Like on the OG forum, a thread for parental posting, sharing, asking for and receiving advice, all that good stuff...

Glad too see this back up! Before pandemic, the only reasons I was still on FB were the show calendar and a Dad's FB group which had been pretty great. Since no more shows, there was just the dads group (which was still better than most, but has kind of devolved to mostly dad jokes and venting about pandemic stuff (which totally makes sense and I can't say I wasn't also guilty of it.)

Anyway, last week we had some excavation done at the new house and they put all the dirt in the woods at the back of the property. We've picked up some "junk" from free signs for the kids to make kind of a makeshift "adventure" playground, and they love it. The older one can't help being a dick to his little brother tho'. So much fighting.

Glad to see this thread is back! My wife and I had a little girl last May which has made this year both incredibly long and shockingly short. If anyone has any tips for outdoor dexterity/coordination playthings I'd appreciate it! She crawls (and hauls ass) all over the place and seems to be on the verge of walking as she can push her little cart around.

My kids are somehow 4 and 9 years old now. The chubby baby that I wore strapped to my chest in a baby bjorn at PRF BBQ 2012 for one of our songs is now a lanky 9 yr old boy, playing games online with his friends and talking about how things "suck." Time flies.

My daughter is 18 now. We went through a rough patch for a couple of years where she wanted nothing to do with me, and that was depressing. I had to keep telling myself that I wanted nothing to do with my parents at that age, too. She has discovered weed and is pretty open about it. Fortunately, she’s one of those functional stoners. She got a job at an upscale pizza restaurant over by the university, and has a much better work ethic than I ever did at her age. Graduating soon and wants to move to NYC. Time sure flies. I’m glad we’re communicating again!

Thanks Jimmy!
I really missed the dadness thread over the past couple of years.
Hamish is three now, and having just about got to grips with having a toddler in our lives, tomorrow we will be welcoming another member of the family. Just avoided being born on May the Fourth etc which is just as well because neither of us particularly like the name 'Grogu'.

While the forum was down I became a father for the second time. My daughter Juli is now with us. She´s pretty, sweet, funny and she smells fantastic. But she´s crying nearly all the time. The nights are true horror. Exactly what you wouldn´t want it to be like.

Our son is 3 1/2 now. He can´t meet his friends. He´s at home most of the time. His little sister is yelling and screaming. And he´s taking it all like a true champion. No jealousy, no back-to-baby-behavior, no aggression or anything. He´s just there, caring and kissing his little sister and telling us all made up stories about ghost dinosaurs from Volcano Planet and stuff like that. I love him so much.

He started using the word "shit" knowing that he wasn´t allowed to. Then we did allow him to use it. Now he won´t use it anymore.

Flytox wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 3:34 pm While the forum was down I became a father for the second time. My daughter Juli is now with us. She´s pretty, sweet, funny and she smells fantastic. But she´s crying nearly all the time. The nights are true horror. Exactly what you wouldn´t want it to be like.

Our son is 3 1/2 now. He can´t meet his friends. He´s at home most of the time. His little sister is yelling and screaming. And he´s taking it all like a true champion. No jealousy, no back-to-baby-behavior, no aggression or anything. He´s just there, caring and kissing his little sister and telling us all made up stories about ghost dinosaurs from Volcano Planet and stuff like that. I love him so much.

He started using the word "shit" knowing that he wasn´t allowed to. Then we did allow him to use it. Now he won´t use it anymore.

Hamish has been known to bust out " Fucks sake" from time to time. No idea where he got that from....
On an unrelated note he also really like Half Man Half Biscuit.

Driving up to Syracuse today for a third (and supposedly final) four hour appointment with the neurologist we've been seeing to try and figure out exactly what's been going on with the 8 year old. He was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago, and we've been hesitant to medicate, for lots of reasons, but mostly due to addiction stuff on both sides of the family. He does pretty well in school, especially since going back in person a couple months ago, but he's been so challenging at home. He'll completely shut out / ignore any requests / instructions he doesn't like, and will frequently respond with screaming and or violence if we start to raise our voice to try and get his attention. Like not even yelling, but if our tone changes to frustrated, or if we talk louder to make sure he can hear us, he'll lose it and yell about how we're "talking mean". He also is too comfortable wailing on his little brother. I know brothers fight, but it's way too much and can get out of hand quick.

During pandemic especially we've tried so hard to be gentle with him because he just can't handle conflict and I know yelling, etc... is completely counterproductive, although unfortunately it took me a few years to come to that understanding. He's had impulse control issues basically from the time he could talk (he got kicked out of daycare for multiple biting / scratching incidents when he was 2.) This Dr. is costing a fortune and I think my wife is expecting some actual answers (maybe even solutions?) but I'm kind of resigned to the idea that this is how things are with him and things may never really get better.

Anyway, wish us luck.

man, kids. and boys specifically here. I have no idea what makes them do what they do.
I assume you've heard it all but i would stress healthy outlets. what does a good day look like and how can we replicate that? and make sure he knows raising your voice doesn't mean you don't love him. it just means you have no time for his shit.

i'm ready for my kids (16 and 13) to go back to in person school, but they actually prefer remote learning. i know the boy is undiagnosed ocd, always has been. he was always scared of touching doorknobs and shoes before the pandemic. i worry that the girl is substituting minecraft youtube for meaningful relationships. it's a little concerning, knowing what they're missing out on. relationships and community (mostly based around music) were all i had in high school. i hoped they would take some creative initiative with all their free time. i got them harmonicas and guitars. you know. give them the tools and encouragement. leave the rest up to them.