Yeah, starting at about 6 months, we just let them cry it out. First night sucked, second night was a little better and then on the third night......we woke up and the sun was up. I'll never forget that feeling. It was literally life-changing.
"Nicest kid ever." "So sweet and helpful" "Smartest kid in the class" "So kind" ...he's really got 'em fooled. Taught him good.
Yeah I went from having to go on Prozac to feeling like I had super human energy for about 3 months after he started sleeping through the night. It was like I had been given some great super power. Sleep is important man.
Man, I don't know. My friend who lives in the Denver area has 4 girls (they kept trying...and failing...for a boy), all close enough in age that he will eventually have 4 teenage daughters. He's a pretty happy-go-lucky guy but I foresee that changing soon. I couldn't imagine that hell. At the very least, he lives in CO and can find things to help him stay relaxed.
A good corollary would be "stupid **** you say about your kid to other people". OK parents, admit it here, we will not judge:
We were one of those couples who seriously considered not having kids. We were having such a great time, traveling whenever and wherever we liked (and could afford), with only "dog sitting" being an issue, and my late mother was golden for that because she loved my dogs. Our friends who were couples had kids in their 20's, and we soon figured out that making a suggestion about raising their kid(s) was a bad idea, even if we had a good idea. The reaction began with, "Just wait until you have kids!" and went downhill from there. So we shut up. Many years later, we had 2 of our own, with my significant other pushing 40 with the first (a natural childbirth, which anyone who's been associated with one can tell you is an absolute trip). Low and behold, they were remarkable. Incredibly well behaved. We did the stuff we wanted to suggest to our myriad friends with kids, now grown, and most of it worked. I guess this sounds like bragging (parents tend to do a lot of that, of course - we're no exception), but people rarely said stupid things about our kids when they were growing up. What they usually said was, "You have amazing kids! How did you do it?" We tell them the truth. We were lucky.
I think I'm lucky that in most ways, aside from liking to shop, my wife is just the complete opposite of your stereotypical girl. Does not tolerate gossip or b****iness and is so low maintenance, that is practically zero. Even when she was a teenager, her parents say that the only trouble she ever gave them was liking NKOTB a little too much. I'm hoping that rubs off on our girls. That said, I was a pain the ass to my parents during those years, so it'll be interesting to see if she was rewarded for being an awesome teen or if I'll be paid back for not.
Have a girl on the way. No one has said anything dumb yet, but people are unhappy - bordering on angry - with us not sharing her name. So I'll occasionally hear something like "I don't know why you're not sharing her name! There's no good reason to keep it a secret! Makes NO SENSE." And we just go... "Hmmm, oh well."
This makes absolutely no sense. There's no good reason to keep it a secret! Now tell me what her name is!
My sister gets upset because I refuse to watch her son because he's a ginger that will steal my soul. But I don't classify that as stupid. That's just being careful.
It can be hard for some adults to relate to the child-rearing experience unless they go through it themselves or have been around kids a lot. Before I had my son, I wasn't able to tell whether a kid was 6 months old or 3 years old, or what behavior would be considered normal for what age. Those things were just not in my realm of thought or interest.
For the longest time, the whole world of kid-raising was foreign territory to me. I admired those who did it, wasn't sure how much I'd like it on a day to day basis, but did want to do it when I "grew up". Now, most of my old friends still don't have kids and probably never will. It's like we live in completely different worlds. I fill my social media with kid pictures. "Hanging out" has to be done at kid-friendly places. I think a lot of people just don't identify. (on the other hand, I am gradually making more friends who do have kids about the same age.) Seeing this thread - or many of the other kids on the playground - reminds me that my 3 year old is really a pretty happy kid. He's not aggressive, just has extra energy. And my 2 month old baby actually slept through the night last night. (If you accept her definition of "morning", which was not the same as mine.) She has some colicky issues - possibly reflux - so there can be rough times. Often when visiting people or, especially, in the car.
Do people in the us normally share the name before birth? Also the gender? Here you do not share the name. And some tell the gender. Some do not want to know the gender.
Yup. I'm that guy with no kids. Still love my friends with kids like family but we rarely hangout. Only for mega-special occasions. I have a Mormon friend who feels sorry for me, thinks I failed at life, assumes I must be miserable with no family (lulz) - and I'm not even old!
