[Archived] Effective Parenting

[Flopsy]

its sean lock isnt it?

[Wolverine]

Congrats Ozzie!

My second (Libby) was born 1st November at 9lb 5oz at home!

How are the nights for you?

Libby is a dream all day but mithers like hell from 7pm til about 10pm or sometimes later. Doesn't seem to be a reason for it other than wanting to be with us...

[roversmum]

Congrats on Libby's birth Wolverine. Sounds a bit like she might have colic. It should improve in a month or two. There's loads of stuff about it on the net but still very little real idea of what causes it.

[dave birch]

It does get better.

My daughter wouldn't shut up at all in her first few months on this earth.

Some 20 odd years later, she knocks off work on a friday, hops on a plane to Auckland, stays with her flatmates family, Saturday morning they deliver her to Auckland Harbour bridge, she bungee jumps, tidies herself up and gets on a plane back to Sydney for 7pm and out with her mates that night.

She does something special for most of her birthdays.

[Paul]

It does get better.

Sounds like a normal weekend to me Dave!

Yes it does get better. The kids get older, leave and grow. Your life becomes quieter again and you have time for yourself. Then you discover you have a friend as well as a son / daughter, you can watch them and see the influence you had, where they made their own choices and how they have become people to be proud of. It's wonderful.

Then you get to Christmas, around mid-December they start trickling home, lounging on the sofa, can I have the car for a few days, why haven't you got any beer? Shoes everywhere!

Today Tom comes home after his first term at college. Now that's something amazing

[dave birch]

It does, doesn't it Paul.

Son and daughter were at each other for most of the time growing up.

Now!, They're pretty good mates, constantly helping each other and are a pleasure to have around. They often get presents (birthdays/fathers day etc) that I would never even thought about, particularly my son.

I can see myself in them and I can see aspect of my wife in them too.

For what both of them have acheived, I'm proud. Neither of them has a government education debt, they worked and paid it as they went.

[colin]

Then you discover you have a friend as well as a son / daughter, you can watch them and see the influence you had, where they made their own choices and how they have become people to be proud of. It's wonderful.

Well said, you've encapsulated perfectly what's going through my head at the moment.

[Flopsy]

Today Tom comes home after his first term at college. Now that's something amazing

Ah a terms worth of grundies for Mrs Paul to wash

Our boy (now 4 and a half months) has decided that talking to himself and trying to fit his whole fist in his mouth is the best thing EVER! Even more so when he does it at 3 o'clock in the morning.

More worryingly he appears to like the Beastie Boys

[Cocker]

My lad who is now 18 months has decided to get a bit of an attitude.

My Mrs had him out shoping the other day and when she turned round he was sat in the trolly and had one shoe off and was going for the sock. She said "What are you doing" He looked up and calling her by her first name said "Nothing Catharine" and then carried on with what he was doing - the little monkey.

[Paul]

I got this one from a friend, who rather foolishly agreed to be Father Christmas at a kids party a couple of weeks back. He's doing all the usual stuff when a 7 year old girl approaches him:

FC: "Hello, what would you like for Christmas?"

LG: (fixing him with a steely glare) " I ONLY told you YESTERDAY"

[Flopsy]

[American]

Our boy (now 4 and a half months) has decided that talking to himself and trying to fit his whole fist in his mouth is the best thing EVER! Even more so when he does it at 3 o'clock in the morning.

So he's already showing more mental acumen than his father!!

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

[Flopsy]

If you only knew....

[Eddie]

his father only puts his foot in his mouth

[Ozz]

Congrats Ozzie!

My second (Libby) was born 1st November at 9lb 5oz at home!

How are the nights for you?

Libby is a dream all day but mithers like hell from 7pm til about 10pm or sometimes later. Doesn't seem to be a reason for it other than wanting to be with us...

George is the same now. I discovered if I rub hum gently in circles on his back ,near the base of his spine it shuts his crying up. After about half an hour he goes sleepy.

Congrats on Libby's birth Wolverine. Sounds a bit like she might have colic. It should improve in a month or two. There's loads of stuff about it on the net but still very little real idea of what causes it.

We tried Infacol, not too convinced it worked, and bunged him for a while too. Think you just have to be patient, and wind regular, properly, and massage the babies abdomen.

[gumboots]

George is the same now. I discovered if I rub hum gently in circles on his back ,near the base of his spine it shuts his crying up. After about half an hour he goes sleepy.

We tried Infacol, not too convinced it worked, and bunged him for a while too. Think you just have to be patient, and wind regular, properly, and massage the babies abdomen.

Have just had our first grandson to visit for Christmas. 8 months old and bright as a button. doesn't sleep much and when his mum complains I remind her that she was exactly the same and I now believe in karma.

What was really nice was my younger daughter commented to me what a good mum her sister is.

[ABBEY]

bloody hell im no pc person or prude ...but BLOOODY HELL FIRE IM JUST WATCHING SKY NEWS AND THEYVE JUST SHOWN A BOY OF 13 WHOSE JUST BECAME A DAD!!!!!!HE LOOKS ABOUT 8!!!!......MAKE A NOTE ****FRI 13TH OF FEB ABS IS ACTUALLY LOST FOR WORDS AND SHOCKED!******

[ABBEY]

[roversmum]

lol Abbey when I noticed you had posted on here, I thought you might have some personal news for us!!!!!

You are right though. These kids think it is just a game, they will be much older before they realise otherwise.

[ABBEY]

bloody hell ma,2 is enough for me >I can assure you Ive/we've hung up the pampers!!!!!

[DP]

The thing is though.. a lot of 13 year olds look... er... older. but this kid looks, like he still a little boy. How did it... er.. happen?

[ABBEY]

hes joined "fathers for justice" he thought it would be ashame not to use his batman costume.

[colin]

It's reported that the mother may have had sex with a number of older boys, so the 13 year old may not be the father after all.

It would spoil a good tabloid headline, but let's just wait and see.

[lockers]

This lad is more mature than he is given credit for, he is 13 coming on 15

[Billy Castell]

hes joined "fathers for justice" he thought it would be ashame not to use his batman costume.

Whilst risking deviating this thread further, there was a story about a 15 year old girl who had a baby to an 11 year old. They were in a village near Bedford, the area I lived at at that time. That made the national papers too. All I can say is, when are these kids going on Jeremy Kyle?

To get more on topic, I personally believe that children should own a collection of Roald Dahl books. They are very imaginative, and there is a certain sting in the tail of most of his stories. I did hear a woman on the radio saying she founded a campaign to ban unhappy endings in books after her 12 year old daughter had nightmares after reading Lemony Snicket's series of unfortunate events, and thought 'what a tool'. Firstly, life isn't all fluffy bunnies and best friends, and kids need to be introduced to the fact that things can be a bit crappy. Secondly, her daughter is a bit of a wet flannel if Lemony Snicket scared the pants off her, and thirdly, are there not more pressing matters for parents of 12 year olds to be concerned with?