@@ Op-ed: Parents Should Ignore Their Children More Often

[sent]

Maybe it's a liability thing but I don't know of any kid-friendly exercise places around here like y'all are describing. I belong to the Y and they dropped the free childcare after COVID. I think it went to $5 or something nominal but they also severely reduced the hours which I understand with all the labor shortages. They will allow my 10 year old into the gym with me but not the 6 year old.

[dish2501]

Kids should have to do the boring stuff! My kids learn about food costs and meal planning when they grocery shop with me. Each week, we go out for dinner and they place their orders. We laugh, talk, play guessing games. They are more well-rounded because they can make conversation and be self-sufficient.

We still do kid stuff too, but adult stuff can be fun too, and if it’s boring, they’re still getting an experience.

[pixy0stix]

My kid's behavior became better after we stopped bringing tablets/phones to entertain him everywhere. I'm sure some of that is just that he's older, but most of it is that his expectation isn't that he's going to be entertained everywhere we go.

[basilosaurus]

Oct 7, 2024 8:00:22 GMT -5 sent said:

Maybe it's a liability thing but I don't know of any kid-friendly exercise places around here like y'all are describing. I belong to the Y and they dropped the free childcare after COVID. I think it went to $5 or something nominal but they also severely reduced the hours which I understand with all the labor shortages. They will allow my 10 year old into the gym with me but not the 6 year old.

In what I'm sure is horrifying in today's parenting world, my dad would go to the gym before we woke up. At 7 and 9 we reliably used alarm clocks and could get ourselves ready for school. He put a jug of milk on a lower shelf so we could have cereal. What else is a single widowed dad wanting to catch a woman to do?

So I was latch key both before and after school. Also, I got the helicopter treatment from my brown friends' moms. "go to harvard. Be a doctor." lol. Is there an auntie bat signal for the motherless?

I have no dog in this fight since I'm a child free cat lady. I just want quiet in public with whatever means you achieve it (use headphones!).

[beerlover]

Oct 7, 2024 16:16:53 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

My kid's behavior became better after we stopped bringing tablets/phones to entertain him everywhere. I'm sure some of that is just that he's older, but most of it is that his expectation isn't that he's going to be entertained everywhere we go.

This is the case for us too. I will admit we relied on them way too much when he was younger so we could have peaceful dinners. We don't really let him bring technology anymore and it's much better. I wish we had cracked down on that long ago, or just never done it to begin with.

Things also got easier for us when he learned to read, so he can at least have "something" to peruse while waiting places.

[eddy]

This article is interesting because it is exactly how I great up. I grew up on a farm. Work for my parents was sometimes 24/7. My sister and I were along for the ride. Sometimes there were babysitters. But there were plenty of stories of my sister taking naps in tractors or us playing on hay bales as my parents did something. My early childhood memories are all centered around just tagging along. When we did do something kid centric is was always very special and rare. I actually am going to send this article to her as I think she will get a kick out of it. 

Anyways, my own kids have grown up in a much more privileged household with parents who work traditional 40 hour per week jobs. Aka have more time to dedicate to the kids. I am very much a "come along on my errands as a fun thing to do on Saturday" type parent. I never put it together that this was influenced by how I grew up. I just really never liked doing kid centric things nor did I have time for it lol.