Red Mosquito

spike wrote:My five year old is suddenly obsessed with The Great British Bake Off.

My son likes “Is It Cake?” and “Guy's Grocery Games.” He told me he wants to be a food show judge so I told him he better learn how to cook.

daft twat wrote:Ever just have a couple of drinks and scroll through 15 years of pictures on the cusp of your child’s high school graduation? Great crying exercise. I would give anything to run it all back.

We’re not close to high school yet but scrolling through years of pictures is a great way to simultaneously remind myself of my successes and failures and get the tears going.

Matters wrote:

daft twat wrote:Ever just have a couple of drinks and scroll through 15 years of pictures on the cusp of your child’s high school graduation? Great crying exercise. I would give anything to run it all back.

We’re not close to high school yet but scrolling through years of pictures is a great way to simultaneously remind myself of my successes and failures and get the tears going.

My kids are 8 and 4 and I already feel this way. I try to spend as much 1 on 1 time with each one of them, but it's difficult sometimes. They change so quickly.

Monkey_Driven wrote:

Matters wrote:

daft twat wrote:Ever just have a couple of drinks and scroll through 15 years of pictures on the cusp of your child’s high school graduation? Great crying exercise. I would give anything to run it all back.

We’re not close to high school yet but scrolling through years of pictures is a great way to simultaneously remind myself of my successes and failures and get the tears going.

My kids are 8 and 4 and I already feel this way. I try to spend as much 1 on 1 time with each one of them, but it's difficult sometimes. They change so quickly.

9 and 5. 9 walks 5 to kindergarten everyday. It’s all too much.

Matters wrote:

Monkey_Driven wrote:

Matters wrote:

daft twat wrote:Ever just have a couple of drinks and scroll through 15 years of pictures on the cusp of your child’s high school graduation? Great crying exercise. I would give anything to run it all back.

We’re not close to high school yet but scrolling through years of pictures is a great way to simultaneously remind myself of my successes and failures and get the tears going.

My kids are 8 and 4 and I already feel this way. I try to spend as much 1 on 1 time with each one of them, but it's difficult sometimes. They change so quickly.

9 and 5. 9 walks 5 to kindergarten everyday. It’s all too much.

That being said, I think the 4 year age gap has been about perfect so far. No overlapping development phases, they have their own set of friends, but they still can play nicely together.

Monkey_Driven wrote:

Matters wrote:

Monkey_Driven wrote:

Matters wrote:

daft twat wrote:Ever just have a couple of drinks and scroll through 15 years of pictures on the cusp of your child’s high school graduation? Great crying exercise. I would give anything to run it all back.

We’re not close to high school yet but scrolling through years of pictures is a great way to simultaneously remind myself of my successes and failures and get the tears going.

My kids are 8 and 4 and I already feel this way. I try to spend as much 1 on 1 time with each one of them, but it's difficult sometimes. They change so quickly.

9 and 5. 9 walks 5 to kindergarten everyday. It’s all too much.

That being said, I think the 4 year age gap has been about perfect so far. No overlapping development phases, they have their own set of friends, but they still can play nicely together.

Yeah it’s been pretty good. My older one is a boy and younger is a girl. It’s been a challenge to get my son to understand that he should be looking out for his sister always, no matter what. I think that will come in time. It’s not really fair to expect a 9 year old to fully understand that but he’s really stepped up in recent weeks when they started going to the same school together.

My oldest is a boy and youngest a girl, 3 year gap. He was always good as far as looking out for her, which says a lot about him because she was a righteous bitch as a kid.

They are 25 and 22 now and it's bloody lovely seeing how well they get on together these days. They've grown into great people.

Dp

So yesterday proved to be a perfect storm when it comes to my eldest daughters paranoia. She went off for a playdate with a friend of her from school - and while there apparently saw a youtube clip of a kid being abducted or something - then later that night at her Taekwondo class the instructor is talking about what you'd do if a stranger grabs you. Fast forward to them going to bed - and she just starts freaking the fuck out, doesn't want to be left alone at all. Keeps coming down to the lounge cause she can't sleep - and unfortuately the wife and I were finishing off the last episode of Dark Winds and she wanders into the room just after some guy murders a lass - and then later just as the same guy has grabbed a kids and put a gun to his head. Her coming to check on us in tears kept happening during the night and my wife ended up sleeping in the lounge with my daughter next to her and was kept awake most of the night with my daughter waking her non-stop aking 'Did you hear that?', 'What's that noise?' etc.... Hopefully tonight will be better

Rangi Guy wrote:So yesterday proved to be a perfect storm when it comes to my eldest daughters paranoia. She went off for a playdate with a friend of her from school - and while there apparently saw a youtube clip of a kid being abducted or something - then later that night at her Taekwondo class the instructor is talking about what you'd do if a stranger grabs you. Fast forward to them going to bed - and she just starts freaking the fuck out, doesn't want to be left alone at all. Keeps coming down to the lounge cause she can't sleep - and unfortuately the wife and I were finishing off the last episode of Dark Winds and she wanders into the room just after some guy murders a lass - and then later just as the same guy has grabbed a kids and put a gun to his head. Her coming to check on us in tears kept happening during the night and my wife ended up sleeping in the lounge with my daughter next to her and was kept awake most of the night with my daughter waking her non-stop aking 'Did you hear that?', 'What's that noise?' etc.... Hopefully tonight will be better

When I was 12, this 11 year old kid named Jacob Wetterling in my state went missing. It changed the way I lived. The crime was officially solved about 10 years ago. It was everything we all feared at the time.

daft twat wrote:

Rangi Guy wrote:So yesterday proved to be a perfect storm when it comes to my eldest daughters paranoia. She went off for a playdate with a friend of her from school - and while there apparently saw a youtube clip of a kid being abducted or something - then later that night at her Taekwondo class the instructor is talking about what you'd do if a stranger grabs you. Fast forward to them going to bed - and she just starts freaking the fuck out, doesn't want to be left alone at all. Keeps coming down to the lounge cause she can't sleep - and unfortuately the wife and I were finishing off the last episode of Dark Winds and she wanders into the room just after some guy murders a lass - and then later just as the same guy has grabbed a kids and put a gun to his head. Her coming to check on us in tears kept happening during the night and my wife ended up sleeping in the lounge with my daughter next to her and was kept awake most of the night with my daughter waking her non-stop aking 'Did you hear that?', 'What's that noise?' etc.... Hopefully tonight will be better

When I was 12, this 11 year old kid named Jacob Wetterling in my state went missing. It changed the way I lived. The crime was officially solved about 10 years ago. It was everything we all feared at the time.

Shit! That hits different. Here I was saying to her - you're almost 10, and in those 10 long years when have you ever witnessed or heard about this happening to someone you know?

Rangi Guy wrote:

daft twat wrote:

Rangi Guy wrote:So yesterday proved to be a perfect storm when it comes to my eldest daughters paranoia. She went off for a playdate with a friend of her from school - and while there apparently saw a youtube clip of a kid being abducted or something - then later that night at her Taekwondo class the instructor is talking about what you'd do if a stranger grabs you. Fast forward to them going to bed - and she just starts freaking the fuck out, doesn't want to be left alone at all. Keeps coming down to the lounge cause she can't sleep - and unfortuately the wife and I were finishing off the last episode of Dark Winds and she wanders into the room just after some guy murders a lass - and then later just as the same guy has grabbed a kids and put a gun to his head. Her coming to check on us in tears kept happening during the night and my wife ended up sleeping in the lounge with my daughter next to her and was kept awake most of the night with my daughter waking her non-stop aking 'Did you hear that?', 'What's that noise?' etc.... Hopefully tonight will be better

When I was 12, this 11 year old kid named Jacob Wetterling in my state went missing. It changed the way I lived. The crime was officially solved about 10 years ago. It was everything we all feared at the time.

Shit! That hits different. Here I was saying to her - you're almost 10, and in those 10 long years when have you ever witnessed or heard about this happening to someone you know?

You’re right and you’re right to tell her that. Kids should be cautious, not scared.

I remember being scared for a while at the time, and then I quite literally grew out of it. But his name and all that fear same rushing back the first time my kids went to the park without me or their mom. Tonight my youngest (almost 16) just got picked up by a friend to go to his first house party. I won’t sleep until he’s home.

daft twat wrote:

Rangi Guy wrote:

daft twat wrote:

Rangi Guy wrote:So yesterday proved to be a perfect storm when it comes to my eldest daughters paranoia. She went off for a playdate with a friend of her from school - and while there apparently saw a youtube clip of a kid being abducted or something - then later that night at her Taekwondo class the instructor is talking about what you'd do if a stranger grabs you. Fast forward to them going to bed - and she just starts freaking the fuck out, doesn't want to be left alone at all. Keeps coming down to the lounge cause she can't sleep - and unfortuately the wife and I were finishing off the last episode of Dark Winds and she wanders into the room just after some guy murders a lass - and then later just as the same guy has grabbed a kids and put a gun to his head. Her coming to check on us in tears kept happening during the night and my wife ended up sleeping in the lounge with my daughter next to her and was kept awake most of the night with my daughter waking her non-stop aking 'Did you hear that?', 'What's that noise?' etc.... Hopefully tonight will be better

When I was 12, this 11 year old kid named Jacob Wetterling in my state went missing. It changed the way I lived. The crime was officially solved about 10 years ago. It was everything we all feared at the time.

Shit! That hits different. Here I was saying to her - you're almost 10, and in those 10 long years when have you ever witnessed or heard about this happening to someone you know?

You’re right and you’re right to tell her that. Kids should be cautious, not scared.

I remember being scared for a while at the time, and then I quite literally grew out of it. But his name and all that fear same rushing back the first time my kids went to the park without me or their mom. Tonight my youngest (almost 16) just got picked up by a friend to go to his first house party. I won’t sleep until he’s home.

I hear you, and totally get where you're coming from.
We managed a good night's sleep on Friday, but then last night had her constantly getting out of bed for a cuddle cause she was scared. Let's see what tonight brings

Higgs wrote:My oldest is a boy and youngest a girl, 3 year gap. He was always good as far as looking out for her, which says a lot about him because she was a righteous bitch as a kid.

They are 25 and 22 now and it's bloody lovely seeing how well they get on together these days. They've grown into great people.

That's the dream right there.

Today my 15 year old told us that on Friday he was supposed to give a presentation in Spanish class but started feeling anxious so he went to the nurse and waited the class out. Last month he dropped AP History because he was anxious about being called on and couldn’t bring himself to go into the classroom. He said he was afraid he’d be wrong or his voice would crack. He used to be the smiliest kid, but now he never smiles because he’s self-conscious of his teeth and his invisalign. Any time something in his body feels off, he’s worried about the worst possible outcome. I’m guessing this will all lead to therapy.

Today he wound up in my arms, crying. I haven’t seen him cry in years. It’s got me pretty fucked up. Having kids is amazing, but it is devastating to see them inherit the aspects of yourself that you hoped ended with you.

daft twat wrote:Today my 15 year old told us that on Friday he was supposed to give a presentation in Spanish class but started feeling anxious so he went to the nurse and waited the class out. Last month he dropped AP History because he was anxious about being called on and couldn’t bring himself to go into the classroom. He said he was afraid he’d be wrong or his voice would crack. He used to be the smiliest kid, but now he never smiles because he’s self-conscious of his teeth and his invisalign. Any time something in his body feels off, he’s worried about the worst possible outcome. I’m guessing this will all lead to therapy.

Today he wound up in my arms, crying. I haven’t seen him cry in years. It’s got me pretty fucked up. Having kids is amazing, but it is devastating to see them inherit the aspects of yourself that you hoped ended with you.

And if you shared the same anxieties as a kid you can point to yourself to show him it’s no big deal. You get up in front of people every day for your job.

Put him in martial arts. It will give him confidence. Not just for kicking ass, but in general.

Ello Sailor wrote:Put him in martial arts. It will give him confidence. Not just for kicking ass, but in general.

May also overcorrect

Nah