#PARENTING

[wordswithloveee]

[kimberlychapman]

I can't run anymore at age 52 due to long covid, but in recent years I have run multiple times because one of my children had fallen badly or was otherwise in danger. Even with a permanent, post-surgical limp it's amazing how fast this mama will run when her kid is in danger. Now I'd fall over trying, though, as I am now too disabled even in a panic situation.

here's a funny conversation topic i had a with a friend: if you're over the age of 25, when's the last time you really *ran* in a panic (like you were late, chasing after something, etc. things like a marathon don't count!) and what was it for?

[theconcealedweapon]

When you lecture your child for doing something wrong, it's important for your lecture to be directed at why they did it.

If they say something racist because they enjoy seeing a person of color be upset by it, then they need a lecture on why racism is wrong. If they say something racist because they heard it on TV and they're imitating it, then they need a lecture on the importance of knowing what something means before saying it.

If they walk up to someone and push them for the purpose of annoying them, then they need a lecture on why it's wrong to be mean to people. If they walk up to someone and push them because they've seen friends do that to each other and they think that that's just how people interact, then they need a lecture on understanding that different people have different boundaries and on the difference between how they treat people by default and how they treat people who have previously established trust and consent.

Giving an irrelevant lecture would make it seem to them like you're clueless, which could cause them to not trust you.

[typhlonectes]

[asynca]

my parents never came to anything I did.

I have so many memories about this, but one in particular: when I was away at camp with 89 other teenagers, and at the one-month mark the post was collected distributed to all the dorms. 89 other children tore open their boxes and, shovelling handfuls of sweets their parents had sent them into their mouths, read pages-long letters and handed around photos of their brothers and sisters.

I didn't. I didn't get anything, I sat on my empty bed watching them. The teachers had to call my parents and ask if perhaps the post had gone missing...? but my parents were surprised they were required to interact with me while I was away.

Well, today, my 3-year-old daughter had a fun-run. The childcare centre invited parents to come but stressed that if we weren't able to, it was alright. There was no fucking way I wasn't going. My daughter wasn't going to be the only child there without a parent watching.

I got time off work and stood there in the beating sun and plastered in greasy sunscreen waiting to see my little girl emerge from inside the centre and stand on the track.

When she did, her little eyes searched through the crowd person-by-person for me, and absolutely lit up like the sun when she spotted me.

Mine filled with tears as I waved at her and cheered.

I'm breaking the cycle.

[circusclownproductions]

seeing a lot of videos that are like “I didn’t know babies couldn’t have water” so here’s an incomplete list of things you need to know before having a baby

- the obvious, they can’t have water bc milk is incredibly high in water already so excess water leads to over hydration

- babies cannot have honey until 1

- if ur breastfeeding your kid and saving excess milk, make sure you label what you pumped in the morning vs at night bc your body produces different melatonin levels throughout the day and giving your baby daytime milk at night can make them more alert and fuck up their sleep schedule

- idk why ppl keep saying this but swaddling your babies or getting them those baby straight jacket things is not abuse. It chills them out cuz it reminds them of the womb

- babies have a dandruff like buildup on their head called cradle cap, and it’s very easy to deal with and remove with just some baby shampoo, a gentle scrub brush (MADE FOR BABIES!!) and a comb. It does need to be removed tho cuz it can be very painful after a while. This can also continue to happen late into toddlerhood it’s normal

- you have to clean out the creases of your baby’s skin and hands and feet they WILL collect dust😭😭

- you cannot bathe your baby until their umbilical cord naturally falls off. Use a warm damp rag until then

- tummy time is actually very important

- your baby might have a misshapen head at first (not all the time but sometimes) this will either sort itself out or they’ll need a corrective helmet ask your doctor

- I wouldn’t recommend having your baby leave the house very much until they’re at least 6 months old, especially if they’re born near cold and flu season cuz the common cold can kill a newborn

- you’re not an awful horrible person for having postpartum depression and it’s always a million times better to let your baby cry a few minutes longer than normal while you regain your composure than to freak out and give ur kid shaken baby syndrome

- you’re not an awful horrible person for giving your baby formula milk either

- don’t put shoes on your baby it’ll compromise their toe box and balance

- babies put every single thing in their mouths

- the easiest way to burp a baby is to hold them straight up (spine straight) and hold their head a bit higher

- always support their head they barely have necks

- if your baby fights away food, fights tummy time, vomits every single time you burp them, is gaining or losing an unreasonable amount of weight at a time, wheezes after eating, or goes red after eating, chances are they’re probably allergic to the type of milk they’re eating (again ask a doctor but these are just some signs it’s not just colic)

- they will wobble a lot when learning to do things but you gotta fight the urge to help them every single time cuz they gotta learn

- they’re not always spitting out baby food cuz they don’t like it they just don’t know how to eat. Like they don’t know how to push food down they only know how to stick their tongue out so be patient

- babies craniums are broken up into three parts at first that later fuse together, this is to help make birthing easier but it results in a small EXTREMELY sensitive spot in the top of their head that has no protection. This puts their brain at a high risk. Always protect their soft spot

- read to your baby!! Get cute bright colorful sensory books with sight words and read them to your baby it makes such a huge difference in their educational growth and will help them acquire a love for reading early on. And talk to them never shut up just say whatever comes to mind all the time this will strengthen their vocabulary growth also.

- babies poop like a lot. A lot. an unreasonable amount. Bring back up clothes and more diapers than you think

- no pillows or stuffies in the crib and only use a muslin blanket unless it’s especially cold to prevent suffocation

- babies kick reflexively until they’re out of their newborn scrunch (they stay womb shaped for a while) and if your baby is crying and pushing at the swaddle try letting them flail around for a minute

- consoling your baby is not spoiling them ! They need comfort and they will learn to self soothe on their own

- singing lullabies actually works, they can recognize your voice a consistent place of comfort from the womb and the cadence of lullabies is literally engineered to create a calm headspace

- for the love of god do not get boring ass beige toys. Colors are important for their neurological development

- babies are very responsive to praise from a young age so be as supportive of them as you can

- babies get constipated a lot and you have to do like tummy massages to help ease their pain the easiest way is to lay them on their backs and hold one foot in each hand, kick their feet like bicycles, scrunch up, and then stretch their legs out

- holding them on your hip too much will not cause bow legged-ness if your baby is bow legged that was always gonna happen

- they drool so so much and you have to get bibs for them so they don’t get chest eczema

- don’t use scented products on their skin cuz their skin is sooo much thinner than ours

- when your baby first starts sitting on their own never walk away from them without setting up a nest of pillows and blankets around them. Even minor head trauma can mess them up sometimes

- this one is kinda morbid and scary but sometimes babies just die out of nowhere and it’s no one’s fault or anything it’s called sudden infantile death syndrome(SIDS) and it’s about 1.3k deaths on average per year in America so not super common but still very real. 90% of these deaths happen during the first four months however edit: apparently it’s bc of an enzyme deficiency which at the very least you can take steps to try and prevent

- smoking and drinking during pregnancy WILL affect your baby and your breast milk and also might contribute to SIDS cases

- babies sometimes have a big red mark on them somewhere called a stork bite immediately after birth but typically it goes away

- babies can’t see very well for a while after birth and they’re VERY wobbly so they’ll typically bonk their head into your chest and face a lot while trying to support themselves

- female babies might have smth similar to a period the first few days after birth, this is because of the hormone transfer that happens during the birthing process and the days leading up to it

- male babies get random erections for the first few days after birth(hormone transfer again) literally do not be weird about this it’s a baby

- things like weaning your baby onto solid foods, potty training, weaning off pacifiers etc, can actually be directed by the baby and will happen naturally will minimal guidance from the parent(some guidance is still necessary) although I would do individual research into baby led weaning for food to prevent choking

- get those chewy feeding pouches to help with weaning

- the most random things will scare the hell out of your baby don’t take it personal 😭

- baby carriers are life savers (tulas are one of my favorites)

- once babies hit toddlerhood they’re tougher than you think, and a lot of their reaction is based on YOURS. they’re always going to be looking to you for how to react to a situation. Remain calm and if they’re ok they’ll calm down but if they’re genuinely hurt they’ll keep crying

- babies will most likely get ridiculously attached to an inanimate object and you have to keep this thing intact at all costs until they’re old enough to abandon it or they will throw a FIT. I got a lemur plushie from a zoo once and every single one of the kids has bonded their soul with it until about 6 years old and once a month I have to stitch him back up

- don’t compare yourself to other parents. Maybe your kid isnt getting grass fed wild caught north Atlantic cheerios but at least they’re fed. If your kid is alive and healthy and happy you’re doing a good job

- you will need 3 car seats, an infant seat, a grow with me toddler seat, and a booster seat

- getting a good diaper bag is a MUST

- the hair a baby is born with will most likely all fall out or they’ll get a bald spot on the back of their head where they sleep cuz their hair is so fragile and thin but once it grows back it grows back thick

- get like 20 muslin blankets so you always have a backup when the main ones are covered in spit up

- the babies grip IS stronger than yours (keep your hair up and keep pets away best you can)

- your best bet for your teething baby is a pacifier you can put your finger in so you can massage their gums and some chewing toys numbing cream can be dangerous and should be used sparingly

- go ahead and come to terms with the fact you’re gonna have to use a Frida Baby to manually remove snot

- babies can get hair and thread wrapped around their toes and fingers that can cut off their circulation try to make a habit of checking

- don’t hit your kid please it’s nothing but trauma and fucked up coping mechanisms from there pls empathize with your child they’re a person too

- be careful not to pull too hard on their arms and legs(like during play or holding their hand while they walk) and NEVER pick them up by their hands this will very easily cause dislocation

- they might have a little tooth like callous on their lip from their pacifier. This does not hurt them and it will go away but it may hurt during breastfeeding

- breastfeeding will make your boobs different sizes

Yeag that’s all I can think of rn but yk i Will add as I remember stuff ppl are also adding things I forgot in the tags in case you’d like to look thru that as well <3

[lyn31]

Oh? them sneaking around for adult time sounds interesting 👀 zayne snaking his arm on mc’s waist from behind while she’s cooking breakfast and then proceeding to pepper her neck and shoulder with sensual kisses and serena suddenly pulls on his pants “daddy? Mommy? What are you doing?” 🤣

This is technically not a request but this is just perfect, so I was like "I'm saving this." 😂 Now finally I can do it! ahahahaha it's a short one tho, cute and short!

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Morning Kisses

Summary

A quiet morning turns playfully chaotic when your daughter interrupts an intimate moment—reminding you that love, laughter, and a little embarrassment come with the territory of family.

Ao3 link

My Masterlist ✨

Notes

Pairing: Zayne x MC/Reader Family fluff, embarrassed, cute, silly, short.

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It’s just like any other morning.

Zayne already finished making breakfast—simple eggs and toast, the way you like it. All that’s left is the tea. You hum quietly to yourself as you pour the boiling water into your favorite cup, the scent of chamomile rising with the steam.

Your little girl hasn’t woken up yet—though, like clockwork, she never sleeps in for long. You’ve already showered, your damp hair twisted into messy buns, and you’re lounging in your comfiest clothes. You miss your work sometimes but nothing beats not having to go in first thing in the morning. Besides, you’ll be back in no time.

You reach for the tea bag, but before you can drop it in, you feel familiar arms wrap around your waist from behind.

“Mmm. Smells nice,” Zayne murmurs against your skin, breath cool as he presses a kiss to the nape of your neck and rests his chin on your shoulder.

You grin, tilting your head toward him and giving his cheek a quick kiss. “Which one? The tea or me?”

“Both,” he replies smoothly, already trailing more kisses along your neck. You sigh, leaning into his touch, your fingers sliding over his hands still resting on your waist.

His mouth moves up, brushing the sensitive spot behind your ear. You shiver. His hand slips under your sweater, cool fingers brushing against your bare stomach. The contrast makes you jolt for a second—but then you melt back against him, sighing again.

He traces slow, open-mouthed kisses down your neck. He sucks gently at your skin, making your knees weak. You instinctively press back against him—just a little—but it’s enough to make him hiss under his breath. His hands tighten slightly on your waist, and you can tell he’s just about to turn you around—

Until he freezes.

Confused, you’re just about to ask what’s wrong—when you feel a small tug on your pants.

You glance down.

Serena.

She’s hugging her snow bunny plushie, hair sticking out in every direction, eyes still half-lidded with sleep. She must’ve tugged at Zayne first, but when he didn’t respond, she reached for you. She doesn’t say a word, just looks up at the two of you—her expression puzzled, clearly curious.

Zayne is still behind you, stiff as a board now. His ears are bright red, and that makes your own embarrassment fizzle into amusement. Holding your laugh, you crouch down in front of your daughter.

She blinks at you. “What are you doing?”

“Daddy’s just giving Mommy a morning kiss, sweetie.” You glance toward Zayne, who looks like he just returned from a spiritual journey. He clears his throat, trying to recover.

You turn back to Serena, lean in, and kiss her cheek. “Just like that.”

Her little eyebrows draw together in thought. Like she clearly know that's not the same.

“Ohhh,” you say dramatically, pretending to realize something. “You meant this, huh?” Then you start peppering her cheeks with loud, silly kissing noises, scooping her into your arms.

She squeals, laughing, and tries to push your face away. “Okay, okay!”

But you don’t stop. “My cute daughter wants her morning kisses!”

You keep smothering her in playful kisses until she bursts out laughing. Then finally she retaliates, grinning as she shoves her plushie into your face in an adorable counterattack.

You gasp. “Ah! Noooooo, my only weakness! Counterattack!”

Dramatically, you collapse to the floor like you’ve been mortally wounded. Zayne crouches beside you and starts to reach for Serena, but she yelps and bolts away—leaving her plushie behind. You’re just about to sit up when she runs back in, snatches it, and scampers off again, still giggling to herself.

“Wash your face and come back for breakfast,” Zayne calls after her, voice still amused.

Serena pauses at the doorway, eyes narrowed suspiciously, as if he’s trying to trick her. Then she dashes off again.

You finally get up, brushing off your imaginary wounds. “Well, that was eventful,” you say, smirking at Zayne.

He lets out a short laugh. “Eventful is one way to describe it.” But instead of stepping back, he pushes you gently against the counter again.

You raise an eyebrow. “Really? After your ears turned that red just because our daughter walked in on us?”

“I was just startled,” he mutters against your lips.

“Sure you were.” You grin, about to wrap your arms around his neck—when he pulls back.

“But better safe than sorry,” he says, clearing his throat yet again as he glances toward the doorway and walks over to his seat.

You snort, and finally get back to the tea you momentarily abandoned. Truthfully, you’re a bit flustered too. A peck on the lips in front of Serena is one thing—but that was definitely pushing it. Shaking your head, you smile to yourself.

Well, some things never change.

And some things—like quiet mornings, warm tea, and your ridiculous little family—are worth adjusting for.

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Notes

What else can I say? This is cute af 😩🫶🏻

[yeoldenews]

An excerpt from an April 13, 1896 letter from Will's mother containing a timeless Mom Lecture (tm) written after she learned Will had begun smoking...

"He [Will's father] was very sorry to hear you speak as you did about smoking and we felt that you were letting down your former high standard. We want you to remember that you have a good inheritance and have had reasonably good training, and that you have many people here at home looking up to you as a good Christian boy and therefore much is expected of you.

You don't want to be [an] influence to do any foolish things but you want to be able to hold up a high standard to other boys and keep some of those who are weak from taking the first foolish step.

I am very glad that Allen [Will's roommate] has given up smoking I am sure after a few years you will both of you be glad if you keep out of it,

& I am sure that holding out against this will make a stronger character it will be a good lesson in self control.

If you think it will help you I should be willing to get you a bicycle, or will do it as your Papa suggests if you really care about it, but I would rather have you be able & willing to decide the smoking business without that. Let me know what you think of it yourself. I would like to have you think of this matter as you would on the day when you received the telegram which led you to have a good many serious thoughts."

The last line refers to an event the previous month where Will misinterpreted a telegram informing him of the death of his Grandmother's companion, and mistakenly believed for several hours that his mother had died instead. So... "remember that time you thought I was dead and how grateful you were when you found out I was alive? That woman says make better choices."

I also love how it appears that she attempted to smudge out "bicycle" after she wrote it - maybe having some second thoughts as to whether she wanted to resort to bribery yet or not.

The letter continues...

"I wish you would write to Jack [Will's younger brother] also before long and remind him of some things that you both have to be thankful for and ask him if he is doing as well as he can. I don't see why his reports are not better Papa thinks he ought to be higher in Algebra surely if he is able to do well in higher mathematics. I think he was C in most of his studies only A in English History."

[atheostic]

Agreed. There's a reason why my mom had a house rule that I was always free to ask for the reasoning behind any and all house rules: Because you shouldn't do something or refrain from doing something just because an authority said so. "If someone can't give you a good reason behind why they're telling you to do or not do something, no matter who they are, you don't have to do it," she'd explain.

And you know what the result was? I questioned her rules all the time. And instead of making me rebellious and argumentative, it made me the most obedient of all the kids in my friend groups. Because I now knew there were good reasons behind the rules, and in some cases, I had compromised with my mom on how the rule should be so I had a say on it.

Though, when you simply do what an authority tells you without personally considering the ethics and consequences of that view are you even employing ethics?

E.g. A lot of Christians that are queerphobic change their views on queer people entirely when they deconvert, because there's no logical reason to be queerphobic if you don't have an authority figure saying that you should think it's bad to be queer.

Every time a Christian tries to rationally justify why queerness is bad on call-in shows like The Line and Atheist Experience they always fail at bringing up a good reason, eventually turning to "the Bible said so".

Case in point:

"Anything is fine as long as it's legal" is not the sex positive position you think it is. Anything can be criminalised. Anything can be decriminalised.

[zionzael]

MOTHERHOOD (SEVIKA) HEADCANONS

SYPNOSIS: How Sevika acts around you and your first-born.

• She was SO scared when you gave birth of your baby girl. She hid her prosthetic arm behind her back because she was afraid of her baby seeing it and getting scared by it.

• Always checks if your baby is breathing every few minutes. Her index finger would be under the baby's nose, her eyes watching the baby's chest heave up and down and her tummy moving.

• Got a different (safer) prosthetic that she could wear around the house because she's afraid of hurting the baby.

• Looked up a bunch of baby names online and bought so many books about baby names and parenting.

• Would always demand that you sit between her legs while you breastfeed your baby. She would always watch in admiration how your baby's hand clench and unclench on your breast, her chin resting on your shoulder.

• When you fall asleep on the couch with the baby, she would carry the both of you to the bedroom with ease and gentleness.

• She would always let you sleep in. The baby would always be close to her, her eyes never leaving the small one for even just a few seconds.

• There are times that she can't get the frustrated baby to stop crying, so she just holds her against her chest while she whispers sweet words against her ear and it somehow always work. And you end up always sleeping peacefully and wake up feeling energised.

• She has a thousand nicknames for the baby. She calls her "bub", "angel face", "sweet potato", and such. If you thought you had the most nicknames from Sevika, then you're wrong.

[thepeacefulgarden]

[tastefullyoffensive]

30 Funny Baby-Naming Tweets From Comedians Who May Have Come Up With The Best/Worst Names For New Parents

[mymercyprevailss]

[spaceshipsandpurpledrank]

I swear fo god

[copwef]

Parent shadow AU SHORT: thirty seven at sixteen...

An eleven year old sonic walks up to shadow.

"Hey dad, how old are you?"

Shadow looks up from his book. His eyes stern, but caring as he looks at his son.

"I don't know. Without my memories its nearly impossible to determine my birthday, or my birth year. But based off how you're friends look and their ages its safe to assume I'm at least sixteen. Maybe eighteen at the oldest. Why?"

Sonic looks up at his father, shock evident on his face. "You're only sixteen?! That's only five years older than me!" Sonic flinched at his own tone, it was late and he didn't want to risk waking Sally up, she needs her sleep. He whisper shouted" Well if you're only sixteen, why can't I go out on patrols yet! You say it's cause I'm not an adult but you're not even an adult! It's not fair."

Shadow set his book down on the table, Looking at sonic with a protective and stern glare. "Absolutely not! I will not allow you to-" shadow cut himself off, taking a deep breath. He knew Sonic wouldn't handle well if he raised his voice.

Stepping off the recliner he kneeled down in front of his son. Resting a gentle, loving, yet firm hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, you are my son and I will not allow you to risk your safety until I'm absolutely certain you can handle yourself." Shadows grip loosened slightly as foggy memories of a young, bright person with a smile not dis-similar from sonics was stripped away from him, lost forever.

Shadows tone wavered, "I-I can't lose you Sonic"...

'Not you too' some deep part of his subconscious whispered. Calling back to a memory he had no recollection of. The thought disappeared as quickly as it came.

Sonic's face turned to a more understanding one. "Okay, I get it. I'm sorry Dad."

Shadows grip relaxed, his sterness fading. "Good." Sonic looked at him and smiled, some humor returning to his voice. "Can I at least go on solo missions when I'm sixteen?"

Shadow let out a small chuckle, a semi rare smile appearing on his face. " We'll see, it depends on how well you do in training. Maybe if you show significant improvement we'll talk about it and-"

Sonic hugged his father, clearly taking his consideration as a promise. Shadow smiled again, hugging his son back. For a moment, the father and son felt at peace...

Everything would be okay, at least for now.