it is so good to hear you guys talking about how it feels being a dad.

i am single mom of a wonderful boy who turns 12 on friday
you all can imagine how excited he is

his dad says he loves him, he also spents time with him, but even though i sometimes got the feeling that it is more a burden for him to have a son than a pleasure.

@rush
recently my son starts - from time to time - changing into a little monster whom i don.t know
but most times he is very pleasant.

for the terrible 2s: i remember when he was about 2 1/2, me coming home from gorcery shopping, all stored in a backpack far to heavy for me and not be handling for him. but he wanted to get that backpack to the kitchen. it was impossible, he cried for 30 minutes because he wasn.t able
i couldn.t get through to him.

luckily we are able to talk to each other right now.

So TWO more little ATSers due in FEB. Congratulations Karl and NYK!
(See if you can work on the 16th...Thats a great day!)

HugmyRek,
Sounds like a good system, but remeber. you are talking to guys. You need to keep it simple. as soon as you go beyond step 2 we are lost. I know I am.

1 step Wardrobing tip: Leave it to Mum to decide.

On a separate issue. Feeding. How do you stop a 2 year old throwing food EVERYWHERE. I have found items of food days and in one particular case weeks after the meal. You think you get it all, but they find a way to hide it.

Feeding tip. With babys still on the bottle, if you are formula feeding, I found it easier to mix a whole batch at night for the next day. Get one large jug measure in appropriate amounts of water and powder mix and pour. Saves alot of time making one at a time.

Lesson for expecting parents. No matter what distractions you create, a child will know instictively where you dont want them to go or touch. You can have a large warehouse full of toys and activities and one shoebox hidden in a croner that you dont want touched. I guarantee the shoebox is the first thing they will go to.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE ORANGE!!!

for the feeding of 2yo:
have you tried to let them eat by themselves?
choose what they like to eat?

that helped with little orange of 2 and it still helps with lill orange of 12 .
it doesn.t mean that they can have pizza all the time
you offer e.g. banana, bread and apple - very simple
and if he just eats apples and maybe askes for some more apples it is fine with me.

i did it the same way with home-cooked milk (mixture of barley-water and milk) i fed to lill orange.
prepared the whole bunch of it at once and put the non-needed in the freezer.

for sterilizing bottles and nipples (? /at the bottle!) - the moment he started to pull them over the floor i put them into the dishwasher and nothing more. no more boiling them in hot water, using the sterilizing machine etc.
very relaxing


@viking
you are doing a great job with 5! (and the 3 of same age!)

congrats to the dad.s to be

I have a 12, 11, 10, 8, 7 and 3 year old and the best thing you can have is patience. Get both sides of the story and don't jump off the handle right away. The most amazing thing about children is that their smart and know more than I ever thought they could. It's always nice to be their friend but let them know you are the parent still. I have so much more to learn and the teenage years are around the corner so I'm preparing for that. Let them know you're proud of them when you are and tell them you love them more than anything else you tell them.

Hey Orange.
we do let them feed themsleves...thats the problem.
when they have had ebough they dont like to see it in front of them so the natural thing is to throw it. On the floor, at each other, anywhere.

Ashley,
I have heard about that toileting trick. I have used a cork from a wine bottle. They work a treat and because they float, they never get flushed so no need to keep replacing.

sloar. 6..WOW! I thought I had it tough. going one at a time must have been tough. I am so glad we cheated....sometimes....

Oh. Just remembered another trick. If you have 2 children and one treat (chocolate bar, pice of cake etc) and it needs to be split, to save fights over who got the biggest piece, have one cut it and the other choose. You will never see a more accurate 50/50 split.

Originally posted by Solarskye
I have a 12, 11, 10, 8, 7 and 3 year old and the best thing you can have is patience. Get both sides of the story and don't jump off the handle right away. The most amazing thing about children is that their smart and know more than I ever thought they could. It's always nice to be their friend but let them know you are the parent still. I have so much more to learn and the teenage years are around the corner so I'm preparing for that. Let them know you're proud of them when you are and tell them you love them more than anything else you tell them.

Mine are: 21,20,18,14,12,10,7, and 5. And they all live with me.
Here's my contribution to this thread.
FOR THOSE WHO THINK STAY-AT-HOME PARENTING IS NOT A JOB

I AM
A Chef
A Baker
A personal shopper
A Janitor
A message service
A Taxi service
A laundry service
A Janitor
A Hairdresser
A teacher
A personal life coach
A nurse
A financial planner
A Bank teller/ or an ATM
A seamstress
A librarian
and IAM SO MUCH MORE

MY JOB, is to raise my children to be happy , healthy, and successful. There is no paycheck, as no dollar value could ever be put on what I do.
My success in life, is their success in life.
Enough said.

Originally posted by AccessDenied

Originally posted by Solarskye
I have a 12, 11, 10, 8, 7 and 3 year old.

Mine are: 21,20,18,14,12,10,7, and 5. And they all live with me.

I am really starting to feel like an amateur with only 5. I will certainly listen to any tips you guys have to offer!!! Good work.

Originally posted by AccessDenied
FOR THOSE WHO THINK STAY-AT-HOME PARENTING IS NOT A JOB

I AM
A Chef
A Baker
A personal shopper
A Janitor
A message service
A Taxi service
A laundry service
A Janitor
A Hairdresser
A teacher
A personal life coach
A nurse
A financial planner
A Bank teller/ or an ATM
A seamstress
A librarian
and IAM SO MUCH MORE

MY JOB, is to raise my children to be happy , healthy, and successful. There is no paycheck, as no dollar value could ever be put on what I do.
My success in life, is their success in life.
Enough said.

in germany there is a successful tv ad where a mom thinks of all the stuff she is doing and then she claims to the banker: "I am manager of a very successful family business"

so you are a manager AD!


and i am very impressed of the amount of children you guys got.


so i am out playing with you with just one ??



[edit on 4-12-2008 by orange-light]

There is no instruction manual for being a parent and it's learn as you go with influences from your parents and how they brought you up. It's taken for granted and is one of the most difficult but rewarding jobs you can do in life. I want my children to grow up healthy, happy, caring, well adjusted, successful, honest and responsible adults. Loving my children with no strings attached is my motto. I do everything for my kids, not for me. Of course when I throw a baseball or football and play basketball with them it's fun for me but it's teaching them more than anything. So be there for your kids and never tell them you don't have time for them or you're to busy.

[edit on 14-12-2008 by Karlhungis]

THe other day one of my 2 girls (2 1/2) pulled her shoes off in the car, but she took care to put her socks inside of the shoes before she threw them down. It was cute. She is very organized!

You know, I'm not at all qualified to add to this thread, but wow, what an uplifting read its been..

I know, when you all say some of this stuff it seems like such an ordeal, but I see a ton of love and happiness behind it all.

I'm only 24, and my girlfriend and I have all these "plans." Yeah we'll try to stick to the timeline, but its a pipe dream to actually accomplish flawlessly.

Bottom line, I can't wait to be a dad for all the above accounts. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I was made to provide. I am sick of the juvenile, selfish life I've lived, and I'm ready to give more than receive (probably in the case of a parent, MUCH MORE).

You all sound like great parents, keep up the good work to provide the world with more objective thinkers!

Great thread ant. While maybe not purposely, its very uplifting.