u/Odd-Pianist-4880

Kiddos' preschool teachers mentioned we need to work on fine motor skills at home, since kiddo has trouble putting on and taking off shoes, using toddler scissors, and sorting small items with tweezers etc.

​The problem is that whenever I set up crafts or toys that can help with working on fine motor skills, my little guy just finds it boring and refuses to engage. I always make sure no TV or music is on so it's not distracting. I have tried setting things up in the morning on weekends when he has plenty of energy, but that still is a flat refusal. I tried showing him pictures or videos beforehand so he knows what to expect, but that approach didn't work either.

​His teachers mentioned he enjoys craft time at school, but I think it is because he is surrounded by other kids doing the same thing. it is just me trying to guide him through these activities at home.

​If anyone has practical tricks that actually get a preschooler interested in this stuff without turning into a daily battle, I am all ears.

Just hear wanting to hear some encouragement from other families. I'm a bit emotional.

We are into the second week of gradual entry but he still cries most of the time being in preschool. The teachers and I have discussed that based on his first few days it would be a good idea to take it slow and doing only half of the time as his peers the 2nd week and I agreed.

I know my kiddo will do fine. He was in an infant/toddler program before and had always been doing well. I know he is just not familiar with the new environment just yet. I just want to write this out to keep telling myself that everything will be okay.

And of course if you are in the same boat as we are: we will be fine. Our kiddos will adjust, and thrive and shine!

Edited to add: what do you prepare the night before, other than fruits?

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We are starting preschool in less than a week and it would be the first time that we need to prepare a school lunch box. Do you parents always wake up early in the morning to prepare the lunch boxes for the day? All the IG reels that I found are meals that you prepare the morning of. Yes I admit that I love my sleep so I try to find meal ideas that are healthy and possibly allow me to prepare the night before or maybe minimal preparation required the morning of. Thank you for the tips.

Living in guilt everyday since I found out one of my parents cheated, I confronted them, but I also stayed silent and didn't tell the betrayed parent. Why? Because I was that fucking idiot wanting to set a boundary because this is their marriage I shouldn't be the one suffering and dealing with it. I was a fucking idiot. I failed my betrayed parent. After years of keeping it a secret, I finally told my betrayed parent. But I think it's too late. I was stupid enough allowing the cheating parent more time to plan and transferred out their wealth. I don't have the evidence but I know the cheating parent will not include me in their will, and my stupidity gave them time to move assets legally out of the marriage. Marriage is just all about money and wealth for their age.

I'm sorry for not being comprehensive. I'm not sure what to do. My whole world collapsed I'm in tramandous guilty and shame. I failed everything and everyone.

edit to add: i need more than brand recommendations. i would like follow those Canadian influencers provide practical outfits that i can literally buy the same clothes from their recommendation and are easy to copy directly? Are there creators who focus on accessible fashion for a size 10?

I could really use some help because I am feeling so defeated about my closet right now. A new medication has changed my body from a size 6 to a 10 recently, and the weight gain will not stop. My confidence has taken a huge hit. Trying to buy my old favorite clothes in bigger sizes just does not work for my new proportions. I really want to build a consistent personal style so I can cut down on the daily mental fatigue of getting dressed. I usually scroll Instagram for outfit inspiration, but I am so tired of seeing the same Aritzia and Lululemon hauls everywhere when I just need functional help as a size 10 woman.

Can you recommend any Canadian influencers who focuses on slow fashion and helps with styling a changing body? I want to avoid the endless Aritzia and Lululemon marketing that dominates my current feed.

I only started to potty train my kiddo last weekend so it would take some time to master the skills letting me know he needs to go in advance. he is nearly 3.

Just wanted to ask when you take your toddler/preschooler kid to the park that doesn't have a restroom, do you take a portable potty chair with you in case they need to go? Or is it socially acceptable to let them go in the bush? I would prepare some doggy poop bag in case he needs to poop too, and throw away in garbage properly and all.

​I use Knix underwear to deal with pelvic floor leakage, so they end up absorbing both urine and menstrual blood. I always rinse them out right after using them, but I only wash them every few days when laundry day rolls around. I just recently found out that I haven't been doing a thorough enough job washing them, and now they are starting to stink even after going through the wash.

They are pretty expensive.​Does anyone have recommendations for brands that might be prone to stink, so I don't need to be buying every single brand out there. Thanks!

​I need to dispose of a child car seat that is about to expire. I'm hoping to find a free drop-off location if one exists. Because I don't live in a house, the municipal curbside large item pickup programs aren't an option for me. Please let me know if you know of any facilities currently accepting old car seats at no cost in the Tri-Cities, New West, or Richmond. Thanks!

I need to dispose of a child car seat that is about to expire. I'm hoping to find a free drop-off location if one exists. Because I don't live in a house, the municipal curbside large item pickup programs aren't an option for me. Please let me know if you know of any facilities currently accepting old car seats at no cost in the Tri-Cities, New West, or Richmond. Thanks!

​I need to dispose of a child car seat that is about to expire. I'm hoping to find a free drop-off location if one exists. Because I don't live in a house, the municipal curbside large item pickup programs aren't an option for me. Please let me know if you know of any facilities currently accepting old car seats at no cost in the Tri-Cities, New West, or Richmond. Thanks!

I could use some advice from anyone who is perimenopausal and neurodivergent (ASD/ADHD).

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I'm really struggling today and could use some perspective.

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My perimenopause symptoms have been causing significant night sweats, and my sleep has been awful because of it. I'm soaking my sheets and waking up damp and uncomfortable multiple times a night. Lately, I've also been waking up around 6 a.m. and can't seem to get back to sleep.

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To make matters worse, I forgot to take my Vyvanse today, which definitely did not help. My ADHD symptoms were completely off the charts. I had a very hard time focusing, regulating my emotions, and getting through basic daily tasks.

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I know bad days happen, and I know I'll have them from time to time, but I still need to be able to function.

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For those of you dealing with perimenopause and ADHD/ASD:

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What helps you sleep better?

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How do you cope on days when your symptoms are especially intense?

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What strategies help when you're exhausted and dysregulated?

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Do you have any tricks, routines, or tools that make difficult days more manageable?

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I'd really appreciate hearing what's worked for you.

Hi everyone. I am trying to figure out how to handle public restrooms when out and about with a young kid. I am curious how you all deal with a couple of specific situations.

Let's say there is no family restroom available, leaving only a men's room or a women's room.

Scenario 1: A father has his 7 year old daughter with him and she needs to go.

Scenario 2: A mother has her 7 year old son with her and he needs to go.

Which bathroom would you let your child use in these situations? What exactly would you do? Thanks for any insight you can share!

My son is almost 3 and is aging out of his current play-based daycare. We have the option to transition him into either a Montessori school or a different play-based program for age 3-5. I'm really debating if Montessori is the right fit for him.

For the Montessori guides here, how do you know when the Montessori style just isn't right for a certain type of child? Maybe any specific behaviors or characteristics indicate that a child is not suited for a Montessori enviroment? How do you recognize when a child would do better in a different setting?

My almost 3-year-old goes to daycare full time and naps great there. But on weekends he completely refuses to sleep. We play outside all morning so he is definitely tired by noon. We keep blinds closed to keep the room dark. We have also tried to use a sound machine. Instead of resting he just gets super excited and jumps up and down on the mattress. We cosleep if it makes a difference.

Because he skips the nap late afternoons are a total nightmare. He gets so cranky and almost always falls asleep right at the dinner table. How did you guys handle the switch from naps to quiet time when your kid fought it this much? We try to ask him to lay down or sit in bed for 15 mins, but even that's difficult.

We have tried offering him books to read but he just gets too excited and wants to Jump on the bed or go out to play. What other quite time activities do you give them to do? Did moving the nap spot to a floor mat help anyone instead of using the regular bed? Do you do quite time in a dark room and not just in the living room or wherever they usually play, right? Would really appreciate any advice.

my son is almost 3 and has this week bitten 2 kids at daycare. He’s never been a biter before. Never even went through a hitting phase. Even his throwing phase was never toward anyone, just a short lived throwing a toy in frustration period. The first incident was mentioned to us as “no big deal” and resulted over issues with kids taking things from him. We still talked to him at home and he logically understands not to bite anyone and that it hurts. Obviously though, impulse control at 2 is rough at best apparently. This one today was while the kids were in the play house outside and couldn’t be seen well, so I don’t have a clear idea of what happened. Though, when we picked him up today we were told we needed to get an apology card and write an apology to the child and parents of the kid he bit today. Apparently the parents are “very upset”. Honestly, I’m kind of shocked. He was bitten a LOT when he started there at 11 months old. Over the span of a few weeks he was bitten numerous times. Several of those by the same girl. Some of them breaking the skin. We never demanded a letter or got an apology. We understood that this was developmentally normal. I do believe the teachers could have been more vigilant but also I don’t love to critique them, it’s an overwhelming job. My question is; how would you handle this? Write a really sincere apology and move on? Discuss it more with the daycare? I absolutely don’t want to blindly excuse my sons behaviour, it’s not something we tolerate him doing at home. I also don’t want him to just be labelled as a problem or a mean kid. He loves his school friends. He knows it’s wrong and apparently apologized right away. We will still be getting some more books about being respectful and not hurting anyone regardless. Any insight into this would be appreciated! Also tips on how to handle this apparent biting phase.

Edited wording in my original post.

I only recently started to learn about Montessori, so my apologies if I don't use the terms correctly.

We are currently in search of a Montessori school for age 3-5. our kiddo is currently in a play based daycare. We've toured two different places so far . During the tours, we got to see what typical activities the kiddos would do in a day. The directors also showed us workbooks from past students. I noticed there was quite a bit of writing letters and numbers.

I'm curious about how this fits into the philosophy. Do Montessori schools typically have kids this young doing a lot of writing? Would you consider this an academic-based approach? Or does the Montessori method just accommodate academic teaching really well at this stage?