5AF Parenting Thread

Postby **shafnutz05** » Thu Dec 14, 2023 10:35 pm

Proud papa tonight! My son got into Clemson! That's his first choice, and it's a lot tougher to get into than when I applied 30 years ago.

Well done DG Jr!

Postby **mac5155** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 12:44 am

Heck yeah man

Postby **NTP66** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 6:51 am

Of course, now he'll be wearing orange, so you'll have to disown him.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 8:52 am

Of course, now he'll be wearing orange, so you'll have to disown him.

Uh, we've been wearing orange for years. At least it isn't garnet and black (SC Gamecocks colors)

Postby **RonnieFranchise** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 6:39 pm

Mrs. F- Mini F. Is performing at a dinner benefit for the local women’s shelter, it’s $20 a person and we are going.

Me- Cool

Mrs. F- and this Wednesday is her Christmas Chorus concert, with all the choruses from 5th grade to High School.

Me- Oh that will be nice

Mrs. F- and next Wednesday the chorus will perform one song with the High School band at the Christmas concert featuring all the bands from 5th grade through High School.

Me- She’s not in the band.

Mrs. F- no, it’s just the one song and we’re going

Me-

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:59 pm

enjoy it while it lasts. Not too many of those types of events left as your kid gets older.

Postby **count2infinity** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 9:21 pm

I was starting to look at hotels for our trip to Cleveland for Christmas, and I just threw out the idea to my wife: let’s not go. Let’s stay here. Go visit when the weather is nice. She said she wanted to talk to her mom first quick.

Turns out, a ton of people aren’t coming to the Christmas party this year, and she (mother in law) wants to come here for Christmas.

Freaking sweet… no travel, no hotel expense, no dog sitter, no guilt. Win win win win.

Postby **RonnieFranchise** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 9:38 pm

You win

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 6:23 am

One of the benefits of going somewhere else is being able to decide when you've had enough, and you leave right then and there...

Postby **RonnieFranchise** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 9:52 pm

One of the benefits of going somewhere else is being able to decide when you've had enough, and you leave right then and there...

This is why I always scam a way to take 2 cars when we go to the in laws for holidays. Damn, it's 6 pm, the dog's gonna gnaw her paw off if I don't go feed her. Mrs. F and her sisters always stay late. Late being 10 or 11. When you got there at noon, 6 is late enough IMO. I mean, we were all just together for Thanksgiving.

While, if festivities are here, it gets to be 10 pm and I'm like, OK if y'all don't leave I'm just going to bed. Also hosts buy the drinks and most of the food instead of just bringing a dish or two so it gets costly.

Still, I'd rather stay here in general.

My parent in-laws' house is maybe 800 sf and we jam 8 adults and 7 kids ages 14-23 (many of whom I guess are now adults, ugh) into it. I mean, it's what they have but it's brutal, especially if it's too cold to go out on the fenced in porch or outside. High of 46 on Saturday so might be able to be out for a while. Mrs. F and her sisters refuse to say, you know, you really don't have the space for this. Let one of us host.

Postby **obhave** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 11:49 pm

I am loving how both very intelligent my son is, but also how dumb.

I tell him it's time to change his diaper and he will go to his room, grab the changing pad, and lay down for me. On the flip side, after falling and hitting his mouth on the side of the table after climbing a nearby box (and subsequent pain/tears), he will go back and do the same thing 2min later.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 6:33 am

r/KidsAreFckingStupid

Postby **Nuge** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 6:56 am

Once we had our first kid, we stopped traveling on Christmas. We’re at our house and anyone that wants to see us can come here. Christmas Eve we’ll go to my parents (same town). The 26th we go to my in-laws (out of town). Same thing every year.

Postby **Morkle** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:25 am

I largely believe that my extended family on both sides don't understand why we don't want to travel around Christmas. I am not schlepping a 2 month old around and managing that feeding cycle with my wife, all to be told they can sleep through naps, we can stay up because it's Christmas, or that my son can just eat whatever nonsense he wants.

It's like everyone forgot what having kids was like, and they just say the most ridiculous nonsense stuff - all to make sure they're getting what they want out of the holidays. So weird.

Postby **skullman80** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:27 pm

There was a big blowup like 3 years ago with my MIL and my BIL/SIL about Christmas. MIL didn't understand why BIL/SIL didn't want to haul around 4 kids to her house on Christmas morning. Doing the whole back in my day we always took the kids to visit the grandparents on christmas day.

It caused a big argument, but eventually ended up where we now go to my MIL's on Christmas eve as do my BIL/SIL and the kids, then we go to their house Christmas morning so they don't have to go anywhere.

Crazy to me.

Postby **Morkle** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:55 pm

I would outright refuse to drag my kids to another family house Christmas morning. Absolutely not, when you enter into a marriage you're building new traditions and memories.

I've told my wife that pretty emphatically, we only go to family dinner and leave around 3 - giving the kids more than half of the day to play and discover what they get.

Opening gifts and then immediately rushing them out the door is BS.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:02 pm

We do gifts at our house and probably hang out until just before lunch or so, then we go to my parents' house, where everyone gathers.

Postby **Morkle** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:04 pm

I 100% hated that as a kid, having to leave relatively early leaving cool stuff behind. Any other holiday, great, let's go all day.

Christmas? I personally want to soak it in and give them all the time in the world with the idea of the morning and keeping the stress to their stuff. I just couldn't fathom rushing to someone else's house in the morning.

Postby **skullman80** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:06 pm

I would outright refuse to drag my kids to another family house Christmas morning. Absolutely not, when you enter into a marriage you're building new traditions and memories.

I've told my wife that pretty emphatically, we only go to family dinner and leave around 3 - giving the kids more than half of the day to play and discover what they get.

Opening gifts and then immediately rushing them out the door is BS.

Yeah I don't side with my SIL on much as she is crazy, but I was 100% on her side with that. Dragging 4 kids out of the house on christmas morning to go somewhere else is insane to me. At least we've settled on stuff at this point and everyone is happy (mostly).

Postby **dodint** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:10 pm

Christmas Eve for them, Christmas Day for us.

Postby **count2infinity** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:23 pm

Source of the post Doing the whole back in my day we always took the kids to visit the grandparents on christmas day.

My wife and I both grew up living under 20 minutes from both sets of grandparents. My kid lives 4 hours from one set, 1.5 hours from the other. It is an ordeal to go to either. There is no "back in my day"ing this one. My kid will wake up in her own bed, in her own house, and play with her own toys on Christmas day. You want us to be a part of your christmas? Well, come join us. Door's open, food and drink will be available. You don't want to travel on Christmas? Well, imagine that! Neither do we.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:25 pm

I should note that only Christmas dinner is a 'must go' in our house. If my daughter wants to spend the day at home with just us, fine. But she generally wants to visit her cousins so that they can all play together. And I'd rather do that at my parents' house than either of my sister's.

Postby **Morkle** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:35 pm

I have a hard time struggling with the concept that grandparents think things can continue to being the same when children are in the picture. When it's two adults kidless, sure, I see reasoning. As soon as the baby comes into the picture - ain't no way.

Postby **robbiestoupe** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:51 pm

We do gifts at our house and probably hang out until just before lunch or so, then we go to my parents' house, where everyone gathers.

Ditto except we go to my in-laws. MIL cooks a mean meal so I don’t mind it

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 3:11 pm

We do gifts at our house and probably hang out until just before lunch or so, then we go to my parents' house, where everyone gathers.
Ditto except we go to my in-laws. MIL cooks a mean meal so I don’t mind it

We always have prime rib for Christmas, so I can’t wait.