Post by lonegalathome on Mar 16, 2017 12:02:46 GMT -5
kristhegirl- plastic pool and your bath toys- hours and hours!! Also get a little sprinkler for her to run through. Strap max on and go out and have fun together!
I should have said as my kids get older and multiply. With just ds1 we did plenty of parks and Rec stuff and we loved it. But now if I do something with one I miss time with the others after work and they also play well together. And non toddler activities are always at 5 (leave work early - not an option) or 6- when do you do dinner together?
@wafflesfriendswork, yes, admittedly my initial comment was coming from the biased perspective of a household with 2 working parents and 2 kids in full-time daycare-- they already get 35+ hours per week of socialization and activities. but i know that is not the case for all kids, and i can understand why other people would seek that out.
i still think 2 year olds are too young to understand or appreciate "special" activities and vacations.
I'm having a crap day, but I'm here legit laughing out loud that cornpop311 comes in with the UO, "I don't like how my name sounds in a British accent," totally apropos of nothing. Now I'm trying to pronounce your name in all kinds of accents.
ncjulia12 +1 to hating houseplants. Someone sent H this large tree/plant thing when he was in the hospital. Well, no live plants are allowed on the oncology floor so it came home to me, the person in charge of keeping a baby, a dog, a chemo patient, and herself alive.
I gave the plant to our cleaning lady and she was thrilled.
ya'll know these "activities" that @wafflesfriendswork, and I and others are talking about, are one day a week, right? On a weekend, for 50 minutes, in the morning? It's not like its overtaking our lives or we're missing dinners. It's something to get us out, and moving, and to keep us from killing each other!
@wafflesfriendswork, yes, admittedly my initial comment was coming from the biased perspective of a household with 2 working parents and 2 kids in full-time daycare-- they already get 35+ hours per week of socialization and activities. but i know that is not the case for all kids, and i can understand why other people would seek that out.
i still think 2 year olds are too young to understand or appreciate "special" activities and vacations.
Will they remember these vacations long term? No. But as a parent, is it enjoyable and yeah, magical, watching your kid experience the wonder and excitement of a new place, experience or adventure? Hell. Yes.
kristhegirl get a plastic pool (they're like $8) and a water table. I set mine up next to each other the summer sam was born and would sit in the shade with Sam. It was awesome.
Honestly no one really enjoyed the soccer we did for DS at 2. It was too much structure for him. He wanted to run and play and we were wrangling him more than if we had just gone to the park, zoo, etc. I'm okay with one activity at a time but I'm just not willing to pay for it at this age. When they are a little older and it's something they really enjoy I'm more for it. But with 3 kids it gets expensive for everyone to have an activity and it's a lot of running around.
ya'll know these "activities" that @wafflesfriendswork, and I and others are talking about, are one day a week, right? On a weekend, for 50 minutes, in the morning? It's not like its overtaking our lives or we're missing dinners. It's something to get us out, and moving, and to keep us from killing each other!
I grew up playing soccer, my brother played hockey. We had so much fun as a family attending my brother's games, and mine as well. I have the best memories, and we spent many a nights at the dinner table together. If anything, those activities brought my family closer together.
There are pros and cons, there are different family situations, different types of kids, etc. But I don't want to sit inside every weekend and weeknight with Nick, because we would both go stir crazy. I want him to be around other kids, and as long as we can afford it, do different activities once or twice a week at this young age. I just don't see any downside to that at all.
i remember falling down an escalator at Disney when I was 2. #relevant
Omg when we were at Disney we were leaving the pirates of the Caribbean ride on the flat up escalator and DD was wearing her princess Elena dress. And the belt got stuck on one of the panels going up the escalator! I was yelling for H but he had both boys because I couldn't get her unstuck and then finally some other guy helped me get her out and I cried for like 10 minutes and she didn't really seem that bothered by it.
Inspired by yesterday - I don't like putting my kids in lots of activities. This has become more solidified for me as they've gotten older. They have a swim lesson. DS1 has cub scouts. That's it. I've done some reading on pros/cons and really am embracing the non scheduled free play childhood. I know it will get busier as they get older, but no one is asking to do anything else at the moment. They are contented to traipse through the neighborhood with kids and have a blast.
That thread gave me anxiety. There are no options for kids this young here.
I grew up playing soccer, my brother played hockey. We had so much fun as a family attending my brother's games, and mine as well. I have the best memories, and we spent many a nights at the dinner table together. If anything, those activities brought my family closer together.
There are pros and cons, there are different family situations, different types of kids, etc. But I don't want to sit inside every weekend and weeknight with Nick, because we would both go stir crazy. I want him to be around other kids, and as long as we can afford it, do different activities once or twice a week at this young age. I just don't see any downside to that at all.
To be clear, we had activities as well. I also have my kids in activities. But there is a clear limit in our family. When we cannot come together 4 times a week for meals that are not rushed than we are doing to much in my opinion. So much of life is running around to the next place and the next activity. I want my children to find beauty in taking their time, slowing down, and even being bored.
I grew up playing soccer, my brother played hockey. We had so much fun as a family attending my brother's games, and mine as well. I have the best memories, and we spent many a nights at the dinner table together. If anything, those activities brought my family closer together.
There are pros and cons, there are different family situations, different types of kids, etc. But I don't want to sit inside every weekend and weeknight with Nick, because we would both go stir crazy. I want him to be around other kids, and as long as we can afford it, do different activities once or twice a week at this young age. I just don't see any downside to that at all.
To be clear, we had activities as well. I also have my kids in activities. But there is a clear limit in our family. When we cannot come together 4 times a week for meals that are not rushed than we are doing to much in my opinion. So much of life is running around to the next place and the next activity. I want my children to find beauty in taking their time, slowing down, and even being bored.
Slow down time is always good.
I guess my point is that it's really hard to paint a broad brush over family time and activities and all that. Everyone is different. Every family is different. I had a busier childhood, but it certainly never meant less family time, or even rushed. If anything, we spent more time together.
Post by decembergirl1216 on Mar 16, 2017 14:46:43 GMT -5
It seems like there is a little bit of defensiveness about getting the kids involved in structured activities. I shared yesterday that I tried this and it went really badly. It's hard because developmentally they don't share right now, they play side-by-side instead of together, and tantrums can be a fairly regular occurrence. I am sure you ladies are aware. Try not to stress about socialization, it really depends on your kid and their personality. My daughter had terrible terrible stranger anxiety, to the point while we were pregnant with the July '15 babies a man with a hat and glasses on smiled at her and she started screaming and crying. I was panicked about preschool and all that. She started preschool this year and never has shed a tear about going, socializes well, is helpful and a good friend to her peers. My H is a sahd and we live in a rural area so he was never invited to anything playgroup wise.
Use all the acronyms you young people are using these days and keep doing you. There is nothing wrong with saying "I don't like to play and want someone else to entertain my kid for awhile". It's each family's own business how they spend their money but don't stress too much if you can't afford these things or can't because of a new baby.
Yeah, I used to be team "wait until your kids are all at the right age and take one big magical Disney trip" but DH caught a really intense strand of WDW addiction and now I'm team "many mini Disney trips over the years to capture different types of magic at different ages."
This is embarrassing, but in the past three years, DH has been to WDW six times, DS has been five times, I have been four times, and J has been twice. And we live nine hours away. If DH had his way, all of those numbers would be higher and my vote would have been for less. I do have to admit that I'm starting to get really excited about going back this fall. J won't remember it (unless she falls down an escalator, lol) but that's not really the point. We really enjoy it as a family and we'll have fun in the moment even if they don't retain all of it.
Also, related and as a counterpoint, I took DS on a walk up the street the weekend after we went to WDW for the first time and he got more excited about that than Disney.
MH was VERY adamant pre-kids that Disney is a rip-off and no child of his would ever go to Disneyland or be into Disney anything and none of his money would ever go toward Disney ever.
Enter R, who loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and MH suggests getting annual passes when R is barely over a year old and spends his birthday taking him for the first time. Such a sucker.
Re: Disney- I want to go with DS while he is under 3 and we don't have to pay for his admission. And DH wants to go this fall or winter. Except DS doesn't sit still for screen time for more than 5-10 minutes at this point, and that is a stretch. And he is freaked out by characters and costumes. So I think our next trip to Disney will probably be without DS. MOTY winning over here.
We are going next feb to capitalize on the under 3 free admission one last time!
Re: Disney- I want to go with DS while he is under 3 and we don't have to pay for his admission. And DH wants to go this fall or winter. Except DS doesn't sit still for screen time for more than 5-10 minutes at this point, and that is a stretch. And he is freaked out by characters and costumes. So I think our next trip to Disney will probably be without DS. MOTY winning over here.
Y'all clearly have not seen how adorable my family looks in orange. I force, I mean, "encourage" orange wearing in the name of school spirit. I mean - check out baby AB
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