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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Raising Children Thread

Maister said:
Would this be the absolute best or worst book to buy for an inquistive and high-spirited 12 year old nephew?

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750
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Oh god! :-c I hope my son doesn't hear about this one. He already have two catapults and a trebuchet. Just what I need: to provide him more destructive force.

But on the other hand, my neighbor's dogs are really annoying when they bark at us every time we go into our yard.
 
As of this past weekend, Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy no longer exist in my house. I've just got "big kids" now.
 
Seabishop said:
As of this past weekend, Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy no longer exist in my house. I've just got "big kids" now.
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What do you mean they don't exist?????? Last year I must have been bad as they broke in and stole a lot of my stuff! They did not take the bass or acoustic guitars though.
 
Seabishop said:
As of this past weekend, Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy no longer exist in my house. I've just got "big kids" now.
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I have a big kid and a baby. The big kid is having a ball with the holidays for the baby!
 
My 16 month old grandson just came to the office and spent the lunch hour with me. We had a good time.
 
Yesterday was the last year my son can participate in the Capitol Easter Egg Hunt. Man, 10 years has flown by. He got 26 eggs, his personal best. Now he can retire a winner.
 
I was outside with my daughter last night around 6:30 and it was snowing pretty good for a few minutes despite it being about 45º. She's 20 months old and had never been outside playing while it was snowing and was looking at it a bit confused.
 
Last night was my son's second Little League game. The pitching is still pretty erratic. As it stands most of the kids get to first base either be getting a walk or getting hit with a ball. Given my son's tendencies to swing at just about every pitch, he strikes out. We know he isn't going to get a walk.

So, his second time at bat, there I am in the bleachers praying that my son gets hit by the third pitch. And he does. I feel good for him as he trots to first base holding his arm. I feel bad that I wanted him to get hit by an errant baseball pitch from a 10 year old.
 
otterpop said:
Last night was my son's second Little League game. The pitching is still pretty erratic. As it stands most of the kids get to first base either be getting a walk or getting hit with a ball. Given my son's tendencies to swing at just about every pitch, he strikes out. We know he isn't going to get a walk.

So, his second time at bat, there I am in the bleachers praying that my son gets hit by the third pitch. And he does. I feel good for him as he trots to first base holding his arm. I feel bad that I wanted him to get hit by an errant baseball pitch from a 10 year old.

The ride home from the game was considerable more upbeat than the preivous game's.
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You didn't berate him for holding his arm (acknowledging pain) and not charging the mound after being hit? Alternatively, you could show him the video of Robin Ventura charging Nolan Ryan and taking a head whomping to illustrate the perils of mound charging.
 
What would drive my 19 y.o. son to suddenly start drinking copious amounts of milk after getting his dairy from cheese for the last 5 years? This has been going on for the last few weeks; I'm mentioning it today because I was unable to have my cereal this morning, after the gallon of milk we bought 2 days ago had been vaporized...:r::-{
 
Nineteen yr old daughter is one of a class of forty accepted to nursing program at the state's main medical college. She is psyched about an applied program after slaying academic dragons at the state's "flagship school" that has 35K enrolled.
 
fringe said:
Nineteen yr old daughter is one of a class of forty accepted to nursing program at the state's main medical college. She is psyched about an applied program after slaying academic dragons at the state's "flagship school" that has 35K enrolled.
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Congrats to both of you! Now she just has to find a doctor and you'll be well cared for in your later years.
 
Another crossroad

My son had his first boy-girl party on Friday - the school district sponsored "50s Bash" for fifth graders. During the ride to the party, I basically told him that it was a party, girls love to dance, so he should ask them to dance and a lot of them would dance with him.

He had a great time. Some of his school friends were intimidated about asking girls to dance, but not my son. He ended up dancing with 16 or more girls. Most were girls from his class, but some weren't. He got turned down a few times but he didn't let it bother him. He just asked someone else. One of the girls told him that the girls were talking about him in the ladies room and suggesting to their friends to dance with him.

Atta boy!

That's my son.
 
otterpop said:
My son had his first boy-girl party on Friday - the school district sponsored "50s Bash" for fifth graders. During the ride to the party, I basically told him that it was a party, girls love to dance, so he should ask them to dance and a lot of them would dance with him. He had a great time. Some of his school friends were intimidated about asking girls to dance, but not my son. He ended up dancing with 16 or more girls. Most were girls from his class, but some weren't. He got turned down a few times but he didn't let it bother him. He just asked someone else. One of the girls told him that the girls were talking about him in the ladies room and suggesting to their friends to dance with him.
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Good for him! Great advice :)

Question for the masses - at what age would you allow you son or daughter to go on a "date" where a parent takes the the two kids to an event or a movie or something, drops them off, and picks them up later. Would it be a different age for a boy than a girl?
 
SW MI Planner said:
Good for him! Great advice :)

Question for the masses - at what age would you allow you son or daughter to go on a "date" where a parent takes the the two kids to an event or a movie or something, drops them off, and picks them up later. Would it be a different age for a boy than a girl?
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Never allowed RT to date in this manner. There always had to be at least 4 kids, preferably more in attendance and usually I would split the drop off/pick up duty with another parent. I know you can't stop them from doing what they are going to do but you can make it awfully damn difficult. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call the other parentals either.
 
otterpop said:
He had a great time. Some of his school friends were intimidated about asking girls to dance, but not my son. He ended up dancing with 16 or more girls.
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Heck Yes! Tell him my daughters all say there should be more like him. If he stays brave enough to be the one willing to take a chance he will NEVER stop impressing the girls.
 
SW MI Planner said:
Question for the masses - at what age would you allow you son or daughter to go on a "date" where a parent takes the the two kids to an event or a movie or something, drops them off, and picks them up later. Would it be a different age for a boy than a girl?
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My son't best friend (at the time) was forced by his mom to go on a "date" with the most popular girl in school at age 11! The boy's mom was so thrilled the cute girl in their class had a little crush on her son; she drove them to the movies, got a corsage, made the poor boy get all dressed up; he was mortified.
 
My twins are starting to walk.... which means that I now have three kids who can terrorize my house. :-c
 
Fat Cat

We have a new grandaughter and since I am the one out of work, I am the designated baby sitter. I have a Tigers cap for her and am looking at baseball gloves. So as soon as she can walk I will be teaching her how to throw a ball.:) By the time she is a teen I should be working again or retired, so I have the best time for baby sitting. The only opposition I am currently facing is the discussion regarding the baseball cap, some people (read daughter-in-law) seem to think it should be a Braves cap. So I really dont have any "big problems" at this stage of her life.
 
Hink said:
My twins are starting to walk.... which means that I now have three kids who can terrorize my house. :-c
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They are mobile, and you're out-numbered. Just try to get the best terms you can in any peace deal. Don't expect withdrawal of the troops in your lifetime, but you can mount a healthy, underground resistance to stir up trouble if things get boring. Naturally, if you should be captured we (other parents) will disavow any knowledge of your identity or existence. Good luck, Soldier. :)
 
Hink said:
My twins are starting to walk.... which means that I now have three kids who can terrorize my house. :-c
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ursus said:
They are mobile, and you're out-numbered. Just try to get the best terms you can in any peace deal. Don't expect withdrawal of the troops in your lifetime, but you can mount a healthy, underground resistance to stir up trouble if things get boring. Naturally, if you should be captured we (other parents) will disavow any knowledge of your identity or existence. Good luck, Soldier. :)
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Sound advice, ursus. Might I suggest you begin to undermine their position by picking a favorite of the twins and, just to keep them off balance, every month or so change your favorite to the other twin. Mess with their heads by calling each by the other's name.

When they get a little older, just to really mess with their heads, suggest that one of them is adopted but don't tell them which one. Tell them the fact they look alike is just a happy accident.
 
My 3rd grade daughter came in 2nd place in her school for the 3rd/4th grade spelling bee. She was the top 3rd grader. She's going on to a regional on May 25. Her reading comprhension is well beyond her years. Her younger sister is not too far behind her.

My kindergardener is going here today...

http://www.uplandhillsfarm.com/
 
That's great! And it's a great confidence boost, too. In my experience, 3rd grade is kind of a turning point for kids. They seem to become acutely self-aware right in this year, so being "noticed" and praised for being good at something - especially by the institution like this, not just Mom and Dad - can really mean a lot. Good for her!

My third grade boy got two hits and a run at last night's baseball game, and tagged a runner out on a clutch catch while playing third base. Team was very excited about it, and today --- well he feels like he can do no wrong. Third grade. It's nice to see them win in third grade.
 
ursus said:
In my experience, 3rd grade is kind of a turning point for kids. They seem to become acutely self-aware right in this year
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3rd Grade seems to be where I turned up my academic heat and starting really separating myself from the rest of my classmates, plus it was the year i discovered Ms. Hoveiaus as a really hot teach ;)
 
btrage said:
My 3rd grade daughter came in 2nd place in her school for the 3rd/4th grade spelling bee. She was the top 3rd grader. She's going on to a regional on May 25. Her reading comprhension is well beyond her years. Her younger sister is not too far behind her.

My kindergardener is going here today...

http://www.uplandhillsfarm.com/
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I never made it out of my class in a spelling bee. In fact, I don't ever recall making it past the first word! More power to your daughters!


As for Upland Hills Farm, we went there on a field trip in the 1st grade. I grew up on a working dairy farm so wasn't all that excited about the trip. My mom chaperoned though and a piglet pooped on her and even now, 20+ years later, my friend who was in the class and I still laugh about that. Our office had a conference there a couple of years ago and it was nearly identical to what I remember from way back when, but with an added environmental aspect. I really enjoyed going there and my wife and I were thinking of taking our daughter up there for one of the "Summer Sundays" this year when they are open for visits outside of a classroom setting.
 
Our 3rd grader is taking her first set of EOGs (End of Grade) testing. She has been nervous about it, but we've kept encouraging her. After yesterday's first of three days of testing she came home and said "I think I did really well, but they say tomorrow is going to be harder."

She's reiceved mostly As and a couple Bs on her report cards so I'm not too worried. It seems as though the school has put the fear into the kids. Is that a product of schools being ranked/graded?

This year has seen some marked changes in her - attitude, independence, even more outgoing, but also what other people think of her.
 
My soon-to-be 22 year old daughter drank too much, got sick and most likely caused herself to suffer a seizure. She's epileptic, takes anti-seizure meds, and should know better. She's not like everyone else and needs to accept that she shouldn't drink. Thankfully, she was at home and sitting in a chair when it happened. My 15 year old son, who witnessed it, was very shaken.

This seizure really scared me, and I awoke very anxious about it. I hope she's OK today and in the future.
 
kms said:
My soon-to-be 22 year old daughter drank too much, got sick and most likely caused herself to suffer a seizure. She's epileptic, takes anti-seizure meds, and should know better. She's not like everyone else and needs to accept that she shouldn't drink. Thankfully, she was at home and sitting in a chair when it happened. My 15 year old son, who witnessed it, was very shaken.

This seizure really scared me, and I awoke very anxious about it. I hope she's OK today and in the future.
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Wow, that sounds scary. I'm sorry she had to go through that but sometimes the burned hand teaches best.
 
btrage said:
My 3rd grade daughter came in 2nd place in her school for the 3rd/4th grade spelling bee. She was the top 3rd grader. She's going on to a regional on May 25. Her reading comprhension is well beyond her years. Her younger sister is not too far behind her.

My kindergardener is going here today...

http://www.uplandhillsfarm.com/
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My 3rd grader got out on her first word. She was disapointed, but took it very well. Didn't cry like some of the kids did in the early rounds. I've realized that spelling bees are really just the luck of the draw. By the time you get to a regional contest, the kids are all great spellers. It's just a matter of what words you get.

She did end up winning a $25 gift card to the movie theater at a raffle at the end of the contest. Plus she missed most of the school day and had lunch with her dad.
 
kjel said:
Arabella rolled over by herself today, both ways :)
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Cool! You'd better watch that girl! ;)

Maister said:
Wow, that sounds scary. I'm sorry she had to go through that but sometimes the burned hand teaches best.
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Thank you. I've witnessed all of her seizures except for one, and each time is as frightnening as the previous time.

It sounds as though her doctor is going to turn her into the commonwealth, and they'll ask her to surrender her drivers license. She'll be safer, and this should teach her a lesson. Still, I feel awful that she's losing some independence.
 
Today my son's fifth grade class got the school district's sex education class on puberty. It apparently consisted of a 16 minute film on male puberty and a classroom of giggling boys. The girls went to another classroom for their instruction, which probably included the teachers warning them to stay away from those stupid giggling boys.

Probably better than the one I got at St. Peter's School. The boys were instructed by a priest. WTF? And, yes, I also giggled throughout. Mostly at the absurdity of being instructed on a game that the instructor decided he didn't want to play. Or at least didn't want to play with the opposing team. ;)
 
btrage said:
My kindergardener is going here today...

http://www.uplandhillsfarm.com/
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I LOVED going there as a city kid, wacthing them shear sheep and milk goats! Lucky kindergardner!

I can recall it being way out in the boonies, today its probably surrounded by subdivisions. (did not click the link, but I am guessing M-59 and Groesbeck!)

Just clicked it. Looks like it is in the Palace of Auburn Hill's backyard!
 
My three year old is finally at the story telling age. He likes to just talk for ten minutes at a time about anything. Yesterday he explained to me how fire trucks help destroy buildings by shooting them with water. I enjoy this stage.
 
Hink said:
My three year old is finally at the story telling age. He likes to just talk for ten minutes at a time about anything. Yesterday he explained to me how fire trucks help destroy buildings by shooting them with water. I enjoy this stage.
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Have you taken him to a fire station? Just the 2 of you? When I worked for a city a few years back, I took Wee P to the Fire Station and she had a ball. One of the firefighters showed her everything on the truck, let her put on turnout gear, let her sit in the truck...the whole 9 yards. She had a ball. We did the same thing at the police station too. 3 is a great age for that.
 
DetroitPlanner said:
Just clicked it. Looks like it is in the Palace of Auburn Hill's backyard!
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It's still pretty rural seeming right around the farm. Once you get off of Lapeer/M-24, the subdivisions seem to disappear pretty quick. Each time I've gone up there for work events, I usually cut through on the dirt roads or come up Rochester Road. From either of those ways, you wouldn't even know you were just a few miles from the Palace or Great Lakes Crossing. Last time I went out there, I saw a bunch of sea planes continuously landing and taking off from one of the little lakes in the area.
 
Planit said:
Have you taken him to a fire station?
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That was a major thrill for Junior. Every year at one of the parks the city has all the emergency apparatus on display for the public: police, fire, ambulance and Junior spent hours there inspecting the vehicles and asked the cops, paramedics, and firefightersa lot of what I thought were really good questions about their gear.
 
Planit said:
Have you taken him to a fire station? Just the 2 of you? When I worked for a city a few years back, I took Wee P to the Fire Station and she had a ball. One of the firefighters showed her everything on the truck, let her put on turnout gear, let her sit in the truck...the whole 9 yards. She had a ball. We did the same thing at the police station too. 3 is a great age for that.
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Yeah, my first visit to the police station didn't go so well. But then I was 19 and drunk.
 
Planit said:
Have you taken him to a fire station? Just the 2 of you? When I worked for a city a few years back, I took Wee P to the Fire Station and she had a ball. One of the firefighters showed her everything on the truck, let her put on turnout gear, let her sit in the truck...the whole 9 yards. She had a ball. We did the same thing at the police station too. 3 is a great age for that.
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We have done the fire station. He loved every second of it. And the Fire guys gave him a plastic helmet that he wore around for the next three days straight. I enjoy his creativity in thought thought most the time. Like about why the stop sign is red. Obviously because it yells at cars to stop. Good stuff.
 
shout out to my big brother

My big brother has a lot to be proud of late. His daughter had a lot of things to overcome that was none of her fault and she not only persevered; she achieved greatly in spite of her challenges.

His daugther was born with Mobius syndrome, which is a birth defect that results in the absence of the sixth and seventh facial cranial nerve. These nerves control eye movements and facial expressions. Children born with this defect often cannot speak or have great difficulty doing so. They also live their lives incapable of exhibiting facial expressions.

When she was young, my brother worked with her to teach her how to speak. Her doctors were astonished that she was able to not only learn to speak but to speak well. This was no doubt in a large part due to my brother's efforts.

She graduated from high school at the top of her class. She got scholarships to LSU and San Francisco University, studying psychology, then went on to Brown for her masters, and this month graduated with her Ph.D in psychology from Tufts University. Soon she will go on to a position as a professor at Oregon State University- Corvallis. Also she married a great guy.

He was a crappy big brother when I was a kid, but I gotta give him credit for being a Hall of Fame dad.
 
Changing Schools

When we lived in West Michigan, my oldest daughter attended a public charter school from Kindergarten through 2nd grade. We very much liked the charter school.

When I took my now job and moved my family back to Metro Detroit, we put our daughters into another public charter school (3rd grade and Kindergarten), which was operated by the same management company as the one in West Michigan. We figured that since we knew how they operated it would be an easier transition. Plus, we didn't know where our permanent home would be. There were a lot of ups and downs with the new school. They had many more "at risk" students than the previous charter school. This post isn't meant to get into those issues, but there were issues. It took awhile for my 3rd grader to make friends, but I think she's done OK in that regards. Academically, both of my daughters are supremely smart, and I don't say this in a bragging manner. But there were no issues academically.

Now that we've moved into our new home, we know for certain where our daughters would go if we put them into the public school system. I've heard nothing but great things about the elementary school they would attend, which also happends to be around the corner from our new home.

I would like to put the girls in the public schools, because I think they will have more opportunities for extracurricular activies, sports and a wider range of acedemics. Plus, I felt that becaue there was so much emphasis on trying to raise up the "at risk" students, students like my daughters get left to fend for themselves. I want them to be pushed academically.

Througthout the school year, my 3rd grader would make comments about not wanting to go back to the charter school once we had a new house. But the last day of school she said she does want to go back. I'm sure some of it has to do with the finality of the school year and the realization that she may have to go to yet a different school. I already have some parental guilt for making her change schools once. My fear is that another change may really hurt her. My wife and I just aren't sure what to do.
 
You've heard good things about the public school and its very close so put the girls in there.

In many cases you will get good teachers and bad teachers in whatever school they attend. The primary thing I tell each teacher at the first parent/teacher conference is to challenge my daughter and she'll do great - which she has. The only exception was her 2nd grade teacher who was a very unoriganized person and she did not (seem) to challenger our daughter, hence my daughter got bored and I don't think she excelled as much as she could have. In 3rd grade she had a great teacher and excelled magnificently.




(btage, from everything I've seen you write about your oldest girl, our daughter is very similar)
 
I agree with Planit about the public school situation, sounds like education-wise they'll be fine. I feel your concern about your third-grader changing schools again though. We moved 4 years ago and there was a LOT of anxiety about changing schools (as it turned out, they didn't have to) but that anxiety was especially high in my daughter who was about 9 at the time, going into fourth grade. She'd just started to make some good friends.

It may sound lame, but I know in my experience with my kids that for some of them, friends have mattered more than you'd think - it can be a real game-changer. It's a tough decision, btrage, and I don't envy you. I'm sure it will work out for the best, just keep talking to her I guess is what I would do, and let her know that you'll do everything you can to help her with her friends no matter what the school situation ends up being.

Then let her paint your toe nails and she'll feel better. :)
 
Have a family discussion so she feels included in the decision making process. Also if she starts to make friends in the neighborhood that attend the public school that might help ease her worries. Moving is hard and changing schools is harder, I've done it a couple of times and so has RT.
 
Changing schools isn't a big deal if you don't make it out to be. I went to my first school for first grade, my second and third schools for second grade, same third school for third grade and part of fourth. The fourth and fifth schools for the rest of fourth grade. The the same fifth school for fifth grade and sixth. Another school for seventh grade, and yet another for eighth grade. No scars or other problems. Change is part of life. They will learn adaptability and how to make new frineds.
 
This has absolutely no relevance to someone switching their kids' schools in Detroit. But when I finished 7th grade at a public junior high in central FL, I was appalled to learn my parents were sending me to a private Episcopal school the next year. I had made some really good friends in 7th grade. Then my parents told me the new school was AIR-CONDITIONED! No public schools had a/c. I was all over that. Accentuate the positives!
 
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