I’m not sure if this fits this subreddit, but it’s directly linked to becoming a parent, so I guess it does?

We have a high energy rescue dog who’s quite sweet but definitely has his challenges. He was definitely spoiled before we had a kid, and his world was well and truly rocked when our baby arrived.

It was strange because I always knew our dog was quite soft, but something in me switched when my baby was born. Some sort of cavewoman instinct kicked in and suddenly instead of seeing our furry family member, I saw potential danger to my baby, even if something were to happen completely accidentally.

We got through the first year reasonably well, but since then, it’s been a bit of a slippery slope.
Toddler running around the house with snacks in their hands, potty training, keeping the dog away from toys (and vice versa) - all these little things have made everyday life so much harder. So for a long time our dog definitely got the short end of the stick from me. But then something just snapped. But rather than feeling angry or resentful anymore, I realised I just didn’t care about him anymore. I imagine this is what it feels like when people are mentally checked out of a marriage - hence the title. He’s just an animal who exists in our house. I look after him and make sure his needs are met, but the joy and love I once felt for him seem to have disappeared. I feel incredibly guilty about it but unfortunately, I can’t just force myself to feel differently.

I’ve tried making more of an effort to bond with him again, going on walks and playing with him 121 but nothing seems to change. I just don’t feel that connection anymore. Instead, he feels like a constant nuisance, another thing I need to manage and look after. What makes it particularly confusing is that I don’t feel this way about any of my “human family” members, so I don’t think it’s general parental burnout. It seems to be specifically my relationship with the dog that’s changed.
Anyway, rant over. Has anyone else experienced something similar with their pet after having kids? How did you deal with it?

So I have 2 boys, one 2 in November, and one 5 who’s 6 in April. So about 3.5 year age gap. They adore each other. 5 year old is very gentle with 2yo.
So when we put them to bed, the 2 year old always tries to tuck himself up with the 5 year old. 5 year old is in a single midsleeper so we wouldn’t allow him to stay in there.
2 year old has a small double bed and wakes once a night, and me or my husband goes and sleeps with him so essentially cosleeping 50% of the night. This is a floor bed.
5 year old is a sterling sleeper, sleeps right through and will lay in until 7:30 am every morning, with bedtime being between 7pm and 8pm for both of them. 2 year old will wake up between 6 and 6:30, but will go back down to sleep until 7:30 with some snuggles.

5 year old is DESPERATE to share a room with 2 year old. Wants him to stay in his bed every night when 2 year old tucks himself in. We’ve always thought yeah absolutely not with 2yo still waking in the night.

And tonight I’ve thought, well, wait a minute - 2 yo only wakes as there’s no one in bed with him. I could kill 2 birds with one stone here. 5 year old sleeps like a log, and has shared a room with him before at nanas house albeit in different beds and the night wake has never woken him, even when 2yo is screaming his bollocks off. I could get a full nights sleep (potentially) and fulfil my 5 year olds constant mithering to sleep in the same bed as 2yo.

Would I be insane to try this? Is it even safe?

Currently sitting in a&e with my almost 2yo.. we've been here since 9pm. We've done 4 rounds of inhalers but the doctors still aren't happy.

Everyone I was speaking to has gone to bed. Anyone else out there looking for some night company? Why are you awake?

When my son started "getting personality" at 1+, I found go-to parenting moves that worked for me. Not feeding energy to tantrums, some distraction, lots of hugs but not going back on a boundary, making sure he's fed good stuff and had his rest, this worked.

As he became more opinionated about 2-2.5 yo and discovered the word "no", I evolved. "Do you want to walk or mummy to carry you?". "Now we do x, then we will do y". Physically helping him move in the right direction. These helped a lot.

The recent level up has been brutal. It feels he just specifically does everything he isn't supposed to. Selective hearing. I can say "don't do x" and he will do exactly x. And then do it again. When I say no, he shrieks, roars, tries to kick or bite me, or blows raspberry (usually all in turn). When I take a toy away because he threw it at me, it's a 10 minute cry, push, and whine trying to get it back - can't distract him anymore. At the same time any explanation of "I took it away because we don't throw toys. You will have it back tomorrow and we will try again" just fly right over his head.

It feels like I am constantly only ever getting him to do things by threatening. "We sit in the bathtub, sit down please" "No" "Okay, the bath is done then" and only then he sits down. And if this happens a couple times and I finally say "You keep on splashing even though I asked you not to, bath is now finished", the drama that follows is unreal.

This is so exhausting and not fun. What do I do to help us through this new stage?

6 years and 4 months, year 2.

He’s been a handful since birth. As a baby/toddler he never slept, cried/screamed a lot, was never peaceful and still and was very frustrated in the run up to each milestone. Spoke early and fluently (could hold a conversation before 1.5) and skipped crawling, electing to cruise and then run at around 12 months.

He’s also very clever. He’s the best mathematician and one of the best readers in his year. School have no behavioural concerns that we’ve been made aware of. I think he coasts at school. If he wanted to I think he could actually achieve more but he hates anything that requires effort. He is naturally quite ‘lazy’ (awful word to use about a 6 year old but I can’t think of anything better) and hates anything challenging. Hates exercise (despite needing lots of the stuff) and refuses anything with an element of competition.

His behaviour at home is so challenging and just getting worse. My husband and I are really trying - we’ve done a local parenting course and read a few books but nothing is working. He’s constantly acting up, constantly winding everyone up, constantly seeking attention, constantly in motion, constantly making noise, constantly arguing the toss and constantly disruptive. He seems to care very little for us and has no natural inclination to please us. Consequences are hard because he just doesn’t care about anything. He has no access to a tablet or phone and TV is limited. We get him out everyday for hours and hours as a day at home is torture.

Has anyone had a kid like this and come out the other side?

I know they call it the terrible twos, but honestly, I find this age so incredibly difficult! I have a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, so this is my second time going through it, and it’s still just as hard. It’s like living with a tiny dictator who constantly changes her mind about what she wants and has no problem screaming in your face if you get it wrong. I never knew “I want Bluey” could be said with so much rage!

My eldest’s tantrums started to ease a bit after he turned 3, and now he’s nearly 5 it's very rare for him to have a major meltdown. So I know it’s just a phase and things will (hopefully!) get easier. It’s not all bad too, she can be so sweet and cute too & make me forget how difficult she was being 5 minutes earlier.

I just find this age so difficult because there’s absolutely no reasoning with them. I remember thinking when my son was 2 that he’d have fewer tantrums if his speech was better, as he’d be able to better communicate what he wanted. My daughter’s speech is miles ahead of where his was at 2, and her tantrums are just as bad, if not worse, so I can confirm that theory was completely wrong!

I’m sure I’ll probably miss this age when they’re teenagers and dealing with much bigger problems that are harder to help them with. But when you’re in the thick of it, it really does feel like a hard slog! I’m not really looking for advice, as I know it’s all part of their development. I just wanted a little rant with other parents going through the same stage!

My 3yo is a big girl, 90th percentile for height and weight. Has always been on this centile from about 6mo.

I feel like she is just constantly hungry!!! All I seem to hear is “Mummy I’m hungry”, “Mummy I want a snack!”

We keep meals and snacks healthy, occasionally having a treat but usually this will be on a weekend. She has only gained 1.5kg in the last year which I understand is on the lower end of average weight gain for 2-3 year olds.

I always seem to hear of people saying their toddlers survive on nibbles of food but mine is the complete opposite!

I’m interested in hearing from women who are single or divorced mothers, especially those raising children without much family support nearby.

With the rising cost of living, expensive housing, childcare costs, bills, groceries and other everyday expenses, I often wonder how single mothers manage everything on their own.

For those of you in this situation:

- How do you manage financially on one income?

- Do you work full-time, part-time, or rely on any additional support?

- How do you balance work, childcare, school runs and household responsibilities?

- Are you able to save anything for emergencies or the future?

- Do you receive any support from your ex-partner, family, or the government?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from women who don’t have parents or relatives nearby to help with childcare and day-to-day life.

Please feel free to share your experiences, whether positive or difficult. I know everyone's circumstances are different, and I'm hoping to understand how women navigate this reality in practical terms.

Hi all, I am a FTM of a 16 month old boy. I love my son, but he was unexpectedly very small when born (less than 6lbs), I have anxiety anyway and a brother with severe additional needs which I think has created a perfect storm where I see signs of my brother and feel disappointed about my son, which makes me feel the worst mum in the world.

He isn't walking yet, but has taken independent steps and cruises everywhere but it's really concerning me. He has been the later end of all milestones which makes me panic. I see other mums talking about their 16 month olds walking, talking and seeming so much more grown up than my son who seems such a baby still. I also worry he only responds to his name like 50% of the time, and doesn't look at us when we're carrying him.

Things he does well are he's very sociable and loves strangers- he'll sit in a restaurant and wave at everyone lol he can say mama, dada, ball, points at everything and says there, knows bye bye and hiya and no, eats really well and mimics us and loves to play with his toys. I guess I just needed a bit of a rant today because I've had a bad day 😔

I am probably making a mountain out of a molehill here but am really struggling with feeling like a failure as a parent at the moment. My daughter is an only child and I have no close mum friends or kids in my wider family so can't tell if I'm being ridiculous.

Up until turning 3 at the end of August, my daughter seemed to be doing amazingly and I adored spending time with her. We were having increasingly long and genuinely interesting conversations. She seemed so excited to learn about the world - animals and plants and planets. She seemed to love long stories and engage with the stuff in them. She would tell me all about her days in nursery and ask me thoughtful questions. She was so outgoing and confident with other kids.

Now she will tell me nothing about her days. She seems to have reverted to babyish language. She is no longer interested in anything but her most babyish books and interrupts stories and won't sit still or follow instructions half the time. She's become almost mute around other kids and clingy and shy. She seems to have forgotten all the letters she used to recognise so confidently and to be going backwards.

I can't help but think I'm doing something really wrong. She goes to nursery every day because I work full time - she's in the preschool bit now and the feedback has changed from 'she's so bright and fab' to 'she's doing ok'. I feel guilty about that. I've also been struggling with depression for a few months and feel I'm not being stimulating and engaging enough when I'm with her anymore. I'm over-relying on TV and silly games and easy options. I've bought all these phonics books but can't bring myself to push them on her as she's so uninterested. I try to organise play dates and activities she will like and find stimulating but I have so little time and so little energy and it feels like I'm wasting the chance to give her a good start.

These are really insignificant things I realise in the grand scheme of things but I especially worry because my daughter will likely be the youngest kid in her year when she starts school in September. Has anyone else's kid seemed to go backwards at this sort of age? What should I be doing to support my daughter to be ready for school next year? Am feeling alone with this and so concerned I'm letting her down.

Hey everyone, wondering what everyone else is doing with young children (25 and 5 months) in this miserable weather! TIA

I have to be honest, my kids are 6 & 2 and they ain’t staying anywhere other than family for a few years yet.

On an inverse, I wouldn’t really feel comfortable hosting another child for another 3-4 years.

Is this just me?

I sometimes find the endless noise of being a parent of two young kids overwhelming. Has anyone used Loop earphones to reduce the volume a little? Did it help?

Hi all, my girl is 2.5 years old (LG2) She has an older sister (LG1, 6 yrs) who she wants to keep up with all the time. This is delightful but on occasion fraught with danger. We still use the pram religiously as LG2 struggles to keep up with the rule 'Hold hands when walking on the pavement'. I have been practising walking holding hands with LG2 on the same stretch of road since September. Since then we have Once walked up the whole pavement holding hands, and that may have been due to her feeling poorly and therefore less strong willed 🤣 I'm sure with consistent practice we will get there before she starts nursery next September.

I'm just finding it so tough trying to juggle giving her the basic autonomy she desires and keeping her safe.

Does anyone out there have the instructions please!

Just thought i would share this funny little episode. My 3 year old daughter has always struggled with swimming. We are trying hard to swim with her as much as possible and my wife takes her to swimming lessons every friday. She has a little float jacket on but even so, as soon as she goes in the water she clings to my wifes swimming costume and will scream if you try to get her to let go.

Anyway, my wife packed some snacks as they were going on to something else after the swimming class. Our little one saw a pack of quavers and that was it. She wanted them in the car, in the car park, in the changing room, in the pool, absolutely refused to do anything and cried for quavers. Finally my wife lost her patience and sat her on the side of the pool and said "if you dont do some swimming, you won't have quavers!" Rather than crying, the little terror just said ok, picked up a nearby noodle and swam across the pool with it! Everyone's mouth was open! She can swim!!!!! Weeks of refusing to even consider it but when quavers are in the mix, she is nearly Olympic ready!

Our work secretary emailed saying “enjoy the extra hour in bed” and all I can think of is “nope I’ll just be up at half 5 in the morning!”

I am the applicant, so far we have only had an urgent directions hearing back in August where my Lives with & PSO were granted, and Dad was denied any contact not even in a contact centre.

Since then he has completely ignored Cafcass therefore they have recommended zero contact and closed the case.

Now we have this Dispute resolution hearing scheduled, but the court haven’t specified in the order what is required from either of us or if any evidence or position statement should be prepared.

I am representing myself, can anyone give any advice what to expect? Thank you

England, UK

Has anyone’s baby had good eye contact at 3 months but seemed to make less eye contact by 5 months?
My baby used to make good eye contact at 3 months, but now at 5 months, he mostly looks at me when I sing to him. When I talk to him normally or try to get his attention, he looks away or down instead of looking at my face.
Has anyone experienced something similar with their baby?

When did they start doing puzzles?

Over the past two days I have fallen into a trap I thought I’d never fall in to. My 17 month old is refusing lots of food at the moment. Three days ago he refused what we offered at dinner and come bedtime he hadn’t eaten any more than half a green bean since lunch. That night he woke every 20 minutes fussing and needed endless boob and I vowed to never let him go to bed hungry again.

The past two evenings I have been determined to get him to eat but also not to cave in and just give him oat cakes, fruit and yogurt (old reliables). He will purse his lips together, shake his head and scream NO.

Then I put Thomas the tank engine on. He sits, transfixed, and placidly opens his mouth when presented with the spoonful of bean stew. Finished his bowl.

I don’t want to rely on this but I also want him to eat!!! What do I do?

Hi Parents! My daughter’s birthday is on the 26.12. This year we are planning her first proper birthday party ( she turns 4). We would like to invite all her friends from pre school. Would it be best to celebrate on the 12.12? Or rather first weekend in January? What’s everyone’s thoughts? I’d love December as this is my bday month too and it’s very special. But will people be too busy? Be away?