some toaster pastry with egg in it.

The last time he was here, I cooked frozen cheese steak patties. He assumed that I slaughtered a steer, and butchered the meat myself in order to make cheese steak. So he concocted a story that he ate extra breakfast without telling his mother and he was too full to eat lunch here. He told my sister that I made home-made cheese steak and he didn't want to eat it. :-c
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Ick, but I know where you are coming from. I took care of my guy friend's little girl for a while and it was clear that the mom was feeding her pretty much processed and prepackaged stuff all the time (turns out she had no cooking skills). After much shoving food away because it wasn't cut into cute shapes and what not she began to eat home cooked food and gained a few desperately needed pounds.

While doing CapAsia there were a few people that had to get used to eating non-processed food. There was one girl that had never eaten fish that wasn't in fishstick form. While in Indonesia she ordered fish thinking that would be a safe bet. When it was served it was a beautiful whole fish spiced rubbed and fried whole. She wouldn't eat it because it had the head, tail and fins still attached. Concerned that she wouldn't eat I removed all the flesh from the bones, skin, and piled it on a plate which she then ate.
 
Proud daddy moments:

My second son (5 month old) starting rolling over from his back this weekend and finally pulled his first full night of sleep.

Now, if I can just stop his 20 month old brother from getting into our bed at 2am, it would be great.
 
mendelman said:
Now, if I can just stop his 20 month old brother from getting into our bed at 2am, it would be great.
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I won't mention that there are times that my five year old still creeps in in the middle of the night and I won't know it until she kicks me in the face at dawn. Good luck :)

You are supposed to just get up, put them back in their bed, not say a word. If they get out and come in again, repeat. Try telling an exhausted parent that, I admit, most times it's easier just to let them stay in there....
 
This weekend was Wee Ps birthday party. We didn't buy her much in the way of presents (a kidsize guitar and a Wii game) because we knew she would get a few from relatives (the grandmothers are he!! bent on spoiler her) and friends. Instead we had a pool party for 12 of her friends - in February.

There's a Fairfield Inn in town that has an indoor pool and a meeting room next to it. With the economy as it is, the hotel is renting the pool and meeting room for $50for 4 hours, complete with cleanup. It worked out really well and was quite a novelty in the cold weather.
 
SW MI Planner said:
I won't mention that there are times that my five year old still creeps in in the middle of the night and I won't know it until she kicks me in the face at dawn. Good luck :)

You are supposed to just get up, put them back in their bed, not say a word. If they get out and come in again, repeat. Try telling an exhausted parent that, I admit, most times it's easier just to let them stay in there....
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Indeed. The kids sleep upstairs. We're downstairs. There's only so many times I can make that climb in the middle of the night...

Our daughter (3) still ends up in our bed about 20 - 30 percent of the time. But she is a pleasure to sleep with - a cuddler (her brother, by contrast, is an elbower) so its very hard to to kick her out. Things have improved recently, though, and she stays put more of the time. I think she just likes being with someone. When she convinces her brother to let her sleep in his bed, she always sleeps through the night.

It also helps that we have a king sized bed...
 
So... last week while my wife was out of town, I was wrought with worry about my dogs, their well-being, their happiness...

Then the thought struck me... if I am so worried about the well being of my dogs how worried will I be if I have children...



I fear I would be a wreck... and I do not want to be an over-protective parent, raising children who lack confidence and are afraid of everything...
 
zmanPLAN said:
So... last week while my wife was out of town, I was wrought with worry about my dogs, their well-being, their happiness...

Then the thought struck me... if I am so worried about the well being of my dogs how worried will I be if I have children...



I fear I would be a wreck... and I do not want to be an over-protective parent, raising children who lack confidence and are afraid of everything...
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You'd be surprised at how resilient and strong children are. Although young children love their parents unconditionally, they also enjoy being independent and branching out on their own.

Dogs on the other hand, are in constant need of attention and reassurance from their pack leader.

Young, well-adjusted children enjoy the challenge and excitement of being away from mommy and daddy. Dogs just simply can't stand it.
 
btrage said:
You'd be surprised at how resilient and strong children are. Although young children love their parents unconditionally, they also enjoy being independent and branching out on their own.

Dogs on the other hand, are in constant need of attention and reassurance from their pack leader.

Young, well-adjusted children enjoy the challenge and excitement of being away from mommy and daddy. Dogs just simply can't stand it.
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Okay. That makes sense. I reckon I'll have to see how things go when they happen.
 
First day back in the office after a trip to Myrtle Beach.

Drove there and back from Michigan with my 5 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old daughters.

I have officially reached the next level of "Parental Patience". :-|:-c:-D
 
btrage said:
I have officially reached the next level of "Parental Patience". :-|:-c:-D
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Welcome to that next level.

Did you hear your fathers voice coming out of you too. Things like "Don't make me stop this car!" or "We're going to play the quiet game for the next 150 miles."
 
Planit said:
Welcome to that next level.

Did you hear your fathers voice coming out of you too. Things like "Don't make me stop this car!" or "We're going to play the quiet game for the next 150 miles."
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Don't forget "What did I just say?!" and "If I hear one more complaint, so help me..."

A friend's mom actually did stop the car once and made us all get out and stand on the shoulder crying while she threatened to "make us walk home." It was very effective. And memorable. And scary.

I haven't gone there. Yet.
 
I came home this evening to find R.T. in tears. After some gentle inquiry she told me that a friend of hers that is a junior committed suicide last night. It took me back to when I was the same age in the same grade and a girl I knew killed herself. Dried the tears, lots of hugs, a warm bath, comfort food for dinner, and she seemed a bit perked up.
 
kjelsadek said:
I came home this evening to find R.T. in tears. After some gentle inquiry she told me that a friend of hers that is a junior committed suicide last night. It took me back to when I was the same age in the same grade and a girl I knew killed herself. Dried the tears, lots of hugs, a warm bath, comfort food for dinner, and she seemed a bit perked up.
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I'm not even sure how I could begin to explain to a teenager the notion of suicide. Good luck kjel.

On a lighter note.....yesterday, my kindergartener said NO ONE would be her friend. Today, apparently EVERYONE is her friend. The life and times of a 5 year old. :-D
 
kjelsadek said:
I came home this evening to find R.T. in tears. After some gentle inquiry she told me that a friend of hers that is a junior committed suicide last night. It took me back to when I was the same age in the same grade and a girl I knew killed herself. Dried the tears, lots of hugs, a warm bath, comfort food for dinner, and she seemed a bit perked up.
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I'm so sorry. Watch her for a couple of days & try to get her to talk to you some more. I'm also sorry that you have the experience to help her through this.
 
kms said:
I'm so sorry. Watch her for a couple of days & try to get her to talk to you some more. I'm also sorry that you have the experience to help her through this.
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She has a tender heart. Naturally I will watch her the next few days and let her go to the funeral if it is an open one. My heart goes out to the boy's family.
 
That's very sad kje. Suicides are perhaps the most difficult deaths to deal with and being a teen probably makes it all the more difficult.

On a lighter note we were running an errand across town last night and Junior said for the very time "are we there yet?":-| Yes, a cross-town trip!:-c
 
kjelsadek said:
I came home this evening to find R.T. in tears. After some gentle inquiry she told me that a friend of hers that is a junior committed suicide last night. It took me back to when I was the same age in the same grade and a girl I knew killed herself. Dried the tears, lots of hugs, a warm bath, comfort food for dinner, and she seemed a bit perked up.
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I'm sorry, that's a horrible thing to experience, especially at that age (any age actually).

btrage said:
On a lighter note.....yesterday, my kindergartener said NO ONE would be her friend. Today, apparently EVERYONE is her friend. The life and times of a 5 year old.
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We went to a bday party a month ago and there were two kids that were not being nice to my daughter, trying to exclude her and being kind of mean. The one kid she plays with a lot, the other she just met. My daughter seemed to just shrug it off, but I was in tears and had to walk away. It hurt my feelings so bad. Later she said they were not being nice and I just tried to explain that is why we need to be nice to everyone and treat everyone the same.
 
SW MI Planner said:
We went to a bday party a month ago and there were two kids that were not being nice to my daughter, trying to exclude her and being kind of mean. The one kid she plays with a lot, the other she just met. My daughter seemed to just shrug it off, but I was in tears and had to walk away. It hurt my feelings so bad. Later she said they were not being nice and I just tried to explain that is why we need to be nice to everyone and treat everyone the same.
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My wife and I tend to not try and sugarcoat things with our daughter. I've told her many times that sometimes people are just plain mean and that not everyone is going to like her. Just like how daddy doesn't necessarily like everyone at work, but I still have to go to work. It may not help her 5-year old mood swings, but I don't want her growing up thinking that she needs to be everyone's friend or that everyone should want to be her friend.
 
btrage said:
My wife and I tend to not try and sugarcoat things with our daughter. I've told her many times that sometimes people are just plain mean and that not everyone is going to like her. Just like how daddy doesn't necessarily like everyone at work, but I still have to go to work. It may not help her 5-year old mood swings, but I don't want her growing up thinking that she needs to be everyone's friend or that everyone should want to be her friend.
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I have taken the same tack with my son. He really gets bothered about people being mean to him - even kids he doesn't really like. He will ask me why? What can you say?

"Son, the world is mostly nice people, but there are a lot of a**h**** too. Don't let the bastards get you down." That seems like harsh advice for a seven year old.

Fortunately, if you treat your children with love and respect and let them know you think they are great people to be proud of, then they reassured that they must be okay.

So when some kid is mean to my son, I reassure my son, then I get in my car, drive over to the little bastard's house and run over his Hot Wheels that he left in the driveway. :p
 
btrage said:
My wife and I tend to not try and sugarcoat things with our daughter. I've told her many times that sometimes people are just plain mean and that not everyone is going to like her. Just like how daddy doesn't necessarily like everyone at work, but I still have to go to work. It may not help her 5-year old mood swings, but I don't want her growing up thinking that she needs to be everyone's friend or that everyone should want to be her friend.
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Oh, I said that too :) She can be headstrong and stubborn (wow, wonder where she gets it), and mean sometimes so I wanted to use it as a lesson on why its important to treat everyone with kindness and respect. She wasn't even fazed by it, she just shrugged it off. I was the one that had my feelings hurt. :)
 
My daughter has a little enemy who is both in preschool and in dance class. This girl has told my daughter she's not "pretty enough" (for what? I don't know), that her jacket is ugly, that she doesn't want to play with her, etc. Funny how when I see the girl's mom she seems to have the impression that our girls are great friends. But, I've explained to my daughter how some kids are just mean and they are gonna have a harder time in life, in general. And that I'm pretty sure even as the girl is saying those things she doesn't actual believe them to be true.

On another note, concerning my 4-year old, yesterday at preschool she somehow fell off a cot (which is only like 5" off the ground!) and hit her face on the floor, knocked out an upper front tooth, banged up her gums bad enough that the other upper front tooth may end up falling out, and cut her lower teeth all the way through, right below her lower lip. They used glue on her, instead of stitches. And, her adult teeth will be coming in in a couple of years. But, this is so upsetting and her story and the preschool's story doesn't exactly jive. Thankfully they have surveillance cameras there, and we'll be watching the video this afternoon to see what exactly happened.

I'll never find a daycare/preschool I can trust, and it breaks my heart.
 
cch said:
My daughter has a little enemy who is both in preschool and in dance class. This girl has told my daughter she's not "pretty enough" (for what? I don't know), that her jacket is ugly, that she doesn't want to play with her, etc. Funny how when I see the girl's mom she seems to have the impression that our girls are great friends. But, I've explained to my daughter how some kids are just mean and they are gonna have a harder time in life, in general. And that I'm pretty sure even as the girl is saying those things she doesn't actual believe them to be true.

On another note, concerning my 4-year old, yesterday at preschool she somehow fell off a cot (which is only like 5" off the ground!) and hit her face on the floor, knocked out an upper front tooth, banged up her gums bad enough that the other upper front tooth may end up falling out, and cut her lower teeth all the way through, right below her lower lip. They used glue on her, instead of stitches. And, her adult teeth will be coming in in a couple of years. But, this is so upsetting and her story and the preschool's story doesn't exactly jive. Thankfully they have surveillance cameras there, and we'll be watching the video this afternoon to see what exactly happened.

I'll never find a daycare/preschool I can trust, and it breaks my heart.
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Coming from a daycare vet, that does sound like a lot of damage from a 5" fall. It makes you wonder if something else happened and someone isn't telling the full truth. Not that it's necessarily the daycare's fault (4-year olds can get into trouble by themselves), but it still seems funny.

They daycare that we've used in the past has had live webcams, so that provides a little bit of reassurance. They're also quite expensive.
 
btrage said:
Coming from a daycare vet, that does sound like a lot of damage from a 5" fall. It makes you wonder if something else happened and someone isn't telling the full truth.
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We watched the surveillance video last night. As my daughter was on her knees on the cot but near the edge, a teacher walked by and nudged the corner of the cot with her foot to straighten it out, it seemed. She didn't communicate with my daughter at all, or even look down towards her. My daughter was completely caught off guard and lost her balance and fell face first to the floor without even having a chance to try to catch herself or break her fall with her hands.

It obviously wasn't malicious or abusive. But it was careless and stupid. DCFS is investigating.
 
Children's access to DVD/VHS

Junior demonstrated last night that at 3 years of age using two remotes he knows how to: 1) turn on the television, 2) turn on the DVD player, 3) open the DVD player, 4) put in a disc, 5) close the DVD player, 6) turn on the sound unit.:-c I wasn't really watching him and was reading the paper when he attempted to put on a Bob the Builder DVD. Normally he asks for help but last night he figured it was time to do it all himself. The only step he missed was switching from television to video mode. I'm guessing it is only a matter of weeks or even days before he figures that out.

This prompted a discussion with Mrs. Maister about what we may or may not wish to do in restricting Junior's access to certain movies and how to restrict that access. Right now he is almost never alone for more than a minute or two and would have little chance to watch more than, oh say, 30 seconds of the opening sequence of 'Saving Private Ryan'! There will come a time, though, when Junior will be left alone for longer periods of time and it occurs to me he may not always restrict his viewing simply to Barney and Dora the Explorer. I'm not so naive as to think his curiosity won't compel him to watch some of the adult fare with have on our video shelves (get yer minds out of the gutter, we don't have any of THOSE kinda movies....that's why Al Gore invented Youtube)

I'm wondering how the Parents of Cyburbia have dealt with the video access issue? Has anyone gone so far as to resort to a special locked cabinet? Hide the videos? At what age did you have to take steps to restrict your kids' access and what did you do?
 
Proper videos within her access, improper vidoes put out of reach. She wanted to show us she could do it herself a couple years ago. The biggest rule (and she is actually respects the rule) is that she has to ask first, but then she can do it. This was after she had put the dvd in upside down or didn't hit the video button or something else. I showed her how to turn on the TV and the dvd player, et cetera so nothing would get broken or turn the TV to the espanol feature.
 
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