#preschooler and kid

[hinamie]

parenthood was not on my 2024 bingo card but clearly life is full of surprises

[inkskinned]

there are a lot of posts out there that are positive and healthy coping mechanisms for handling the holidays. this is not one of them :)

i think there's like. going to be times in your life you will be stuck in a social situation that you cannot escape from gracefully. i do not know why the internet doesn't believe these times exist. it's not always just that your physical safety is at risk - sometimes it's legit like "i just don't currently have the energy or time to put in the effort of responding to this." sometimes it's a coworker you hate so much. sometimes it's just like, fine, you know? like you know you can handle your aunt when she's cheerily horrible, but if you actually set a boundary around her, it's going to be weeks of fallout with your father.

i don't know why people think the answer is always just "cut them out!" or "don't let them get away with that!" because ... the real world is tricky and complicated. i think kind of a lot of us have an internal "radiation poisoning" meter for certain people. like - i'm talking about the ones who are absolutely giving you gradual ick damage. like, you can handle them, but you'll be exhausted.

and yes. you absolutely should listen to your therapist and the good posts about handling others and set good boundaries and take care of yourself. prioritize peace.

HOWEVER :) ...... since im often in a situation with a Gradual Sense of Ick person i cannot just "cut out" of my life (without losing someone else precious to me) - i have sort of developed the most. maladaptive form of mischief possible. because like, if i'm going to have to listen to this shit again, i like to have a little bit of private fun with it.

now! again, i am physically safe, just mentally drained by this man. you should only do this with people you are not in danger with. which leads me to my suggestions for when your Unfortunate Acquaintance shows up and says oh everyone pay attention to me.

my favorite word is "maybe!" said as brightly and happily as possible. whenever the Horrible Person starts in on a topic you do not want to go further with, particularly if they make a claim that you know to be inaccurate, do not respond to it. you and i have both tried to actually argue with this person, and it hasn't gone well, because this person just wants the drama of an argument. however, "maybe!" gives them literally nothing to go on. it is incredibly disarming. they are used to people having some response. they know they can't prove what they're saying, and maybe! treats them like the child they are. it dismisses them in the politest way possible.

i like to say maybe! and then, in their stunned silence, immediately change the subject. this is because i have adhd and i will have something unrelated to talk about, but if you can't think of topics fast enough, i recommend just pointing to something and saying, "isn't that lovely?" because fuck you let's bring in some positivity.

by the way. that second trick - of pointing to something and stating an opinion about it? - that just works on its own, like, 70% of the time. i picked it up from teaching preschoolers. it's an intentional "redirect". it stops children crying and it also stops grown adults from finishing their explanation on why women belong in kitchens. dual wielding!

keep it silly for yourself. i absolutely do not care if people think i'm fucking stupid (it's more fun if they do) and as a result i will purposefully misunderstand things just to see how long it takes them to realize i've completely removed them from the subject at hand. when they say "women aren't funny" i get to be like. "which women." "all women." "all women in america?" "no in the world." "like the mole people? the people in the world?" "what? no. like, alive." "oh are we not counting the mole people?" "what the fuck are you talking about." "you don't believe in the mole people?"

similarly, i play a personal game called "one up me." my Evil Acquaintance literally knows this game exists (my family & friends caught onto it and now also play it) and it always fucking gets him. i don't know why. you have to be willing to be a little free-spirited on this one, though. the trick is that when they make one of those horrible little bigoted or annoying comments they are always making, you need to go one unit weirder. not more intense, mind you - just more weird. "you don't look good in that dress." "yeah, actually, my other dress was covered in squid ink due to a mishap at the soup store." "you shouldn't wear such revealing clothes." "wait, what? oh shit. sorry, your son tears off strips when no one is looking and eats them. i swear it was longer before we left the building."

the point of "one up me" is to completely upend this person's narrative. we both know this person likes setting up situations where you cannot "win" and then they really like telling other people how badly you handled it. in a usual situation, if you respond "please don't say something that rude", you're a bitch. but if you let it happen, you're letting yourself be debased. they are not usually expecting door number three: unflappably odd. because what are they going to say when they're telling everyone how badly you behaved? "she said my son eats her dresses" ".... okay?"

if you can, form an allyship with someone whomst you can tagteam with. where they can pick up on your weird "soup store" story and run with it.

the following phrase is amazing and can be deployed for any situation: "oh, be nice :) it's the holidays!" i do not know why this works as often as it does. i'll say it for the most random shit. i think this is bc most of the time these people know they're being impolite, they just like to fight.

godbless. when in doubt, remember that you could always start stealing their pens.

the whole point of this is - if you can't escape. maybe see how long you can just be. like. a horrible little menace.

[raycatzdraws]

Wolfie and Four friendship appreciation doodles! They're shared secrets besties! I hope Four's distrust of the shadow crystal doesn't drive anything between them. Wild found his way into this compilation with a force. It seems I can't draw Wolfie and not include him too!

[hesbianyaoi]

thank goodness for bsd wan and the existence of teacher dazai. where would i be without you

based on a real-life conversation that happened with me and my students when i was a kindergarten teacher. very small children are some of the most ruthless and funny people i've ever met. it's an absolutely lawless land in the classroom (they were very sweet though!)

[unfolded73]

“The Star Beast” was camp and corny as hell and emotionally devastating, just as Doctor Who should be.

[cairafea]

he makes this joke every time.

[stubz]

"Sunscreen time! Everybody go to me or Kim for sunscreen."

Younglings run to either teacher, all except for their newest Fore, a Fyreian youngling.

"...sun scream? What is sun scream?"

"Sun-screen, its a cream we put on to protect us from the sun." explained Max.

"But teacher, cream can't protect us from the sun! We'll still burn if we touch it."

"It's for the sunlight. To let us, especially the ones with more sensitive skin, stay outside longer."

"Oh, I don't need it then. Fryeian's don't burn from sunlight."

"Yes but the sun also puts out harmful stuff, at least this one does, and that can hurt your skin after a long time."

"...are you tricking me? So that I'll put on the cream?" the youngling asked, arms crossed, ears flickering in annoyance.

"No, see?" the human points to his fellow teacher who's putting sunscreen on other children and younglings.

"Kim is putting sunscreen on Malaika, who doesn't get sunburned like the other human kids. Her skin is hard to burn, like you." he points to Malaika, who's giggling as Kim puts sunscreen on her cheeks and neck. "But she still wears it because she and her parents know that the sun can still hurt her."

"...Does Kim put on sunscreen too?"

"...yes. In fact, thank you for reminding me to remind her. She forgets after having to apply it to all the others," Max grins before turning to Kim. "Kim, don't forget yourself!"

"What! ...put sunscreen on me?! ...but I don't-!"

"You don't have enough sunscreen?! Okay I'll give you some of mine!!" he shouts before sprinting over to Kim.

"Wait, I don't need it! I don't sunburn, my skin is-MAX WAIT!" she was restrained before she could run.

"WHO WANTS TO PUT SUNSCREEN ON THE TEACHERS?!"

A chorus of screaming 'yeses' fill the park, dozens of tiny hands, claws, paws, and pincers, reach out to the two with sunscreeny hands.

"MAX! WHY!!" Kim screams before they descend on her.

"TO KEEP THE BALANCE!!" he screams closing his eyes and mentally preparing himself for what is about to happen.

*5 minutes later*

"See Fore? Even teacher Kim wears sunscreen." smiles a very shiny and white Max.

"...yeah, and if I have to wear sunscreen so do you." frowns a very shiny and 2 shades lighter Kim.

"...Okay!" smiles a happy Fore.

"...I hate you...I have sunscreen in my ears..." grumbles Kim

"For the balance...also I've been telling you for years to wear sunscreen so you don't get skin cancer." Max whispers, now happy that now his friend must finally wear proper sun protection.

[hey-hey-j]

sooooo I might've caved and designed some Broppy fan kids for fun.....

here's Petal and Sprout. Branch and Poppy's twins, the prince and princess of Pop.

(★ my Kofi) | (★ commission info)

[mariatesstruther]

okay but sarah celebrating tommy every year for mother’s day

[hinamie]

u should think of tiny megu. To keep the stress at bay. You should draw him actually. Ooooo you wanna draw tiny megu getting the love he deserves so bad /j

he's with his 2 best friends

[delusioninabox]

Daily #2,514! Teach your small child to journal and enjoy writing down all your crimes on their behalf.

[tangledinink]

im just saying that some of the people on this godforsaken webbed site would probably not survive watching siblings/young children interact irl

[otakusapien]

You're allowed to dislike children, but you still have to be polite and reasonably kind to random ones around you for the same reason you're passingly polite to random adults in you're daily life: Because they are people

[piosplayhouse]

It's so important to me that teen binghe genuinely thought he was rizzing sqq up completely like he was fully prepared to propose at age 18 on the dot absolutely convinced he proved himself as the perfect housewife

[tithsokphanny31]

Anyone else remember those Scented markers from the 90's?

[turrondeluxe]

How old do you think the turtle tots are in the comics/art you've shown? (like, roughly, how it's their development)

will probably be a bit long because of pics so!

^ a few weeks after being mutated (basically still newborns, very small)

^ Around 6-7 months! Can be seen crawling around the house

^ Roughly around 8 months old (already starting to string together syllables)

^ Around 3 years old! (Yi is VERY smart for her age)

^ Around 4 years old!

^ extra silly fun fact! they started purring being only a few days old!