My 4yo is making up a story inspired by a very rhythmic book we got from the library today (My Truck is Stuck). I just heard him rhyme, "oh no! This truck is blue. It's not the same one. What to do?" Which is not a line from the original at all.

4.5yo goes to sit near a fountain with coins at its bottom.
4.5yo: I need a coin!
Family friend: here’s a coin. Throw it — make a wish!
4.5yo: I wanna keep it!

#parenting

https://www.alojapan.com/1258237/japanese-woman-offers-to-hold-new-mothers-baby-so-exhausted-travelers-can-finish-their-meal-watch/ Japanese Woman Offers to Hold New Mother’s Baby so Exhausted Travelers Can Finish Their Meal – (WATCH) #babies #Compassion #GoodSamaritans #Japan #JapanNews #Japanese #JapaneseNews #Kindness #mothers #news #parenting #restaurant #SocialMedia #strangers #TopVideos #Viral credit – Maggie Boynton, retrieved from TikTok The Japanese have an unjustly-bestowed-upon reputation for being cold and distant, and one new American mother who’s gone…

Sat in the dark on a bench by the lake with the baby strapped on. She’s purring away on my chest like a little gremlin in a deep sleep. I can hear the ducks, swans and birds doing their thing. It’s just a touch creepy when the dog stands bolt upright and looks at something over my shoulder. Other than that, it’s beautiful. Makes a change from the previous 3 hours indoors when the little one screamed incessantly.
#parenting #4monthold #babies #dad

I just finished what I think is one of - if not the - best bedtime stories I ever told to the twins. They fell asleep two sentences into the main story after the intro, but... I enjoyed it a lot, at least.

The short version is, that Pipping Longstockings (the hero of all bedtime stories for the past ~3-4 years), on a warm summer's day, decided to Do Something. He just had to figure out what. So he sat down at the root of his favourite thinking tree, and started to think, think, think.

Soon, a squirrel living in the tree noticed him, and asked him what he's doing. "I'm thinking!" - Pippin said. "Thinking about what?" - the squirrel asked. "Thinking about what I will do today." - he said. "Can I help?" "Sure!" - and so the squirrel sat down thinking too.

Then a bear came to scratch its back, because this tree was his favourite back scratching tree. He soon joined the thinking group too.

Then an eagle saw the growing group from above, and didn't want to miss all the fun. It sat down thinking too.

Then came a rabbit, a worm, a fox, a wolf, a snail and a turtle, and in the end, when it got dark, Pippin suddenly stood up and exclaimed: "I figured it out!", and all the animals were happy, and waited patiently for the answer.

"We're gonna sleep.", and the thinking group nodded, for they were all tired from thinking all day long. So they went home, ate dinner, brushed teeth, hopped into their pyjamas, laid down in their beds, and fell asleep.

The end.

I just watched Jurassic Park (1993) with my kids. It was so much fun seeing them have the same reaction I had when I was a kid.

I hope they don't wake up at night now though.

They are excited to watch the next one, probably next week.

Back at the crying with exhaustion stage of parenting.

Back to back nights getting to bed between 1:30 and 2:30am.

Good afternoon and happy Saturday.

Been a day already. Errands in the morning, followed by a parade midday for the MDMRN Twins' sports team. Then lots of cleaning as my wife's family is coming over for her Mom's birthday.

Oh, and Little MDMRN is going to Jr Prom tonight, and their GF's family is coming here to take pre-prom pictures. So we were extra cleaning our house for newcomers.

So yea.

Life.

#Toddler overheard us discussing a takeaway order and now their chosen tactic for bedtime resistance is repeatedly, incredulously shouting "cauliflower WINGS!!?!??"

New Comic Strip Found: Baby Blues by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott for Sat, 26 Apr 2025 https://www.gocomics.com/babyblues/2025/04/26

HOLY SHIT MUMMY PIG IS KNOCKED UP

The "Six Seven" Trend on TikTok has children shouting the phrase. It's finally a social trend that isn't dangerous. #TikTok #Parenting #Children

https://parentingpatch.com/are-your-kids-shouting-six-seven-heres-what-it-means/

Got our first "I hate you!" from the kid today

TEENAGER MODE UNLOCKED

Child B got a Sorgenfresser (Worry Eater) at the flea market today.
Child B: "I don't have any sad thoughts, so he'll be hungry. So I made him some happy thoughts to eat until I'm worried again."

interesting episode! how misogyny is central to fascism, rather than a "comorbidity" of it (aka, Snyder et al).

~~~~
How To Talk To Your Son About Fascism (Pt 1)

https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/i0ft54qw3vjcsofc50l3w7hxlt28s6

"Historian Craig Johnson (PhD Berkeley) hosts Fifteen Minutes of Fascism, which covers the global rise of the radical right. He’s the author of an excellent new book, How to Talk to Your Son about Fascism, a guide for parents and educators on keeping young men out of the extreme right wing.

"In this first of a two-part interview, Matthew and Craig discuss definitions of fascism, why it appeals to young men (or how masculinity is socially constructed), irony poisoning, and whether fascism can be fought through accelerating cringe cycles."

My current barometer of infant sleep is how many Fallen London actions I wake up with between feeds. I had 20 this morning, not bad! and 13 at the middle of the night feed. But days where I wake up with both candles full (why yes I am an Exceptional Friend) and 40 actions, each one having taken 10 minutes to refresh?? That’s a good night.

New Comic Strip Found: Baby Blues by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott for Fri, 25 Apr 2025 https://www.gocomics.com/babyblues/2025/04/25

"I'm A #Parenting #Coach, Here's How I Stopped My #Son's #Tantrum In 7 Seconds"

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/stopping-toddler-tantrums-in-seconds_uk_6808ac6ce4b0deaad5272e10

My 6-year-old wanted to help make coffee so they could surprise Mom for Mother’s Day. After I explained the coffee maker, they had two big takeaways: it’s basically a shower for coffee grinds, and four is not a real number.
#MothersDay #CoffeeTime #Parenting #KidsLogic