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[Kids] are the best of times, the worst of times

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Posts

  • SharpyVIISharpyVII Registered User regular
    I hate to say it but I've had a pretty good day off whilst my son has been in nursery.

    We've cleaned the house thoroughly, done loads of baking, built furniture and been out for dinner.

    Gonna spend the last couple of hours in the quiet reading....

  • Captain InertiaCaptain Inertia Registered User regular
    Badanamu.

  • MNC DoverMNC Dover Full-time Voice Actor Kirkland, WARegistered User regular
    I got tired of reading the same books to my daughter at night, so I decided to "read" her the Hobbit. I say read, because I'm doing it from memory and fast-tracking things so she doesn't get bored. I'm also creating stopping points on the fly, typically after some action.

    Part 1 was meeting Bilbo and starting the adventure. Part 2 was the Troll encounter and safety after sunrise. Part 3 was traveling to Rivendell and getting imprisoned by the Elves (which I'm not sure was canon). Part 4 was escaping Rivendell and fighting off Orcs Warg riders and hiding in a cave. Next up is passing through the Misty Mountains.

    I keep having to update myself daily in order to kind of remember how the story goes. But she's really gotten into it and hates it when I stop. Showing some nervousness when bad things happen....although, that might be build up tension and fully voice everything (I mean, that's one benefit of having a voice actor for a dad, right?). I'm looking forward to seeing how she does with Gollum, who's pretty scary no matter how old you are. :biggrin:

    Need a voice actor? Hire me at bengrayVO.com
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  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited August 2020
    They are welcome in Rivendell, they are captured later by the asshole elves of Mirkwood. You get to do a few cool set pieces in between:

    1. Goblin caves
    2. Finding the ring and the riddles with Gollum
    3. Fighting the wargs and goblins in the forest and being saved by the Eagles
    4. Meeting up with the werebear and enjoying a proper meal
    5. The Scary Bit With The Spiders
    6. The Other Scary Bit With Getting Lost
    And then they are captured.

    Gosh, the actual book is written for children, though. I'm going to read the whole thing to my kid when he's old enough to accept that not all books have pictures on all the pages.

    That and the Little Prince, which is also a hoot and a half to read out loud.

    Aldo on
  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    MNC Dover wrote: »
    I got tired of reading the same books to my daughter at night, so I decided to "read" her the Hobbit. I say read, because I'm doing it from memory and fast-tracking things so she doesn't get bored. I'm also creating stopping points on the fly, typically after some action.

    Part 1 was meeting Bilbo and starting the adventure. Part 2 was the Troll encounter and safety after sunrise. Part 3 was traveling to Rivendell and getting imprisoned by the Elves (which I'm not sure was canon). Part 4 was escaping Rivendell and fighting off Orcs Warg riders and hiding in a cave. Next up is passing through the Misty Mountains.

    I keep having to update myself daily in order to kind of remember how the story goes. But she's really gotten into it and hates it when I stop. Showing some nervousness when bad things happen....although, that might be build up tension and fully voice everything (I mean, that's one benefit of having a voice actor for a dad, right?). I'm looking forward to seeing how she does with Gollum, who's pretty scary no matter how old you are. :biggrin:

    I always made my dad skip Gollum because his Gollum voice scared me. Also, I'm petty sure he read the hobbit to me like 10 times.

    "I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."

    The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    Steam: Korvalain
  • DisruptedCapitalistDisruptedCapitalist I swear! Registered User regular
    Man, I hurt my voice trying to do Gollum like in the movies. My daughter liked my Ian McKellen voice though.

    "Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
  • PeenPeen Registered User regular
    My older daughter and I agreed that the good books are the ones with maps in the front or back, or both. I'm very happy.

  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    Peen wrote: »
    My older daughter and I agreed that the good books are the ones with maps in the front or back, or both. I'm very happy.

    Probably not going to like Malazan then (they aren't kids books, anyways).

    "I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."

    The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    Steam: Korvalain
  • PeenPeen Registered User regular
    I've got em all here when she's old enough, we'll see!

  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    Just bought about 200 pieces of DUPLO and Hubelino for 25€ off eBay. Including a bunch of cars, duplo figures and a few ground plates. Pretty well pleased with myself.

  • sponospono Mining for Nose Diamonds Booger CoveRegistered User regular
    The boy learned to jump yesterday and I'm dying it's too adorable

    He squats all the way down, then does this little hop forward. About 20% of the time he falls on his butt

    He looks like a big frog

    640qocnq4ske.gif
  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    The summer is nearing its end. The wife started work today (3 weeks of prep/orientation before students). She's teaching 2nd grade, non-special ed job for the first time, and is excited/scared/nervous/etc. It's been her dream to teach a general ed classroom so it's awesome to see her reach that milestone, and frankly, the paperwork will be a bit lighter not having to do a full docket of IEPs all year. Obviously the excitement is also scary with her out in public each day now. Our son is a junior this year, they are doing hybrid, so he'll only be in school twice a week until at least October and he seems to be pretty satisfied with that. His wisdom teeth (and four extras) being removed and braces being installed went well, and made me very, very appreciative of health spending accounts.

    It's oddly calm here today - I'm a worrier and this is really the first moment I've had alone since she found a job and his dental work was finished and the schools announced finalized plans - so it's sort of a sigh of relief despite the obvious dumpster-fire around us.

    It's bizarre how the feeling of time has been impacted by Covid. There were months that dragged and felt like they would never end, yet I can't make it possible that we haven't been to school/work in person since March. I honestly can't fathom being the parent of a super young kid that hits milestones every other month! Reading through the last few pages of the thread makes me miss reading to my son, but last weekend we built computers on the kitchen table together and it was just great. Then, I took him for an adjustment to his braces and instead of getting dropped off at home, he went with me to old bookstores and flea markets looking for records, just to go along for the ride. I think parents are going to have the weirdest, mixed emotions about this summer when we're able to see it in hindsight.

  • m!ttensm!ttens he/himRegistered User regular
    Kids are weird and do funny stuff. Case in point:

    h6lz4keit474.png

  • Banzai5150Banzai5150 Registered User regular
    The torture has begun. He started online school, via Zoom, yesterday. He sits at our table basically the whole school time. Has to check into classes each period for attendance.

    Fun part, Sunday as I was checking to see if he had a schedule yet, he only had 5 classes listed.

    Yesterday, after he was all done(I did sleep most of the morning away) and my Wife decided to get her nose into things, I talked with him to see how it all went. He said it was fine. I asked about only having 5 classes for 7 periods, he told me he got another class but couldn’t remember. My wife had said she told him to call the school about his first period class for some reason? I noticed on Sunday that AP Computer Science had a zoom meeting time of 7:20 which is first period, so I was confused.

    This morning! She got home at 1:45am from her shift, and was grumpy. I asked what’s up and she was complaining about having to get up in the morning to make sure he was up. I said I’d do it, though I didn’t set an alarm due to being half asleep when agreeing to do it. I wake up around 6:48 all on my own. He’s got first period at 7:20 and yesterday he was told to be up, eat some breakfast, take his ADHD meds and be ready to go. So of course I had to wake him up as he was just reaching over and snoozing his alarm. I go back to bed but am reading on my iPad until I can hear him fully up and going. Queue my wife to wake up to her alarm. I tell her I already got him up. So of course, she goes and tells him to get up and get going. She comes back and says something about him telling her “Why do I have to get up as my first class isn’t till after 8!”. Now I’m confused. She says he was supposed to pick an elective and contact the school about it. Soooo, I mosey out into the kitchen to see what he’s up to. I ask why did you tell me you had all your classes when in fact you didn’t? (Blank stare) then he tells me, Well I tried to sign up for Drivers Ed but it timed out. I now make him sign up Again, as his plan was to do it “today” which means never. And here I sit at 9:02 watching him sit there with Headphones on in Zoom meetings, because the boy can’t be trusted to make smart decisions.

    P.s. I kinda giggled at him about Drivers Ed and he got all upset. I asked him, How do you think we can trust you to make smart decisions when you drive a car when you can’t even make them outside of the car? So let him take the course, but I’m REALLY uneasy and unsure about him actually driving a real car. Even though while he was upset he blurted out “I know, it’s a 2,000lb death machine!”.

    Dear Covid,

    I hate you so much.

    Thanks,
    Me

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  • MulysaSemproniusMulysaSempronius but also susie nyRegistered User regular
    NYC schools are continuing to inspire confidence that they will actually begin classes after labor day sometime.
    No official start date has been announced.
    Several principals have signed letters saying they aren't ready. My kids' principal signed on, and I'm already salty at him because he always prioritizes the 9-12th grades of the preK-12 school and doesn't seem to ever have any thought that younger kids need things older kids do not.
    Threats of strikes are being thrown around (even though technically illegal here, what are they really going to do if they happen)
    They haven't even opened up applications for the childcare they said they'd have available for younger kids- they just sent out a survey asking who wanted to participate.
    They just told schools they can apply to use outdoor spaces, including closing some streets, for classes this week. Since DeBlasio hates hates hates giving up street space to anything other than cars, I'm sure the process will go so very smoothly.
    What have the DOE and schools been doing all summer- who knows! Trying to do everything last second sure is working out well.

    If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
  • mrpakumrpaku Registered User regular
    Unexpected consequences of remote learning- listening to Little Man work on socializing (first real time in, what, four months?) and stopping myself from trying to step in and "help" him. I just heard the sentence "when it's my turn, can I introduce you to somebody who sleeps with me every night?" He keeps making wolf noises, and trying to (*not subtly*) move conversations towards talking about wolves. Both days so far he's shown up to his zoom meeting dressed in full Bill Nye outfit sans lab coat.

  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited August 2020

    "Two plus two is four wolves. Did you know four wolves make a pack?"

    It's so hard not to interfere. I'm trying to stop myself when listening to daughter playing online with a friend.

    I was happy to hear her compliment the other kid on the house she built.

    MichaelLC on
  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    Last night, Ecco was saying that he was tired.
    Ellie was telling us about her dreams. And how she wishes they're was a machine that could record her dreams so she could show them to us and we could watch them with her (thanks Rescue Bots).
    Ecco mentioned that he hasn't had any dreams because he's so tired.

    Ellie then decided that daddy needed more sleep and do she tucked him into bed and said that mommy would read to her so that he could get some good rest and have some dreams.

    Because it's important to have dreams.

  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Operation Hike 2 Miles Through The Woods With 2.5 Year On My Shoulders was a success.

    Now commencing Operation Lay Down And Die.

    3basnids3lf9.jpg




  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    DaMoonRulz wrote: »
    Operation Hike 2 Miles Through The Woods With 2.5 Year On My Shoulders was a success.

    Now commencing Operation Lay Down And Die.

    https://www.deuter.com/int-en/backpacks/child-carriers-serie-kid-comfort

    These are magic.

  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Those seem like they're good for keeping the kid in, but tougher for quick get-in/get-out changes

    3basnids3lf9.jpg




  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    DaMoonRulz wrote: »
    Those seem like they're good for keeping the kid in, but tougher for quick get-in/get-out changes

    Nah, it's one buckle that has 2 parts. It's stupendously comfortable for both.

  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    By the way - anyone have preferences for good apps or PC games for those just starting reading?

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    @schuss

    My kids really like Epic (https://www.getepic.com/).

  • SharpyVIISharpyVII Registered User regular
    Nursery has decided to change how it collects the fees without actually telling the parents meaning we've got to pay for two months worth of sessions this month due to how our pay days fall.

    Luckily we have some money stashed away but it's gonna fuck over a lot of parents.

  • PeenPeen Registered User regular
    schuss wrote: »
    By the way - anyone have preferences for good apps or PC games for those just starting reading?

    The Endless Alphabet people have a couple of more advanced apps (Endless Reader, Endless Wordplay) that are pretty great.

  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    They really don't tell you how much of a bummer it will be when your kid thinks the other kids at the park are their friends but the other kids really just want to be left alone to play

    3basnids3lf9.jpg




  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    DaMoonRulz wrote: »
    They really don't tell you how much of a bummer it will be when your kid thinks the other kids at the park are their friends but the other kids really just want to be left alone to play

    I get amused when a chain of "I'm older therefore better than you" forms with my kid simultaneously ignoring a younger kid and chasing an older kid, while the older kid is ignoring my kid and chasing an older one, whole the older one is ... Etc

    steam_sig.png
  • Banzai5150Banzai5150 Registered User regular
    DaMoonRulz wrote: »
    They really don't tell you how much of a bummer it will be when your kid thinks the other kids at the park are their friends but the other kids really just want to be left alone to play

    Or the two kids playing at the park are siblings and playing together and don't want anyone else to play with them. Trying to explain it to your child sucks. But Kate takes after me and just follows the kids around anyway and pushes her way into playing with them! :surprised:

    50433.png?1708759015
  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Banzai5150 wrote: »
    DaMoonRulz wrote: »
    They really don't tell you how much of a bummer it will be when your kid thinks the other kids at the park are their friends but the other kids really just want to be left alone to play

    Or the two kids playing at the park are siblings and playing together and don't want anyone else to play with them. Trying to explain it to your child sucks. But Kate takes after me and just follows the kids around anyway and pushes her way into playing with them! :surprised:

    Yeah, that's Athena's MO too. We're lucky that most of Mrs Moon's family have stayed nearby so that she can always see her cousins.

    Athena has probably seen her cousins more in two years than I have mine in 34 years.

    3basnids3lf9.jpg




  • MulysaSemproniusMulysaSempronius but also susie nyRegistered User regular
    My daughter is a social butterfly, and is friends with nearly everybody in the neighborhood. I don't know where she got that from, but it's made some things easy. A lot of kids here are onlies, so there's a lot fewer siblings keeping to themselves.
    Her brother.. doesn't care and loves playing with either his sister, or by himself if she leaves him behind. Not sure if he'll ever start to care, as he's not as social, but hopefully he gets some help from his sister. Because I have no idea how to do things like set up regular playdates/ etc.

    If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    My daughter is a social butterfly, and is friends with nearly everybody in the neighborhood. I don't know where she got that from, but it's made some things easy. A lot of kids here are onlies, so there's a lot fewer siblings keeping to themselves.
    Her brother.. doesn't care and loves playing with either his sister, or by himself if she leaves him behind. Not sure if he'll ever start to care, as he's not as social, but hopefully he gets some help from his sister. Because I have no idea how to do things like set up regular playdates/ etc.

    Does he care about toys and stuff, though? Friendships can form over sharing toys, like building the biggest ever race track together or combining all the paw patrol toys.

  • kimekime Queen of Blades Registered User regular
    My child doesn't like pockets. Like, freaks out if she realizes something she put on had pockets on it. No fear, she just hates pockets.

    I'm now uncertain if I'm raising a human child or some sort of monster.

    Battle.net ID: kime#1822
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    Steam profile
  • #pipe#pipe Cocky Stride, Musky odours Pope of Chili TownRegistered User regular
    So my wife gave me an amazing Anniversary present

    Alone time.

    We went up to the family cabin and she insisted I come back home for a couple of nights while they stay up there. It's the first time I've been without them since PAX last year and the first time I've been able to just be alone if I want since he was born. I have grand plans of things to get done but honestly, just laying in bed doing nothing and pottering the house without anyone around except cats is just sublime.

    In development news, Bean learned to tell knock knock jokes.

    well... he learned to replicate the structure of them. He will say "KNOCK KNOCK" and then when we say "who's there" he will join in on the who's there, then he'll just say gibberish and wait for us to say gibberish who, then more gibberish and a big fake laugh. Then he does it again. and again and again.

  • PeenPeen Registered User regular
    I think everyone with kids has had the experience where their partner and kids were going to be elsewhere for a few days so you have the house to yourself and you make a bunch of plans for what you're going to get done, and then the minute they leave you enter a fugue state on the couch and emerge at the end of your time alone still on the couch and somehow surrounded by takeout containers and a half eater bin of Red Vines.

  • RanlinRanlin Oh gosh Registered User regular
    kime wrote: »
    My child doesn't like pockets. Like, freaks out if she realizes something she put on had pockets on it. No fear, she just hates pockets.

    I'm now uncertain if I'm raising a human child or some sort of monster.

    Man, you couldn't put enough pockets on things for me as a kid. My family would scour stores finding pants with a ton of pockets on 'em, 'cause cargo shorts/pants weren't a widespread (or maybe at all? I don't actually know) thing yet.

  • MulysaSemproniusMulysaSempronius but also susie nyRegistered User regular
    Aldo wrote: »
    My daughter is a social butterfly, and is friends with nearly everybody in the neighborhood. I don't know where she got that from, but it's made some things easy. A lot of kids here are onlies, so there's a lot fewer siblings keeping to themselves.
    Her brother.. doesn't care and loves playing with either his sister, or by himself if she leaves him behind. Not sure if he'll ever start to care, as he's not as social, but hopefully he gets some help from his sister. Because I have no idea how to do things like set up regular playdates/ etc.

    Does he care about toys and stuff, though? Friendships can form over sharing toys, like building the biggest ever race track together or combining all the paw patrol toys.

    He's 4 and.. does not share well with other kids. That's actually one thing his special education teacher was working on with him when things were in person. He acts like an egotistical film director sometimes, and everything has to be just so, and how he envisions things in his head. Which, at 4... Yeah

    If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    kime wrote: »
    My child doesn't like pockets. Like, freaks out if she realizes something she put on had pockets on it. No fear, she just hates pockets.

    I'm now uncertain if I'm raising a human child or some sort of monster.

    I've got the other half of that where Ripley cannot get enough pockets.

    She's now started running outside screaming "Bye, Daddy!" And waving when I go to work before everyone else which is just /chefkiss.

    This is the same kid who used to cry when I held her for like... The first 18 months.

    It gets better!

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • RanlinRanlin Oh gosh Registered User regular
    Yessss more pocket love

  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    There are times and things that I'm just not able to do.

    Playing with my child appears to be one of these things.

    It's some weird sort of executive dysfunction or something, but I just haven't been able to figure out how to do it. I'm having a hard time just.... playing.

    There's no goal, no story. I just can't figure out how. And people keep telling me to just play with her. But....I can't.

    I don't know how.

    I can bake and cook with her, I can talk and read, but the actual playing part.

    I'm just kind of broken about it. I know it's probably a thing, like my not putting away the laundry even though I know it needs to be done.

    And I get that is just me. But, it's hard at times when people are always posting these things about how the best thing to do is play with your kids.

    I'm already dealing with imposter syndrome with her.


    Anyways, if anybody else is in this same spot, you're not alone.

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