Parenting

[Eamonnca1]

Third perspective - I am sure I am addicted to my phone. I hate that, and I hate it.

A small adjustment I've made, which has been helpful, has been to sleep in a different room from my phone. I was using it as an alarm clock, but when it's in the room then you still get the urge to look at it, even when it's dormant. I've started leaving it on a charger in the living room overnight instead of using the bedside charger/lamp contraption I bought for it. In the bedroom I've got a cheap analogue alarm clock with glow-in-the-dark hands, which is actually better than the phone because I used to look at it to get the time.

I've found it helps to break some of the brain-rot.

I also try to make a point of leaving the phone behind when I go to the toilet. Seems to speed up the process.

[RedHand88]

What are the thoughts on pumpkin patches?
Am I the only one who thinks paying £15 to lift a Tesco pumpkin out of a shuck is the height of madness?

[square_ball]

What are the thoughts on pumpkin patches?
Am I the only one who thinks paying £15 to lift a Tesco pumpkin out of a shuck is the height of madness?

A money racket and same with the vast majority of the Christmas events as well.

[Milltown Row2]

Turnips in my day! Couldn't afford pumpkins! Turnips uglier too

[Rois]

What are the thoughts on pumpkin patches?
Am I the only one who thinks paying £15 to lift a Tesco pumpkin out of a shuck is the height of madness?

Did it once, not again.
What I have really fond memories of, though, was going to the Ulster American Folk Park for their Halloween activities. I'm talking 35 years ago and more. It's still going strong and I think my kids are old enough this year.
(We bought our £1.50 pumpkins in Tesco last week.)

[DaleCooper]

Turnips in my day! Couldn't afford pumpkins! Turnips uglier too

And disturbing

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-people-carved-turnips-instead-of-pumpkins-for-halloween-180978922/

[Brendan]

There's a pumpkin patch near us who do loads in fairness so its value for money, hot chocolates, smores and chocolate digestives, hot dogs, pumpkin carving, popcorn as well as a little play area

[Tony Baloney]

There's a pumpkin patch near us who do loads in fairness so its value for money, hot chocolates, smores and chocolate digestives, hot dogs, pumpkin carving, popcorn as well as a little play area

What part of America do you live in?

[Brendan]

There's a pumpkin patch near us who do loads in fairness so its value for money, hot chocolates, smores and chocolate digestives, hot dogs, pumpkin carving, popcorn as well as a little play area

What part of America do you live in?

LondonDerry, New Hampshire 

[DaleCooper]

What are the thoughts on pumpkin patches?
Am I the only one who thinks paying £15 to lift a Tesco pumpkin out of a shuck is the height of madness?

Yank Imperialism / Blowback

[Eamonnca1]

Is it just me or have kids' birthday parties become a pain in the hole?

In my day a birthday party was something you only had with immediate family. It was a present, a bit cake for dessert with candles and the song.

Today it seems to be a massive production. Rent a facility with some combination of ball pits, jungle gyms, trampolines, and bounce houses. Invite over a dozen other kids, which means one of both of their parents have to come too, plus their siblings. You could end up with 20 people at your party and that's on the small side. Then there's a side room where they bring pizza, junk food, and of course the cake. They're usually set up for some social media-friendly photo op with all the kids posing behind the cake. In one case the birthday kid sits on an inflatable throne wearing a paper crown. The room is full of bored parents putting on a fake smile like they're enjoying this.

We don't have a huge house but in the past we've tried to keep it at home. Let the kids bring their own kick scooters over and let them rally around outside in the driveway while most of the parents sit upstairs in the kitchen drinking champagne and mimosas and munching on breakfast/brunch food that we cook. We much prefer that format, but with the kids getting bigger the house fills up too quickly and it's not really feasible anymore.

For our son's 5th birthday we just had a small family-only thing, and we'll be keeping it as small as possible from now on.

This kids' birthday industrial complex is out of control. I often think a lot of it is down to peer pressure. Parents see other parents doing it and feel compelled to keep up. Commercial birthday parties are probably a lucrative business. Load of bloody old nonsense.

[Brendan]

Have to put on a show for the Instagram pics of course.

Had my oldest, whos on the spectrum as theyd say, at a kick boxing class the other night, picking him up and instructor takes me aside and said about him making noises and other kids laughing at him, he didnt seem to notice and id never witnessed others making fun of him at school or football (most of the kids at football are from his school anyway). Id have thought most kids would be used to ones being a bit odd these days so was disappointed this has started to happen, part of me is glad hes in his own little world so didnt notice the taunts but the more he stays in his world the more fun is going to be poked at him

[Tony Baloney]

Have to put on a show for the Instagram pics of course.

Had my oldest, whos on the spectrum as theyd say, at a kick boxing class the other night, picking him up and instructor takes me aside and said about him making noises and other kids laughing at him, he didnt seem to notice and id never witnessed others making fun of him at school or football (most of the kids at football are from his school anyway). Id have thought most kids would be used to ones being a bit odd these days so was disappointed this has started to happen, part of me is glad hes in his own little world so didnt notice the taunts but the more he stays in his world the more fun is going to be poked at him

The instructor should be taking the other kids aside, not you.

[AustinPowers]

Have to put on a show for the Instagram pics of course.

Had my oldest, whos on the spectrum as theyd say, at a kick boxing class the other night, picking him up and instructor takes me aside and said about him making noises and other kids laughing at him, he didnt seem to notice and id never witnessed others making fun of him at school or football (most of the kids at football are from his school anyway). Id have thought most kids would be used to ones being a bit odd these days so was disappointed this has started to happen, part of me is glad hes in his own little world so didnt notice the taunts but the more he stays in his world the more fun is going to be poked at him

The instructor should be taking the other kids aside, not you.

Nothing that  a hundred press ups  wouldnt  sort  out.

Did martial arts myself. You dicked about , you  got a few dozen  press ups. You didn't dick about again.

[marty34]

Have to put on a show for the Instagram pics of course.

Had my oldest, whos on the spectrum as theyd say, at a kick boxing class the other night, picking him up and instructor takes me aside and said about him making noises and other kids laughing at him, he didnt seem to notice and id never witnessed others making fun of him at school or football (most of the kids at football are from his school anyway). Id have thought most kids would be used to ones being a bit odd these days so was disappointed this has started to happen, part of me is glad hes in his own little world so didnt notice the taunts but the more he stays in his world the more fun is going to be poked at him

The instructor should be taking the other kids aside, not you.

Nothing that  a hundred press ups  wouldnt  sort  out.

Did martial arts myself. You dicked about , you  got a few dozen  press ups. You didn't dick about again.

Problem with that is some Karen or Kevin parent would be straight over to the coach saying they're picking on one child in front of the rest of them and it's not great for their self-confidence etc.


You can't win.