If you saw a child with a safety vest on and something was written on it, would you look to see what?

My kids are starting School and they have only ever been in a locked down facility before but this school is not. If they elope and are seen by someone else I want to have something that indicates the need for help. They are going to have a tracking device on them but that isn't immediate enough help. I'm also getting them a medical alert with my number on it but the issue is an adult might not be immediately alerted by seeing a kid alone. I have access to a cricut so I could make them a custom vest 🦺 that's very bright and has something written on it. Not sure what to write yet. Feel free to give ideas.

in our community

Disciplining your child

So there’s been a few posts about spanking recently. I DO NOT want this to become a discussion on the merits of spanking nor vilifying people who do spank.

For the record I am against spanking. But then other people are saying that time outs and removal of toys etc are bad too.

How do you discipline your child to encourage a secure attachment, good emotional regulation, and robust nervous system development in your child?

neighbours having their garden done (rant)

I KNOW ITS THEIR RIGHT TO GET THEIR GARDEN DONE OR WHATEVER BUT ITS ALSO MY RIGHT TO BE SEETHING WITH ANGER 😭😭

baby is teething and going through huge developmental leaps which means sleep and nap times are officially world war 3, hes sleeping so extremely lightly or just refusing sleep as a whole 😭 im a single mum with very minimal childcare support so i'm dealing with everything myself and have literally been at wits end going insane because i need a break and the only time i get a break is when he naps WHICH HE ISNT DOING 😭
he also will not settle with anyone so if i accept childcare (which i do appreciate, this isnt their fault!) then when i get him he is just inconsolable and screaming because hes even more overtired than before and in turn even harder to settle🫠🫠

anyway he was extremely overtired and screaming and I finally managed to get him to sleep after hours of it... then I had 10 whole minutes before they started drilling in the garden next door 🤩 I have my windows and curtains shut in anticipation but it's just so fucking loud it doesn't matter!! its a miracle getting him to sleep as it is and he will not nap in any other room!!

they've been drilling all day every day for the last week now and its driving me INSANE!
theres nothing i can say or do about it either as they're just doing their job. i did ask them how many days left of the job and they said they didnt know.
its not like they're drilling at unsociable hours or doing anything wrong but its just the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE right now 😭😭 i am SO STUPIDLY ANGRY

Feeling fragile - NEED TO VENT.

I've just been visiting my Nan at her care home with my 7 month old. Whenever we go my daughter always gets loads of attention and the residents love her.
Today the visiting daughter of one of the residents made a remark which has upset me and this has surprised me.
My daughter rocks back and forth if you're holding her or she's sitting. This lady goes "oh she's strong, she's crawling too?" and I told her that she isn't crawling yet. Her immediate reply is one of disappointment/concern. She goes on to say "well dont let her skip to walking! My adult daughter skipped crawling and is riddled with anxiety, it's all connected".

I was like what the actual F***.

Firstly please may I see your diploma, lady I've only just met.
Secondly my son didn't crawl, has she now created something new for me to worry about????
Thirdly, I AM CRIPPLED WITH ANXIETY which you'd think she'd be a bit more thoughtful about having a daughter herself who suffers. She didn't think twice about passing down this "helpful" advice.

I have never been knocked by people's comments before but today I am feeling rough. It took all my energy not to cry. Of course I am blaming myself. We don't use containers like bouncers etc but I spent a lot of time walking with her in the pram or she is on my knee but whilst my son does football and swimming so of course naturally I feel like I've f*kd up already 😀 next time I see her I am going to say "think before you comment please".

I know this is a bit dramatic but like I said, I am fragile today. My daughter is currently playing on her tummy and I don't know what else I can do tbh. I thought we were doing the right things 🤷🏻‍♂️

Didn’t realise potty training was quite this intense

I’ve started potty training my 22-month-old daughter, and today is day one. She sits on the potty without any problems. I didn’t realise how intense potty training could be! 🥲

Basically, I’m watching her the whole day and taking her to the potty every 20–30 minutes, which is quite hard work!

She’s showing all the signs that she’s ready for potty training, so I’ve decided to stay home for a few days and let her wear just her underwear.

I know it’s only day one, and I’ll keep going like this even if it takes weeks. I’ve already accepted that the first few days will probably be the hardest. My back is hurting, and cleaning poop out of underwear is definitely not a nice experience! 😅

How do YOU maintain stress-free school day mornings?

With school starting back up next week it got me thinking into ways I could make mornings easier. I already went ahead and implemented the daily “outfit/uniform” organization to make life easier for my kids to dress themselves each morning and we have a designated shoe rack near the door. Interested to hear from other moms what they do to make their mornings stress-free without having to repeat themselves, nag, beg, bargain, negotiate, etc.

What tips would you share to help other moms out? Let’s share the knowledge instead of having to pay money towards some “Master Class” lol

Feeling like a really shit mum today

I’ve just spent the last hour crying my eyes out I feel like such a shit mum.

My 2 year hasn’t slept properly for 5.5 weeks due to a sleep regression, and there’s no signs it’s getting better, so we haven’t slept either. And since last night she’s had a fever and a stomach bug or something so she couldn’t go to nursery today.

That meant I had to work from home whilst looking after her all day with no support (no annual leave at work left, can’t afford unpaid leave, no family nearby to help, husband works in a call centre so he can’t help).

I think she was getting bored of me working, because all day she’s been horrible to me.

Throwing things at me, hitting me in the head hard with hard items to the point I have a lump and a headache, shouting at me, jumping over me when I’ve been on calls, refusing to have her temperature taken by hitting me and screaming in my face, and by the end of working and her still throwing things at me I shouted at her and told her off. She then went off crying because she doesn’t like being told off, and I felt like the worst mum in the world.

And I’ve been crying ever since.

I hate the fact I had to work today instead of give her my whole attention. I know people will come at me and tell me I had a choice but I didn’t. We can’t afford for me to take unpaid leave as my money covers most of our bills and food on our table.

I’ve just felt so stressed out and burned out today from a mix of everything I just feel like such a shit mum.

I don’t think I have a point to the post, I just needed to get it out and vent because I have no friends and nobody to talk to other than my husband and he doesn’t get these feelings because she’s good as gold when she’s with him.

Does this age ever get better because I don’t know how much longer I can cope with not sleeping and the tantrums?