u/Current_Might_3729

Right now my daughter is in daycare full time while I work, but she’s honestly outgrown it. She’s really smart, loves learning, and recently told me she feels like she “doesn’t learn anything” there and doesn’t really connect with the other kids. It broke my heart a little hearing that from a 4 year old.

I decided to give her one more year before kindergarten and enroll her in a private preschool that actually has a curriculum and structure. I toured it this week and it honestly feels amazing for her. Smaller classes, actual learning, security measures, teachers who seem incredible, etc. I somehow got the last open spot. She’ll finish out the summer at her current daycare and start the new school year there in August.

My problem is… the school day ends at 3:15, and I work full time. I’ll still be at work well past pickup time. I don’t really have anyone consistently available to pick her up and I’m already stretching myself financially to afford the tuition. I can’t really afford another after-school program on top of it.

I feel stuck because this opportunity feels SO good for her academically and emotionally, but the logistics are stressing me out badly.

Has anyone navigated something similar? What did you end up doing for childcare after school? I’m trying to figure this out without giving up an opportunity that could really help her thrive.

My boyfriend and I have been long distance for a couple of years and tbh the past 6 months have been really unhealthy. We both went through a lot and instead of helping each other through it, we started becoming pretty toxic towards each other. I’ll fully admit a lot of it came from me too. I was in an abusive relationship before him and I definitely brought some unhealthy habits and reactions into this relationship that I probably didn’t even realize were as bad as they were.

We got into another really bad fight and broke up with each other, which sadly is pretty normal for us at this point. The distance gets to us and we say things we don’t mean. We break up all the time and somehow always end up talking again but this one feels different. I was the last person to text him last night and he hasn’t said a single word to me all day today. Just complete silence.

I’m definitely panicking a little… I haven’t been without him in so long and I feel sick over it. He’s always just been there and I never thought there would be a time where he wouldn’t be. Maybe I took it all for granted. I’ve been depressed all day trying to keep myself busy and not spiral. But at the same time I feel like I need to read the room. If he wanted to talk to me… he would. I’m also just exhausted from always being the one to reach out first after every breakup. If it were up to him we genuinely just wouldn’t speak again.

Part of me wants to text him so bad because the silence is driving me insane. The other part of me feels like I need to leave it alone and let him be. Be honest with me. Do I text him or do I leave it alone? You can hurt my feelings it’s fine

Just venting. My kid gave me bronchitis and I have NO help. So somehow I still have to function and do all the parenting things + work my job. Honestly starting to get super depressed with how much time I spend sick and in survival mode since we started daycare. I have maybe one good week a month and the rest are all terrible. My mental health is the worst it’s ever been. I miss having a partner to help with this stuff. I feel like I’m overdue for a good cry

I am in the BIGGEST reading slump of my life. I need new recs - books that made you stay up all night because you couldn’t put them down. I like romance & fantasy but I’m open to other suggestions also. Tiktok hasn’t been suggesting a lot lately so the TBR list is DRY

My son makes the kindergarten cutoff by ONE day, which means he would be the absolute youngest in his class. I feel really torn about what to do.

Academically, I think he could probably keep up. But emotionally/developmentally… I’m not as confident. I can tell he still needs a little more time to mature in certain areas. He struggles with transitions sometimes, regulating emotions, patience, sitting still for long periods, and honestly just the overall structure/routine that comes with a school environment. He also still struggles with being fully independent in the bathroom which is a huge concern for me.

Everyone around me keeps telling me to just send him and “if he has to repeat, he has to repeat.” But I don’t know… that feels like such a big thing to gamble on? I don’t want his first experience with school to be constantly feeling overwhelmed or behind emotionally.

At the same time, I also worry about holding him back unnecessarily and making the wrong decision the other way. I feel completely stuck.

How did you know your child was truly ready for kindergarten? Is doing another year of preschool and starting kindergarten at 6 really that uncommon or too late?

I don’t really know how to explain this without sounding confusing, but I’m hoping someone here gets it.

My ex and I have been divorced for a while now. We’ve actually been really amicable lately. Honestly, more than we ever were when we were married. We laugh together, we talk on the phone about life, we’re completely on the same page when it comes to raising our child. And that’s where the struggle comes in… I’m starting to see him in a different light. It almost reminds me of when we first started dating.

But the reality is when we were together we were miserable. TRULY miserable. It was toxic, unhealthy and not something I ever wanted my children growing up around. That’s why I left. And I don’t regret that decision. We are both genuinely happier apart. So why do I still miss him?

There are these random moments where it hits me. I’ll feel sad, lonely, almost depressed. No one wants to split up their family and delights in it. And even though this was the right decision, I feel like I’m grieving something I thought I’d be relieved to be free from. Single parenting is also just a lot. Nights are quiet and when I feel the most lonely. There’s no one to watch TV with, eat dinner with, vent to, or just share life with. I miss the companionship. I miss the “normal” we used to have (even if it wasn’t actually healthy).

I keep thinking - what if we could’ve been like this when we were married? What if we could’ve figured it out? But I also know why we couldn’t. There were betrayals. Trust was broken more than once. He isn’t a monogamous person and I couldn’t keep putting myself through that. Staying would’ve meant losing myself.

So now I’m stuck in this weird space where I know I made the right decision but I’m still mourning the relationship and missing him at the same time. I didn’t expect this part. It’s new and foreign to me and making me depressed.

Has anyone else gone through this? How did you deal with the “what ifs” and the loneliness?

Hi everyone - need to vent. I’m a single parent and I have my child full time and I feel like I’m honestly losing it a little with how often we’ve been sick.

Ever since my child started preschool/daycare last year, it has been a complete mess. I’m talking dozens of doctor visits, multiple rounds of antibiotics, one hospital stay, and then just a constant rotation of random illnesses. And of course… I get EVERY single one too. I got bronchitis from my kid and it knocked me out for two weeks. I’m still not even 100% a month later.

I feel like we get maybe 1–2 weeks of being healthy (and that’s being generous), and then it’s right back into something else. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t even fully relax when things are “good” because I’m just waiting for the next illness to hit. It’s making me really anxious and honestly kind of depressed.

The nights are the worst. My child tends to have breathing issues with every cold, so I’m constantly on edge… watching oxygen levels, debating if I need to go to the ER, dealing with fevers that won’t break. I have so much anxiety around nighttime now because I never know what I’m walking into.

On top of that, I’ve burned through so much PTO just trying to nurse my kid back to health. It’s stressful feeling like I’m constantly choosing between being there for my child and work. Doing this completely alone is just a lot. And to be frank, it sucks. I don’t get a break. My parents don’t help when we’re sick (which I get), but I wish they would sometimes. I find myself wishing so badly that someone would just step in and take care of me for once. Spending entire weekends stuck at home with a sick kid while also trying not to get sick myself is really starting to take a toll. I feel isolated, exhausted and just mentally drained.

And the cherry on top, I just found out last night that hand foot & mouth is going around their daycare, (YAY ME) so now I’m just sitting here waiting for that to hit too.

I. Am. EXHAUSTED.

Has anyone else gone through this? Does it ever get better? And how are you keeping your sanity when it feels like your household is never healthy?