The GF Parenting Thread

[Tony Moanero]

Have you tried sticker reward charts mate?

 

Everytime ToddleD has been a little gobshite in phases we've managed to mitigate it by bringing in one of these. e.g if you eat your dinner without any fuss you get a sticker. 7 stickers = a prize

 

Currently doing it with "bedtime messing" when we put her down. It's a lot better than it was.

 

Panini stickers, like?

 

Get 3 Derek Mountfields, 1 Steve McMahon, 2 Chris Waddles and 1 Mirandinha and win a Wham Bar or Sherbet Fountain.

[Champ]

Doesn't matter what food it is, he does it probably three out of four meal times. It'll start as a laugh & then he'll start talking about things outside the window or the cat, then he'll slide off his seat, anything to avoid eating. We'll ask him to start eating his tea a few times nicely & it'll escalate from there & pretty much always ends up with him crying & me losing my rag. I fucking dread sitting down for something to eat these days.

 

It'll just be a phase but I hope it doesn't last too long.

How’s his stutter?

[Charles Penrose]

Have you tried sticker reward charts mate?

 

Everytime ToddleD has been a little gobshite in phases we've managed to mitigate it by bringing in one of these. e.g if you eat your dinner without any fuss you get a sticker. 7 stickers = a prize

 

Currently doing it with "bedtime messing" when we put her down. It's a lot better than it was.

Social services will definitely be knocking your door when she tells her someone that daddy rewards her for ‘bedtime messing’.

 

I’d work on the title.

[Mook]

How’s his stutter?

It comes & goes. I think generally it's getting better though.

[Champ]

It comes & goes. I think generally it's getting better though.

And so will the teatime nonsense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It just might take a little longer

[Paul]

Mook, you already know this but the big things to get right are:

 

1. Consistency of approach and consistency between parents

2. Finding a sanction that works (ie, he really doesn’t like it)

3. Reminding yourself that he’s just a kid and he’s programmed to do this shit (push boundaries), so you don’t feel too wound up by it.

4. Constantly reviewing it all to make sure it works or still works (kids change constantly)

 

If you approach your own view of parenting as a set of principles rather than rules, you can maintain a consistent approach while being flexible to reflect the fact your lad will change.

 

A metaphor for parenting as kids grow that helped me is this: imagine your kid as a dog on a lead. It’s one of those retractable ones that can be short or dead long. You have to constantly review the length of the lead (ie, your rules and boundaries) to ensure the dog is under control without it pulling on the lead. In other words it feels like it can do what it wants but you still have it under control.

 

Young kids need a shorter lead but as they grow you need to let it out. The trick is to ensure it’s always short enough to keep them safe and behaving but long enough so they don’t feel restricted and resentful. That requires constant reflection and communication between you, your missus and your lad.

 

That mental image helps me even now as one approaches 17 and the other 14.

[Mook]

Thanks, Paul. That's very helpful & the metaphor sounds spot on.

 

You'll get a laugh about this, we tried the sticker thing tonight with his tea & he ate most of it without any problems. My missus asked him what sticker he wanted, he picked the dinosaur then threw a massive wobbly, sticker launched across the room & a hissy fit that would make Diana Ross blush.

 

Never work with children or animals.

[Anubis]

Seriously, at no point did it occur to anyone on staff how utterly fucking twattish this was going to be?

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/children-left-floods-tears-classmates-14914117.amp

 

 

A primary school has apologised after children were left in 'floods of tears' watching their classmates enjoy an end-of-term ice cream - while they were left out.

 

Parents of children at Blackmoor Park Infant School have been left furious after their children were barred from the treat - because they did not have 97% attendance for the year.

 

One parent said their child only missed out on a perfect record because they had chicken pox, but still had to endure watching her friends be rewarded.

 

Another angry parent said: "My little girl came home sobbing because some kids were allowed to choose whichever ice cream they wanted, and then they sat in front of the others and ate it in front of them.

 

"This is shocking behaviour by adults who should know better than to single out children."

 

Blackmoor Park Headteacher Jo Hitchmough said the school has today apologised to parents, and is looking into alternative ways to celebrate good attendance in the future.

 

She said : “Like every other school across the country we have a duty to promote good attendance and reduce absence.”

 

“Good attendance at school is something we celebrate on a regular basis at Blackmoor and we provide a range of incentives that recognise this.”

 

“At the end of each year we hold a celebratory assembly where children with 97 per cent attendance and above receive certificates and other prizes.”

 

“This year we decided to try something different and chose to reward the children with 97 per cent attendance and above with an ice cream.”

 

“Whilst the intentions behind this action were entirely honourable, we accept that there was a lack of sensitivity in the sharing of these rewards.”

 

She added: “We have spoken with parents directly, listened to the concerns and have apologised for any distress that may have been caused. The issue has been addressed in-house and lessons have been learned with regards to any future celebrations of good attendance.”

[Aventus]

I've always talked to mine like he's older than he is, they understand a hell of a lot more than they are able to communicate at a young age.

 

Treat him like a child and he's likely to act like a child is my mindset, of course he pushes boundaries and all that, it's to be expected, but generally if I tell him when he's gone too far and explain why then he listens and takes it on board.

 

He's a well behaved kid, never had to give him a big telling off or anything, no idea how much of that is down to me, or if I'm just lucky but it's worked well so far. He's a bit cheeky most of the time but it's usually funny and it cracks me up how witty he can be for a three year old.

[Captain Turdseye]

Just checked my bank account and noticed that over £25 has been spent on micro transactions in the last couple of days. Turns out my little girl, who’s only just turned five, has been unlocking new paid content on a Hello Kitty nail art game by answering the fucking questions right on the ‘prove you aren’t a child’ multiplication problems.

 

Can’t even be pissed off because she’s a genius.

[Anubis]

A genius and a wrong'un. A Bond villain in the making.

[VladimirIlyich]

Anyone dealt with a child's extreme terror of "mascots" at parties etc?

 

Went to a communion yesterday and a 6ft Bing Bunny turned up doing the cha cha slide. ToddleD has previous with these and her absolute primal fear at this thing was evident. Even when it had gone she was hiding under a table in case it turned up again. I confirmed with the organiser (who'd had a few bevvies) that this was the last one and after a big chat and Daddy promising on his heart and asking ToddleD to trust her daddy that no more were coming she calmed down to have a bit of a play.

 

Then Chase and fucking Marshall rocked in. Luckily we were at the bounce castle and ready to go so I told her to close her eyes and put her hands over her ears to pretend I was a space rocket and legged it through the dance floor to the exit without her seeing them.

 

These things are everywhere at parties etc at the minute and I don't know whether to try and weather this fear, force her to confront them or just ignore. She knows they aren't real because she's clocked that it's someone in a suit she just says "she doesn't like people dressed up"

 

It's saving me a few grand on a trip to Disney though.

You'll always find me in the kitchen at parties.

[Paulie Dangerously]

Request: I've got to read 10+ books for key stage 2 kids (8-11 years) for Uni

 

Can anyone with kids about this age recommend anything they're reading at the minute please?

[Rico1304]

Request: I've got to read 10+ books for key stage 2 kids (8-11 years) for Uni

Can anyone with kids about this age recommend anything they're reading at the minute please?

50 Shades of Grey

[Rico1304]

Our little girl is generally really well behaved, she’s had a brilliant first year at school and a great report. My mum and Dad have her 1 day a week and shes good for them. But when we go and see the wife’s Mum she turns into a right little shit. Answers back, doesn’t do as she’s told and has tantrums. She speaks to her regularly on the phone, FaceTimes her and gets excited before she sees her. She’s dead affectionate too so it’s not like she’s scared of her. My only conclusion is the house is haunted.

[Tony Moanero]

Has your daughter read Salem’s Lot?

[Captain Turdseye]

Request: I've got to read 10+ books for key stage 2 kids (8-11 years) for Uni

 

Can anyone with kids about this age recommend anything they're reading at the minute please?

All the H’s, mate. Horrible Histories, Humphrey Hamster and Horrid Henry.

[Captain Turdseye]

The David Walliams books go down well too.

[Champ]

All the H’s, mate. Horrible Histories, Humphrey Hamster and Horrid Henry.

Those Horrid Henry books are shocking. It’s like after the first couple she couldn’t even be arsed pretending there was any meaningful plot.

[Champ]

Are they books they can read themselves or that would be read to them?

[Paulie Dangerously]

All the H’s, mate. Horrible Histories, Humphrey Hamster and Horrid Henry.

The David Walliams books go down well too.

Cheers folks

Are they books they can read themselves or that would be read to them?

They'd read to themselves. I have to read, take notes and locate discussion points for them etc

[Captain Turdseye]

Cheers folks

They'd read to themselves. I have to read, take notes and locate discussion points for them etc

I think my girl has the entire Horrible Histories collection at the back of her wardrobe, Paulie. If you need to borrow it for a bit, send us a PM and I’ll sort it out for you mate.

[Jose Jones]

My boy (8) loves all the comic type ones, but I'm not sure they really count. The 13 story treehouse (and sequels), Captain Underpants books, The Bad Guys, all the Tom Gates books.

He's into this Beast Quest stuff at the moment too that he borrows from the school library.

First few Harry Potters would be on the list.

Danny Wallace has a series of Hamish books which go down well.

Of course you can do some classic Roald Dahl too.

[Paul]

My boy (8) loves all the comic type ones, but I'm not sure they really count. The 13 story treehouse (and sequels), Captain Underpants books, The Bad Guys, all the Tom Gates books.

He's into this Beast Quest stuff at the moment too that he borrows from the school library.

First few Harry Potters would be on the list.

Danny Wallace has a series of Hamish books which go down well.

Of course you can do some classic Roald Dahl too.

All of these. Plus Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Able kids will love His Dark Materials. Jacqueline Wilson is massive for girls. Tracey Beaker is the obvious one but she’s written dozens of books. Dick King-Smith. Darren Shan (older/more able). David Walliams. Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Private Peaceful and more). Anthony Horowitz.

 

Just go into your local bookshop and ask the staff what’s popular for that age group. They’ll have the most up to date knowledge.

[Paulie Dangerously]

Cheers everyone. Appreciate it