𤯠INCRĂVEL: “Just Trust Me”: 77 Oddly Specific Parenting Advice For Those Who Want To Make Raising Kids A Little Easier đ˛
Raising kids, as rewarding as it is, is full of challenges that you might not even see coming. As a parent, you might feel exhausted and overwhelmed, as if you have to juggle a hundred different tasks each day. So, it helps to know that youâre not alone in this. Thereâs a whole world of parents out there ready to support you.
Comedian Joe Dombrowski recently sparked an interesting viral discussion on Threads after inviting everyone to share their âoddly specificâ parenting advice. These are the types of tips that feel fresh, unique, and bizarrely helpful, and weâre featuring some of the best ones with you today. Scroll down to check them out, and make sure that youâre taking notes! Weâre pretty sure youâll want to test a few of these out ASAP.
Whenever you go to a store where you type in your phone number on a pad for rewards, have your toddler do it. Coach them through it.
They will memorize your phone number in no time.
When your kids get to elementary age buy one kind of sock. No patterns. No colors. ONE Kind. Saves you hours and $ in trying to keep socks matches
When you are driving them around, do not play kiddie music. Play your music. It is a sanity saver.
Youâll hear enough little kid music and soundtracks in your house. In your car, you teach them about the time Stevie Nicks wrote âSilver Springsâ about her ex and then made him play it on stage.
One of the most important things to know about becoming a parent is that you should set any ideas of âperfect parentingâ aside. You do the best that you can. You learn while âon the job.â And if you ever need support, you can always rely on your partner, family, friends, and the internet for help. It is empowering to know that other people have been in your shoes and have faced and overcome the same challenges that youâre struggling with now.
As the BBC points out, new parents put a lot of pressure on themselves, so itâs important to learn to ease up. Being a parent doesnât come easily to anyone (no matter how picture-perfect their parenting social media account might look). Itâs also important that you take on other peopleâs advice and read up on parenting, but at the end of the day, trust your instincts and have faith in your own judgment.
Donât let on to your kids that batteries in toys can be replaced. When the original batteries die, they become âquiet toysâ and thatâs that.
When your kid is nervous about doing something, but does it anyway, tell them in the moment, “This is what bravery feels like. It feels like still being nervous.” This helps break the narrative that you’ll “feel brave” before doing something brave.
Furthermore, itâs vital that you constantly communicate and (re)connect with your significant other. You should find ways to share your parenting duties, plan things together, and let each other rest because youâre both exhausted. Itâs important to remember here that nobody is a mind-reader and you need to get good at asking for help, instead of keeping your partner guessing about your wants, needs, and struggles.
Meanwhile, take some time to actively reach out to other parents who are in the same situation as you are. Connecting with other new parents helps you stay social and exchange parenting tips.
If youâre going on a trip with multiple overnight stops, pack a suitcase by day, not by person. Then when you get to the hotel late at night, you haul one bag to the room with everybodyâs stuff in it for the night+the next day. âWednesday suitcaseâ âThursday suitcaseâ etc. Same when flying, so if luggage gets lost, itâs one dayâs worth, not one person now has nothing.
Good sleep is a fundamental part of your physical and mental health. If it suffers, it has knock-on effects throughout your entire life.
The NHS suggests that new parents try to rest whenever their baby sleeps. âIt might be tempting to use this time to catch up with housework or other chores, but sometimes getting rest is more important. Set an alarm if you’re worried about sleeping for too long.â
Moreover, try to go to bed earlier every night. And if you have a partner, share the night feeding between both of you.
If you donât want your child to be gay, trans, et al – donât have kids. This isnât Build-A-Bear. You donât get to pick and choose anything about your child. Parents love their children unconditionally and accept who they know themselves to be.
When your toddler is losing their mind, put your hand in front of their mouth and tell them to blow your hand away. Theatrically move your hand a little bit and tell them they have to take a bigger breath to blow it away. This forces them to take deep breaths and allows them to calm their body down so you can eventually talk to them about their big feelings.
Take them to the places you want them to know how to behave in. Love fancy dinners? Bring them. Love travel? Bring them. People will tolerate a toddler learning how to behave in public but will not tolerate a 5yo learning the same.
Itâs also not a sign of weakness to ask for help. You can ask a family member or friend to temporarily babysit while you catch up on some sleep.
In the meantime, sleep aside, remember to take care of the other aspects of your health, like getting enough exercise, eating nutritious food, staying hydrated, and having (some sort of) a social life.
âWhen you’re feeling tired, doing more exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing. But regular exercise can help you feel less tired. Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise. Try to get out for a walk every day with your baby, even if it’s just to the shops.
Keep a running note of all the insane and funny stuff your kids say, with ages. I have a list almost 8 years long and I love going back a reading it
In your personal experience, what are the biggest challenges that youâve had to overcome in raising your kids? On the flip side, what are the best parts of being a parent?
What advice would you give anyone whoâs a new parent and feels completely exhausted and utterly overwhelmed? What do you wish your partner would âgetâ to help you get on the same page?
Feel free to vent and share your parenting hacks in the comments down below!
Oh! When your kid starts kindergarten, go to the thrift store and buy an adult-size Hawaiian shirt. Youâre going to need a Hawaiian shirt at least three or four times a year for the next thirteen years, just buy one they can grow into.
I had all my close relatives and friends write a letter to my kid on their 1st birthday, to be opened on their 18th. By that time, 4 of the elders had passed. When we opened them, it was incredible and now my kid has them forever.
donât lose yourself in motherhood. youâre raising someone elseâs husband, father, friend, business partner, colleague, etc. theyâre not yours. they will leave you one day. make sure you donât forget to pour into the woman you were before motherhood.
Keep a bag of craft supplies (with googly eyes) and construction paper/poster board. So when your kid tells you at 7:45pm they have a project due the next day, youâre not doing a late evening craft run. I say this as a mom of boys.
Give your kid a weirdly specific job at family gatherings like âofficial olive distributor.â My 5 yerra old can already salt a margarita glass like a pro
frozen peas are a perfectly acceptable snack, toddlers love em. Frozen waffles, same
thing. We just caled everything “Elsa ___” and the kids requested it constantly.
For as long as youâre able, if youâre in situation where your kid is going to order an icee or a popsicle or a shave ice, order the clear (white raspberry or birthday cake) option. No food dye, and much easier on your laundry.
Make hard transitions in the summer. Drop the paci, potty train, big kid bed⌠daylight helps on hard days. Summer has more daylight.
Stick to a ROUTINE vs SCHEDULE! Schedules are bound by a clock. Routines are formed by knowing what to expect next no matter what time the clock says.
Ignore untrained busybodies who tell you that vaccines are poison, or ineffective or cause autism. They are safe and effective.
Whenever you go to a store where you type in your phone number on a pad for rewards, have your toddler do it. Coach them through it.
They will memorize your phone number in no time.
Donât try to make a happy child happier. If theyâre content playing in a cardboard box, donât try to make a trip to the zoo happen.
If your toddler is arching their back while youâre trying to put them in the car seat, say, âHiya!â as you lightly karate chop them at the waistline. They fold right in half.
Santa brings one special gift for each kid. The rest are from Mom and Dad.
Buy all the healthy snacks and say they canât have any because theyâre yours. Now they will be eating healthy snacks. Youâre welcome.
Until they go to school they have no concept of what is popular. You can make them like your bad old shows and music.
A friend whose kids started hitting each other during disagreements were limited to âone sibling smack per dayâ. They ended up negotiating with each other about how strongly they felt about said argument and collectively deciding whether it was âworth the hit.â
Tell them that your favorite part of the parent-teacher conference was when the teacher said you were a good friend.
When they need to split something, like the last cookie- Have one of them cut it in half, and the other one picks which half they want. I promise you, this stops so many âitâs not fairâ fights.
Teach your tiny children to play Marco Polo as soon as they are verbal. If you lose them (in the house, in the store, in the library, at church), just yell out “MARCO!” and they’ll yell “POLO”, even if they’re hiding. I found mine in the foot well of the church pipe organ.
Two sets of sheets on the bed- waterproof sheet, fitted sheet, waterproof sheet, fitted sheet.
Prevention of the most common cause of mortality in toddlers is literally sitting next to them and watching them when they are in Any amount of water.
Don’t send them to school in ‘tie shoes” until they can reliably tie them, themselves.
Always empty the littlest one’s pockets OUTSIDE. Trust me on this
Do not equate food with emotions.
âYou won the big game! Lets get pizza!â
âYouâre sad, lets get chocolate and ice cream.â
âIt hurts grandmaâs feelings if you donât eat seconds.â
When you threaten to âturn this car around and go homeâ make sure to act like youâre about to press this button.
Practice opening lunch containers by using them at home before they take them to school, etc. Opening AND closing.
Never go to bed without gas in the car. You never know what the night may bring.
Your kid is new at being a person. Remember that this is their first time doing so many things and it’s unfair to be impatient with them that they don’t get it right away. Remind yourself that they are new people.
I have three: 1) Make thrift stores the coolest places to buy clothes & household decor, 2) cook w/ them often & encourage safe kitchen behaviors, & 3) encourage 1 long term skill like baking, sewing, or repairing things. – Signed a mom of 4
If you can, buy a house as close as you can to the high school. No matter what extra curricular activities your teen does, you will be at that school for drop offs and pickups ALL.THE.TIME and at ALL HOURS.
If you are exhausted at bedtime and reading aloud to a non-reader, most Bernstain Bears books still make sense if you only read the first sentence on each page.
Ignore untrained busybodies who tell you that vaccines are poison, or ineffective or cause autism. They are safe and effective.
Get good at being silly when you’re mad, or sad, or exhausted. Turning what could be a snappy response into a silly game will save you a lot of drama
Donât lie to your kids about âtrivialâ things. Not only are you setting yourself up to be mistrusted, but youâre skipping all of the little opportunities to help your kid practice boundaries and emotional regulation. I.e. The park isnât âclosed,â you just donât want to go, and sometimes we donât go because I donât want to and thatâs okay.
If you have to take a little kid on a flight, have one or two surprise presents (like an action figure or a car) that you donât reveal to them until they start to get restless.
When you are driving t(w)eens around, fade the music to the back and then turn up the volume⌠They will think you canât hear them and will speak more loudly.
The intel is STAGGERING.
If you plan to do something with them (zoo, trip somewhere, even ice cream shop) and you want to surprise them, tell them about it ON THE DAY OF. Theyâll still be surprised, but youâll avoid being asked every day âhow many days leftâ, â how many hours?â Etc
Boost your childâs confidence every chance you get. Not just when they do something big, but in the small moments too⌠because how you speak to them is how theyâll learn to speak to themselves.
Use a pool noodle under the fitted sheet along the edge of a bed to help with roll-offs when learning to sleep in a big-kid bed. Low enough they can get out if they need to, but usually enough of a bump that they donât roll onto the floor.
Santa brings 2-3 presents per kid and game and art project for kids to share, and parents do everything else including any big ticket items. Wrap it all in Santa paper that you hide from kids.
Of your kids won’t eat “broken food” tell them the only way to put it back together is to put all the pieces in their tummy.
Once in a while, Itâs ok to allow your child to eat leftover pizza as breakfast.
1. When your kids are little play your music in the car your sanity will thank you later.
2. ALWAYS carry an extra outfit, diapers, wipes, and cream in the car. You just never know even with a diaper bag.
3. Silence when everyone is awake means someone is up to no good. I promise you.
4. Routines are better than schedules, we know the order of what comes next rather than exact times to do them= less stress
5. You can make most healthy foods look like junk food while keeping it healthy.
Do NOT avoid goodbyes. DONT âsneak awayâ when leaving them with a baby sitter so they wonât notice and âbe happierâ
Always say goodbye and do it happily, goodbye to the TV, goodbye to the toy they have to leave home, goodbye to the store youâre leaving, etc.
then goodbyes arenât anxious!
For all 3 of my kids worked like a charm vs other toddlers/littles their age
There will be a time when life will be lifeing for your kid, youâll know they need a âwinâ and thatâs when you break a BIG rule. For us it was icecream or cake for breakfast.
Yes, itâs unhealthy and no you canât do it all the time, the point is the feeling of âbreaking a ruleâ is going to overshadow the losses. We can teach our children how to bend and not break. But I donât know, pray about it.
Turn vegetables into a food race. “Who can eat their asparagus the fastest??? Ready, go!”
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