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

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Posts

  • Banzai5150Banzai5150 Registered 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.

    Since Kate’s the same age I’ll shed my secret.

    #1 prepare to be bored as their fun isn’t usually that much fun at first.
    #2 Fake it till you make it
    #3 Watch what she is doing and replicate it but slightly different but not too much
    #4 Goto #2

    This works for me. The reason I just do what she does as if I make it too complex she loses interest. So I’ve found , for her, just doing what she does but slightly different is fun for her.

    50433.png?1708759015
  • JaysonFourJaysonFour Classy Monster Kitteh Registered User regular
    Took us about nineteen total hours, but my niece is Galar League Champion and we're off to visit the DLC now. And then, I showed her the Pokedex and I talked about how the other big goal of the game is to fill it up with everything in there- to raise and catch everything in the dex and complete it.

    Managed to get a nice lesson in there on keeping at something until you get it- we were running back and forth in the same patch of grass, looking for something called an Applin- it's a little thing that looks like an apple with a worm coming out of it, and the stupid things only have a ten percent chance of showing up. So it took a few tries of going back and forth, and she was starting to get a bit bored of looking for it (mental note- sneak a few more onto her game where the appearance rate is less than that), but she looks up to me when it comes to stuff like this, and asked me if I would still keep trying, even after it's been so long. I just had to tell her that sometimes, you have to keep on looking for something if you really want it- sometimes you have to do a little more work for the things you actively want, and rare Pokemon is one of those things. You can't just give up if you don't see it right in front of you.

    So we kept on going, and two encounters later... we find our new little apple friend. The look on her face was just... amazing. She tossed a ball at it, and we kept on hunting until she got too tired and decided it was bedtime (about seven-thirty).

    And now it's me just playing around with Pokemon Home and trying to land her some of the more pain-in-the-butt ones to catch (I'm not going to spend hours with her trying to hunt something up that has a 1% appearance rate, that's too much even for me in places), but we've agreed that no matter what, hard work and time spent can pay off, even if you don't think it's going to at first.

    We're hoping to get more time in on Friday or Saturday.

    steam_sig.png
    I can has cheezburger, yes?
  • #pipe#pipe Cocky Stride, Musky odours Pope of Chili TownRegistered User regular
    Peen wrote: »
    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.

    I smoked some weed I drank some booze I ate pizza and ice cream I slept late I watch super hero movies with the volume turned up

    I have successfully indulged all of my vices and now I would like to cuddle my son please.

  • SporkAndrewSporkAndrew Registered User, ClubPA regular
    #pipe wrote: »
    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.

    We had this for a while until we started looking up more knock knock jokes that he could cycle through. I think the final straw was
    Knock knock
    Who's there?
    Train
    Train who?
    Train like with a carriage

    The one about the fucking space hairdresser and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin
  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    Banzai5150 wrote: »
    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.

    Since Kate’s the same age I’ll shed my secret.

    #1 prepare to be bored as their fun isn’t usually that much fun at first.
    #2 Fake it till you make it
    #3 Watch what she is doing and replicate it but slightly different but not too much
    #4 Goto #2

    This works for me. The reason I just do what she does as if I make it too complex she loses interest. So I’ve found , for her, just doing what she does but slightly different is fun for her.

    Embrace the boredom of "play" at this age. There's not a whole lot going on. I just try to make up stories to amuse myself or ask a lot of questions, "Who is that?" "Where is she from?" Just to generate a conversation.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    I was told to be a duck, so I just said quack and shook my butt when I walked.

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    I was taken to the park.
    At sunset.
    By my not yet 2 year old.

  • MulysaSemproniusMulysaSempronius but also susie nyRegistered User regular
    My kids are bossy, so playing with them just entails doing what they tell me to do. I was very much not into imaginative play when I was younger, so I don't really help out much with the set up. But when I'm told to pick out a stuffed animal to adopt,I walk over, ask questions about the animals and eventually pick one out and act like it's a real animal. I usually pick a small furry one I can just sit down and pet

    If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    Banzai5150 wrote: »
    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.

    Since Kate’s the same age I’ll shed my secret.

    #1 prepare to be bored as their fun isn’t usually that much fun at first.
    #2 Fake it till you make it
    #3 Watch what she is doing and replicate it but slightly different but not too much
    #4 Goto #2

    This works for me. The reason I just do what she does as if I make it too complex she loses interest. So I’ve found , for her, just doing what she does but slightly different is fun for her.

    Yep. All they want is your time. I troll my kids something fierce by doing everything wrong they ask me to do. They love it. They're like "come on Dad, that's not how you do it". Also kids generally LOVE when they can show you stuff since the rest of their life is being told things/directed.

  • furlionfurlion Riskbreaker Lea MondeRegistered User regular
    My (almost 10) son was playing fortnite with his friend and started singing a bit of classical music. Specifically eine kleine nachtmusik by Mozart. Except instead of just singing the music he said get wrecked. It cracked me up so bad.

    sig.gif Gamertag: KL Retribution
    PSN:Furlion
  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    Ellie has discovered knock knock jokes.

    We're in a whole new level of pain.

  • #pipe#pipe Cocky Stride, Musky odours Pope of Chili TownRegistered User regular
    KNOCK KNOCK JOKE UPDATE

    Bean has mastered the first THREE steps of TWO different knock knock jokes

    knock knock
    who's there
    BOO
    Boo who?
    *gibberish* *laughter*

    and also
    knock knock
    who's there
    KEN
    Ken who?
    *gibberish* *laughter*

  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    Knock knock
    Who’s there
    Interrupting cow
    Interrup
    MOOOOOOOOOOO

  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    Exciting times, Little King is now 4 and starts school tomorrow. Today's last day with his small-scale daycare (at the moment just 2 kids) and this afternoon my partner will have her first session with him for some kind of relationship therapy for parents with their children. I'm very curious whether that therapy will be good, my partner is currently almost completely incapable of playing or taking care of Little King and she's trying to fix that through these weekly group therapy/play sessions. They'll be after school hours, so our kid will be quite tired, but I hope he will enjoy the structured time together with his mom.

  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    Got the confirmation call today that Ellie is enrolled in her primary school to start in Feb.

    I'm ok to start panicking and being super emotional now, right?

  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    Knock knock
    Who’s there
    Interrupting cow
    Interrup
    MOOOOOOOOOOO

    My fave is:
    Who's There
    Smell Mop
    Smell Mop Who
    Ewwwwwwww, gross

  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    Knock knock
    Who’s there
    Interrupting cow
    Interrup
    MOOOOOOOOOOO

    Knock knock
    Who's there
    Interrupting sloth
    Interupting sloth who
    (20 seconds later) SLOOOOTH

    "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
  • DepressperadoDepressperado I just wanted to see you laughing in the pizza rainRegistered User regular
    one of my neighbors has a little kid, a couple of years old. His name is Justin, he's cool.

    I was leaving my house and he is toddling as fast as he can go, and trips on a sidewalk step, I dove to catch that kid.

    his mom comes running up like, just a second after, thanks me and says "Andrew kept you from getting hurt, say thank you!"
    Justin gives me a hug and says "thank you for saving my life."

  • Banzai5150Banzai5150 Registered User regular
    Kate’s version of Knock Knock.

    Knock Knock
    Who’s the..
    Interrupting cow Moo

    She doesn’t have her Dad’s comedic timing.

    50433.png?1708759015
  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    one of my neighbors has a little kid, a couple of years old. His name is Justin, he's cool.

    I was leaving my house and he is toddling as fast as he can go, and trips on a sidewalk step, I dove to catch that kid.

    his mom comes running up like, just a second after, thanks me and says "Andrew kept you from getting hurt, say thank you!"
    Justin gives me a hug and says "thank you for saving my life."

    My kid just comically eats shit like every two hours. She wants to run so fast and just doesn't have the coordination.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • mrpakumrpaku Registered User regular
    I've watched Middle Guy do a full-on, Steve Martin, arm-windwills, Looney Tunes-style banana peel pratfall from just standing there watching some television...floor wasn't wet or slick, no one ran into him or even went by him, he just *suddenly* forgot how his body worked somehow, and went down dramatically and came up with an eye we needed to put frozen peas on

  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    one of my neighbors has a little kid, a couple of years old. His name is Justin, he's cool.

    I was leaving my house and he is toddling as fast as he can go, and trips on a sidewalk step, I dove to catch that kid.

    his mom comes running up like, just a second after, thanks me and says "Andrew kept you from getting hurt, say thank you!"
    Justin gives me a hug and says "thank you for saving my life."

    My kid just comically eats shit like every two hours. She wants to run so fast and just doesn't have the coordination.

    My one year old will run (being generous here) at top speed straight into a wall. Then goes "ow" and cries. Like, wtf did you expect would happen? Happens every week just about.

    steam_sig.png
  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    Smrtnik wrote: »
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    one of my neighbors has a little kid, a couple of years old. His name is Justin, he's cool.

    I was leaving my house and he is toddling as fast as he can go, and trips on a sidewalk step, I dove to catch that kid.

    his mom comes running up like, just a second after, thanks me and says "Andrew kept you from getting hurt, say thank you!"
    Justin gives me a hug and says "thank you for saving my life."

    My kid just comically eats shit like every two hours. She wants to run so fast and just doesn't have the coordination.

    My one year old will run (being generous here) at top speed straight into a wall. Then goes "ow" and cries. Like, wtf did you expect would happen? Happens every week just about.

    This is parenting in a nut shell.

    "What did you think was going to happen?"

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • KalnaurKalnaur I See Rain . . . Centralia, WARegistered User regular
    The phrase I've uttered (since, like, a week after we got home?) is "you can't get mad at me for something you did".

    I make art things! deviantART: Kalnaur ::: Origin: Kalnaur ::: UPlay: Kalnaur
  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    Smrtnik wrote: »
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    one of my neighbors has a little kid, a couple of years old. His name is Justin, he's cool.

    I was leaving my house and he is toddling as fast as he can go, and trips on a sidewalk step, I dove to catch that kid.

    his mom comes running up like, just a second after, thanks me and says "Andrew kept you from getting hurt, say thank you!"
    Justin gives me a hug and says "thank you for saving my life."

    My kid just comically eats shit like every two hours. She wants to run so fast and just doesn't have the coordination.

    My one year old will run (being generous here) at top speed straight into a wall. Then goes "ow" and cries. Like, wtf did you expect would happen? Happens every week just about.

    This is parenting in a nut shell.

    "What did you think was going to happen?"

    I'm working on trying to change this to, "what do you think will happen?"

    I've had some varying success.

  • MulysaSemproniusMulysaSempronius but also susie nyRegistered User regular
    And with that, nyc schools decide to just push back the start date. Nothing starts until September 16th, and in-person hybrid classes supposedly start the 21st. What a complete joke. Announced today, and classes were scheduled to start the 10th.
    I can understand going remote and starting in- person anything later. But to just, push everything back? I don't think anyone did any work on this all summer, and they're trying to get it all done now.

    If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
  • DisruptedCapitalistDisruptedCapitalist I swear! Registered User regular
    Same here in Mass. Including rumblings about teacher strikes.

    "Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
  • RanlinRanlin Oh gosh Registered User regular
    It was pretty obvious that we were going to be remote learning from the start, but despite having plans for an improved Remote Learning 2.0™ set up, they didn't bother to start training the teachers until a few days ago, today was our first day of class.

  • Banzai5150Banzai5150 Registered User regular
    2nd week of kids school online. Going ok, but got a voicemail last nigh saying due to not doing the Algebra test at the end of the year to meet requirements we had until Friday to choose what to do. It makes me wonder, since they knew since last year this would have to be made up, wouldn’t they have put out the information a bit sooner and not make it such a short deadline?

    50433.png?1708759015
  • mrpakumrpaku Registered User regular
    I think American schools are doing a certain amount of information dieting right now to try to thread the political needle between the parents who take COVID seriously and the ones who think *all kids* should be returning to school right now *regardless* because kids need to be in school end of story period. If they get to act like this is something that's just happening to them too, I imagine you spend a lot less time arguing with certain parents about what personal responsibilty you have for "the *hell* is wrong with this country", or whatever.

  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    mrpaku wrote: »
    I think American schools are doing a certain amount of information dieting right now to try to thread the political needle between the parents who take COVID seriously and the ones who think *all kids* should be returning to school right now *regardless* because kids need to be in school end of story period. If they get to act like this is something that's just happening to them too, I imagine you spend a lot less time arguing with certain parents about what personal responsibilty you have for "the *hell* is wrong with this country", or whatever.

    A lot of it is just letting other schools open and then pointing and saying "See, do you want 1000 cases in seven days?" Because they don't have the gumption or political capital to fight the good fight locally based on facts.

  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    The schools are just the latest casualty in the complete abdication of authority and leadership.

    The President didn't want to make a decision so then we say we will leave it to the states. The states didn't want to make a decision, so they said they would let individual cities or mayor's make the decisions. Those same people decided to let the individual school districts make their choices.

    A cursory look at Ames, Iowa should make it very clear that schools are completely unprepared and unable to teach students in person.

    Shit, look at Major League Baseball - a corporation with basically infinite money, resources, and control over their players - couldn't make it work.

    If you all have the option to do so, I highly recommend keeping your kids at home.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • Banzai5150Banzai5150 Registered User regular
    I did feel a bit over protective not letting Nick go back to High School and not letting Kate start VPK. But being that we live in the Wang of the South, also known as Corona Virus Central, I thought the health of the kids outweighs what they might miss in School or social situations. Their young and have many years ahead to make up whatever they miss out on now. Hell, I bet I feel so bad about that WHEN they do get to go out and interact I’ll probably over react again and they’ll have a ton social life.

    50433.png?1708759015
  • mrpakumrpaku Registered User regular
    Yeah, partner and I have already discussed the implications of "you *know* this decision means that we'll have to overcompensate on the other end and like, go to back to school nights now, and arrange play dates and park meet ups and sleepovers and....like, probably even have to meet other people ourselves, right?"

    We're not social people and our kids definitely are, but... probably, hopefully by the time we get there, we'll be just as eager for the socializing as they are. In the meantime we're trying to encourage them to email and zoom meetup and penpal and whatever else we can (*super* open to additional ideas, there)

  • MulysaSemproniusMulysaSempronius but also susie nyRegistered User regular
    The infection rate is really low here, and the kids were so happy at summer camp. The schools are enforcing masks, and will not hesitate to send kids home. All remote is an option. It's hard with younger kids.

    If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
  • mrpakumrpaku Registered User regular
    Just halfway through week two- Kindergarten teacher calls on Middle Guy, gets his basic answer to the question asked in one sentence, *then* mutes him with the quickness of a *gunslinger* before he can wrench the conversation elsewhere

    Oh yeah, we're working with a professional, here

  • BeastehBeasteh THAT WOULD NOT KILL DRACULARegistered User regular
    here is my niece dorothy at 5 months, she's a little person now full of laughter and babbling (also a complete clone of me as a baby)

    image0.jpg?width=440&height=586


  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    Ripley told her first lie today!

    Went down for nap, did not sleep. Instead played and took off all her clothes.

    Came downstairs after maybe 45 minutes, naked. I asked how she slept and she goes, "I slept a lot, Daddy."

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Getting a urine sample from a ten month old is hard work.

    Nending was not super onboard with what we were trying to achieve

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
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