Opinions, Unpopular

[purple]

Just caught up...

@hazeldublin, CONGRATULATIONS! That's amazing news.

Sex with condoms is definitely not the same, not by a long way. Looking forward to when our family is complete so H can get the snip. (I can't use any form of hormonal birth control.)

Gender reveal parties are not a thing in the UK, and I am greatly relieved.

I really didn't care whether L was a boy or girl, but H and I both had a really strong feeling that we'd have a boy first. I had so many scans that not finding out would have been a problem, and I'm glad we did. We were so sure there was a boy in there that we didn't quite believe the midwife at first! I can't imagine not having L now, she's so perfect (apart from her difficulty staying asleep at night, but that's because she's a baby and it won't last forever).

I would love to have two more babies and my ideal would be a boyand another girl. H feels the same way, but since I'll be 40 next year and I had a rough pregnancy, ultimately we'll be delighted if L is the only one. We're NTNP but who knows what will happen, since it took two years the first time!

St Patrick's Day is a religious celebration only in mainland UK (I don't know about Northern Ireland). It's only celebrated in church by Catholics. I am still confused by how big a celebration it is in the US. Why do you have big parties to celebrate the fact that a Welsh person introduced Christianity to Ireland? And what's all the green about?

[Deleted]

Feb 25, 2016 17:14:16 GMT -5 @jemomma said:

Feb 25, 2016 17:10:54 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

Did I miss anything significant?

Guy Fieri

No opinions but WTholymotherF with that picture?!  I wish I could unsee it.

[Bluedaisy]

purple, my husband is a historian so we got into the "why is St. Patrick's so popular in the US" discussion and he did some research. From what he could see it became almost a pride celebration for Irish immigrants to celebrate their heritage. I believe the green just comes from Ireland being the "Emerald Isle" and possibly because of the Irish flag.

This could be totally wrong but it's what we could find on the interwebz

[Bluedaisy]

Feb 25, 2016 16:51:23 GMT -5 Joolschweets said:

Feb 25, 2016 16:23:51 GMT -5 @bubbs119 said:

TARGET TARGET TARGET

muahaha

UO: I don't care in the least that we don't have Target.  The ones we had here sucked anyways...the only good thing was that they had Starbucks.

[pghtruelove]

I tried to read everything but once I got to page 6 I got tired. Here's what I have to contribute.

@hazeldublin CONGRATS!!!



I wouldn't have a revel party but I was alone when I had the anatomy scan so I picked up a pizza and had them put B or G in pepperoni so we could find out together. My BFF took a video of it and you can see on my face how upset I was we were having a girl. I cried for a few days. I'm seriously so happy I have her now and would never change it.

[holliberry28]

congratulations @hazeldublin!! j15's first one, right??

[holliberry28]

I love leggings. But, only with a long top, otherwise, no.

Definitely think pulling kids out of school to take a vacation is worth it if it means saving 1000+ dollars.

If you don't go here anymore, I don't think you get to count as the first BFP on J15. @hazeldublin wins the prize.

I'm terrified of saying anything controversial, because I remember how harsh ppl were on TTGP and I don't have a strong enough personality to get into a debate with anyone, because insecurities.

I didn't have a preference for this LO, but I'll be honest and hope the 2nd will be a girl. I'll be happy with a healthy child of course though.

[jillywilly]

Holy hell you guys had a lot of opinions while I was out and about this afternoon. I actually had thought about posting not liking leggings a while ago as an UO, but then thought it may be too controversial Also, I forgot. But team no leggings, although mostly because I have thunder thighs and hips the size of Texas.
Also, I totally wanted to do a gender reveal with cake and our families, but then we wound up switching OB's around when we got the Panorama results back, so I just found out over the phone. Then I got lazy and incorporated the reveal to families with Christmas presents. Totally want to do it for any potential future babies though, mostly because I like any excuse to eat cake. I'd only invite super close family though that would actually care and enjoy the reveal.

[holliberry28]

Feb 25, 2016 20:13:46 GMT -5 budders said:

Feb 25, 2016 19:55:09 GMT -5 holliberry28 said:

I love leggings. But, only with a long top, otherwise, no.

Definitely think pulling kids out of school to take a vacation is worth it if it means saving 1000+ dollars.

If you don't go here anymore, I don't think you get to count as the first BFP on J15. @hazeldublin wins the prize.

I'm terrified of saying anything controversial, because I remember how harsh ppl were on TTGP and I don't have a strong enough personality to get into a debate with anyone, because insecurities.

I didn't have a preference for this LO, but I'll be honest and hope the 2nd will be a girl. I'll be happy with a healthy child of course though.

In fairness, pbubblegum was the first BFP.

(I intentionally didn't tag her for real so that I didn't drag her in here if she didn't want to see all of this).

That is true. Sorry, did not think.

[Bluedaisy]

I think of all of the stupid shit people let their kids miss school for travel is not on the list. Travel can be a hugely educational experience. I don't think kids should miss a ton of school but I definitely think travel can be worth it.

[Deleted]

Feb 25, 2016 21:22:08 GMT -5 Bluedaisy said:

I think of all of the stupid shit people let their kids miss school for travel is not on the list. Travel can be a hugely educational experience. I don't think kids should miss a ton of school but I definitely think travel can be worth it.

DS1 has missed too much school this year.   1 day for being sick, 1 day when we had to put our dog down (he knew it was happening and was a sobbing disaster that morning), 3 days to go with his dad to MI to see his grandfather during fall break (I was not happy about that one. He could have only missed one.), and 1 day to go to the Super Bowl victory parade downtown.  I heard about 1/3 of the kids in the metro area missed school for that one so sorrynotsorry.   

I am all for travel being a good reason to miss school sometimes but we take all of or trips during breaks.

[wegrowsheep]

Congrats, @hazeldublin!

I like leggings because they are comfy. No other reason. Generally don't wear them out of the house.

Whatever to poop.

Whatever to IVF and sex selection.

Kids missing school? I have an opinion on that. Something like breakfast, no. But stuff that has to do with our family, like St Lucia day, or visiting with an elderly relative (great grand parents, my kids have 3 living), I don't even bat an eye. If the school calls, I tell them to fuck right off. Luckily we're homeschooling right now, so it's a non-issue. But I missed a huge amount of school, particularly high school, for stuff like music competitions, livestock shows, etc, and still graduated with honors.
There was recently a small uproar locally because our district has a high absence rate. I was debating it on facebook, and someone felt the need to point out, " I'd say on an average day, 1/10 of the information that is shared is manifested on a piece of paper (or perhaps less). There is teacher to student dialogue, student to teacher dialogue, and the student to student dialogue, none of which can be replicated. Even the search for the answers, and the wrong answers along the way, are important steps in the learning process, where we discuss how to get to the right answer. This of course, is also aside from non-content-based knowledge that manifests from kids working together taking risks, forming opinions, exploring ideas, building confidence, asking universal questions, helping one another, learning how to positively and responsibly engage with one another, and most importantly - learning how and why to love learning. A worksheet done at home can't replicate that process." Yes, direct quote. I told her very kindly that I can, in fact, replicate it all at home. I did not point out that the "1/10th" bit was most of what persuased me to homeschool. Was tempted though. I believe that parents are capable, probably more so than they believe, of educating their children very effectively. Not to say they should keep kids home all the time, but that missing school does automatically equal missing their education.

[Bluedaisy]

@jimbobcooter, a kid who missed six days wouldn't even be on my poor attendance radar. I have students who miss every Friday or Monday (or both) because the parents want an extra long weekend. Nothing planned, the parents will actually tell me that they didn't feel like bringing their kid to school. That's the problem. I also have had kids who go away for 3-6 weeks at a time EVERY YEAR to go on a beach vacation. This is also a problem. What you're talking about it very normal and as a teacher I wouldn't see it as problematic.

If you can take trips during breaks that's awesome but some people can't.

[Bluedaisy]

@jemomma, don't feel bad we knew what you meant and budders, thanks for clarifying I was wondering what the best way to say it was.

wegrowsheep, I have to respectfully disagree with you on the fact that most parents can very successfully educate their children at home. Take this with a grain of salt as I'm coming from Canadian experiences but here you (a successful home educator) would be a minuscule minority of all home educators. In my experience as a teacher parents who choose to home school often are poorly prepared and have NO IDEA of the commitment it takes. Often the parents pull the kids out thinking it will be better for them and then they are back within a year or two hopelessly behind because the parents couldn't deal with it.

I don't want to dump on you because there are exceptions and I know the US is different than Canada but here anyways I feel that you would be the exception rather than the rule.

[3dimesdown]

Feb 26, 2016 8:52:32 GMT -5 Bluedaisy said:

@jimbobcooter , a kid who missed six days wouldn't even be on my poor attendance radar. I have students who miss every Friday or Monday (or both) because the parents want an extra long weekend. Nothing planned, the parents will actually tell me that they didn't feel like bringing their kid to school. That's the problem. I also have had kids who go away for 3-6 weeks at a time EVERY YEAR to go on a beach vacation. This is also a problem. What you're talking about it very normal and as a teacher I wouldn't see it as problematic.

If you can take trips during breaks that's awesome but some people can't.

I have a friend whose son is in 3rd or 4th grade. They miss a week of school every year to go to Disney World. Now, if they had done this one time, I probably wouldn't have thought anything about it (because Disney is expensive AF and maybe going at a weird time saved them money and gave them a less crowded 1st experience). But... a week for the last 4 years of school to go to Disney World gets major side eye from me. 

[Bluedaisy]

@jemomma, generally our parents are very good about working with their kids and we can catch them up. It can get disruptive when a lot of kids are out. We live in the north so January is prime beach vacation season. It can get frustrating when you are trying to do report cards and you have two kids out the first two weeks, three different ones out week two and three and then five more out weeks four and five. It puts a lot of extra work on teachers to get all the homework and individual lessons ready, not to mention meeting with the parents and then catching the kids up and marking when they get back.

I realize this isn't every classroom and I totally understand where the parents are coming from, the only time I get REALLY upset is when the parents tell us on a Monday that their kid will be gone for three weeks starting Wednesday so "I'm sure you can get three weeks of lessons together to send home with little Susie by tomorrow night."

[3dimesdown]

Feb 26, 2016 9:30:32 GMT -5 @jemomma said:

Feb 26, 2016 9:24:03 GMT -5 3dimesdown said:

I have a friend whose son is in 3rd or 4th grade. They miss a week of school every year to go to Disney World. Now, if they had done this one time, I probably wouldn't have thought anything about it (because Disney is expensive AF and maybe going at a weird time saved them money and gave them a less crowded 1st experience). But... a week for the last 4 years of school to go to Disney World gets major side eye from me. 

Sounds like a fun family tradition to me. NBD. Most of the time when kids miss a week or 2 at a time, they are put on independent study, so it's not like the kid is just dicking around for a week. They have homework and lessons to do. I missed a few weeks of school here and there growing up for vacations and I never had an issue with "catching up." Of course, every kid learns differently, but as long as the parents are willing to spend the time with the kid on their independent study, then I see no issue with missing school.

This kid has a lot of behavioral and learning difficulties anyways and they always get a notice from the district about truancy, but that's not really the side eye. I'm just judgey about Disney World every year to miss school. Do something where you get to experience another culture or something. There's only so many character breakfasts one 8 year old needs to experience in a lifetime, IMO.

[wegrowsheep]

Feb 26, 2016 9:22:42 GMT -5 Bluedaisy said:

@jemomma, don't feel bad we knew what you meant and budders, thanks for clarifying I was wondering what the best way to say it was.

wegrowsheep, I have to respectfully disagree with you on the fact that most parents can very successfully educate their children at home. Take this with a grain of salt as I'm coming from Canadian experiences but here you (a successful home educator) would be a minuscule minority of all home educators. In my experience as a teacher parents who choose to home school often are poorly prepared and have NO IDEA of the commitment it takes. Often the parents pull the kids out thinking it will be better for them and then they are back within a year or two hopelessly behind because the parents couldn't deal with it.

I don't want to dump on you because there are exceptions and I know the US is different than Canada but here anyways I feel that you would be the exception rather than the rule.

I was referring to the ability to provide education in the realm of stimulating conversation, social expectations, etc, in response to the statement made in our district that "if a kid isn't at school, he isn't learning."
I agree on the homeschooling bit, I've seen a fair number of poorly "educated" homeschoolers.

[tiffbot]

edited for info

[erbear]

I'd totally pull my kid out of school every year to go to Disney in the off season.

[3dimesdown]

Feb 26, 2016 9:49:19 GMT -5 erbear said:

I'd totally pull my kid out of school every year to go to Disney in the off season.

[veggiemo]

sammyca, so pretty! Where are you?

[periwinkledaydreams]

How is that place even real? I'm dying of jealousy.

[tiffbot]

Phhhhhh big deal sammyca, we built snowmen today /notjealous