#parenting

#parenting

Picture this: You finally sit down after a long day. Dinner is done, dishes are soaking (ignored), and someone is crying in the background (possibly you). You pick up your phone because you suddenly remembered you need a birthday message for a class WhatsApp group. Before you can even unlock it, your child appears: "Mom, can I ask ChatGPT something? It understands me."

In my last post, we explored why you may be too tired to parent the way you want-to the knowledge-capacity gap that leaves even well-informed parents unable to use the tools they know when they're depleted. We talked about how chronic stress limits access to the parts of your brain responsible for self-control and empathy. Today, I'm sharing seven practical steps that actually help when you're too exhausted to parent the way you want.

I would routinely stay up late watching TV or reading in bed and say yes to dinners that started long after nightfall. My relationship with mornings was casual-I'd occasionally enjoy a sunrise but I certainly never set an alarm to see one. Then I had children, whose needs demanded an early start, and I spent years stumbling out of bed at their first sounds, making breakfast, and building block towers before I'd fully woken up.

Children and teens are surrounded by technology, and it is imperative to set them up for success. Developing digital literacy among youth is a critical part of child-rearing today. Digital literacy, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO; 2018) is "the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, communicate, evaluate and create information safely and appropriately through digital technologies." There are many areas of competence within digital literacy, one of which is safety (UNESCO, 2018).

Kevin was the new kid when we met in 10th grade. I was busy dancing; he was busy joining the football team. Eventually, our circles overlapped, and we started dating. By 11th grade, however, I dumped him. He wanted to do football camps all summer instead of hanging out with me. But by senior year, we got back together, and the rest is history. We've been together for over 15 years and have been married since 2018.

I had heard about the special bonds that twins share, and I was excited to witness that up close. I thought it would be like watching a fascinating story unfold. My sons are 13 now, but they have been mostly inseparable since birth. When they were babies, they hit milestones within days of each other. Through the years, they've shared rhythms, reactions, and inside jokes that didn't need explaining.

Business Insider has spent a year reporting on the true cost of a cancer diagnosis for young Americans. Cancer cases are rising for people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, derailing finances and future plans at a pivotal stage of life. Dozens of patients have told us they're navigating relationships, fertility decisions, early parenthood, and career growth alongside treatment. They're paying medical bills and for all the unexpected costs along the way.

A silicone ice pop mold so you can make water pops, juice pops, yogurt pops... the sky's the limit!

We waited until marriage to have sex. This was mostly for religious reasons (we're politically liberal evangelical Christians - we exist!), and because we both believed sex was special - so special it should be done and developed with a special person. At the beginning, it was thrilling - less because we were good at it (we definitely weren't) and more because we were having sex at all. Then, gradually, we got better.

We all know that mom whose hair and makeup is always perfect, whose car is spotlessly clean when her kids show up at practice in new shoes, and oh look - she brought homemade gluten-free snacks. We've all wondered if some people legitimately have more hours in the day than we do. One mom took to r/Parenting on Reddit to ask users there: "How are some parents so incredibly organised?"

One of the most infuriating things a partner can say to their wife is, "But you didn't tell me to do it!" There's just so much to unpack there - why is mom usually the one in charge of delegating tasks? Why are they the default managers of the household? And why can't dads take some initiative and figure out what needs to get done in the family sphere?

I was raised by a single mom who was a teacher. We didn't have a ton of money, but we always got by. As a kid, I noticed that my grandparents' house was bigger than many others, and that they'd give me Christmas presents I'd be longing for. There was never a conversation, but over time, I realized that my grandparents were our financial safety net.

Look, we lie to kids all the time when we don't think they're emotionally ready to handle certain parts of life, like the permanence of death, or how Santa Claus can leave presents at houses that don't have a chimney. Sometimes, telling them the truth is cruel and heartless. (When my 5-year-old asked those questions, I said to him that most people live on this planet for 1,000 years before they go to cloud city in heaven to live forever, and that Santa and his

The original poster (OP) wrote in the Mommit Reddit page, "My kids have 2 birthday parties to attend coming up, and I am low on funds until I get paid in 2 weeks, but I don't want my kids to miss out for their friend's birthday parties. The friends are turning 6 years old. Any ideas on budget friendly gifts/ideas?"

Everyone talks about "teaching moments" these days, those reframes of a shared experience that retroactively rescue what would otherwise have been a feel-bad moment or awkward encounter and turn it into something positive, and for which you're almost grateful. Still, most teaching moments are fraught with the best of intentions but the lousiest of outcomes-lessons in how to lecture, bore, and patronize your child at the same time.

Every single day-weekend, weekday, rain or shine-whichever robot vacuum I'm currently testing starts running at 9 am. It's always a good sign. I heave a sigh of relief and continue with whatever else I was doing, content that at least that f*cking chore in my house is getting done.

Many of us idealize a day in which no one needs to "come out," when wherever someone falls on the gender or sexuality spectrum is accepted and embraced. Sadly, today is not that day - the world can be cruel (and often is) to anyone who doesn't fit into the heteronormative bubble. But if you're here, it probably means the last thing you want to do is contribute to the mental and emotional toll put on LGBTQ young people.

Kicking off by explaining to listeners that her family "has had to make so many adjustments" to their daily life for the show, Danielle shared: "I used to regularly pick both of [my kids] up from school, take them to karate, take them to baseball. On the weekends, I was always at their baseball games, and we could have playdates, and we would do movie nights, and now... I just haven't really been able to be as present."

"The first child is the one who makes you want 10 more children. But the second child makes you feel like you have 10 children. And boy, they weren't kidding. Everyone has heard tales of the terror that is the second child. I heard them more than once during my second pregnancy, but I'll be honest, I didn't pay it much attention. I thought surely this one will be just like the last.

Childhood anxiety has been on the rise. Our instinct as parents is often to get more involved. But what if that's part of the problem? The statistics are grim. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), among U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 17 surveyed between 2021 and 2023, 20% reported symptoms of anxiety in the past two weeks, and 18% reported symptoms of depression. In 2023, almost 40% of high school students reported experiencing persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness

Man, I wish my mother would say this to/do this for me. She's always on her phone with me and will cut me off mid-sentence in order to read me her texts if they happen to come in while I'm talking. It's annoying and demoralizing. I'm glad he's realizing it early on.

The first time I was called to the principal's office was to discuss some questionable artwork my oldest son had created in 3 rd grade. The principal expressed his concern that the picture of bloody, beheaded snowmen was a warning sign. It wasn't. In fact, my son and his classmate had drawn the snowmen after watching a particularly graphic, but PG cartoon on TV.

Confidence is one of the most precious gifts a parent can bestow upon their child. It empowers them to embrace life's challenges, fosters resilience in the face of setbacks, and cultivates a strong sense of self-worth. Yet, many well-meaning parents inadvertently sabotage this vital aspect of their child's development through their words, actions, or even silence. If you've noticed your child becoming shy, overly dependent, or withdrawn, it might be time to reassess your parenting approach.

Forcing children to accept unwanted affection can send a harmful message, according to Karen Days, the former president of the Center for Family Safety and Healing at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Days explained that this kind of forced affection can teach children the wrong lesson: that people they know are always allowed to touch them. She pointed out that while parents often emphasize "stranger danger," they don't always stress that familiar adults must also respect personal boundaries.

I've surfaced from sleep in many weird, not-wonderful ways: waking up in my student accommodation in Maynooth to find I was not only in my boots, but sharing a single bed with two other fully grown people springs to mind.

We're both huge readers, with a house full of books, and we plan to read to our baby from birth, so naturally many of our friends and family members are giving us picture books. The problem is that most of these people are very progressive, like us, but lack experience with young kids. The books they choose tend to be focused on social messaging and education, and are largely boring, preachy, and (in my opinion) badly illustrated; they tend toward the garish and oversimplified, while I strongly prefer more intricate, fantastic, and old-fashioned art.

In her viral TikTok video, the 22-year-old from Central Texas revealed that she and her husband, Clayton, had chosen Lukacey Lynn for their unborn daughter, who will join big brother Kayson, 4, in December. The name Lukacey nods to many parts of Zak's life, most visibly the trademark Lucchese cowboy boots, which make a pink cameo in the clip. Despite different spellings, the name and the boot brand are pronounced the same.

As children grow, most parents take the necessary step of childproofing their homes by adding baby-proof locks to cabinets, covering power outlets, and securing doors. But there's one area they may overlook: the family car. It might seem unnecessary at first. After all, kids are strapped into their car seats; how much trouble could they really get into? But as the parent of a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, I can assure you - it's a healthy amount.

My wife "Misty" and I have a 12-year-old son, "Zachary," and a 6-year-old daughter, "Aria." Recently we were visiting my brother and his family when my teenage nephew caught Zachary trying to sneak a wine cooler from the fridge. He had just opened it when my nephew walked into the kitchen. My nephew took it away from my son and brought him back to the backyard patio where the rest of us were and made him fess up to what he did.

When encouraging children to become excited about learning, it is very important to help them develop a positive academic self-concept. A person's academic self-concept is the way they identify with what type of student they are. It is how you would describe yourself as a student. A person has many different aspects to their overall self-concept and likely identifies with each aspect differently. For example, every person will identify with their athletic, artistic, musical, social, emotional, or academic self-concept in different ways.

First of all, I'm so sorry that your family and daughter went through something so deeply traumatizing. The thing about experiences that emotionally damage an entire group of people at once is that everyone has to deal with it differently. I understand how reminders of this horrific day cause you tremendous pain. And I see how, for that reason, you'd be squarely against having someone you love tattoo such a reminder on their body where you can never not see it.

The US rapper has been advocating for formula feeding - and six years after having my baby, I don't feel an ounce of guilt about my own decision to reach for the bottle