I like learning who they are, helping them grow into who they want to be. I like introducing them to new experiences, finding experiences and concepts together. I like providing information or resources to my eldest and seeing how he works them into his developing worldview

Oh man, I love being a mom! And idk maybe you would count this as being about my kids but I have been fascinated by the process of them developing into their own person. I would say I get the same joy and happiness that a gardener gets from seeing their plants grow.

Like the minimum standard for half ass parenting was having an adult in the home overnight

And riddle me this, batman, where were mom and dad, how long were they gone, and how quickly could a trusted adult get to you in case of an emergency?

Idk how to tell people that we sometimes make shit arrestable because it's the only way people with a lack of common sense might think twice about doing ill advised shit.

There are very few tricks, just consistency and predictability. If you did a yelp and out your kid down every time they grabbed your boob, whether it hurt or not, they'd stop quickly because they don't want you to be upset with them. But you don't want to upset them so...

No one is arguing they are a perfect parent. But some concepts shouldn't take over a year to get right. I would think titty twisters from vice grip toddlers should be one of them.

It's been a year. If you can't get a toddler to stop pinching you over the course of a year, there's something amiss. But just to reiterate, I've successfully taught every child I've ever cared for to keep their hands to themselves and not touch private parts, including my three

And if mom doesn't believe she has the right to tell her child not to touch her breasts and mean it to the point of enforcing it with increasingly firmness, then it's gonna be hard as hell for the kid to understand that no one should touch their private parts either.

Non-snarky post: body autonomy is a concept taught to children incrementally throughout their childhood and it starts with teaching the concept of private parts in toddlerhood and who is allowed to touch them. Lady doesn't agree her child can't touch her breasts 1/

Listen, just don't put three kids in soccer at the same time. These people live in cages the built, wear the key around their neck like a badge. But also, kids are exhausting so by all means, check them strings

But every last mom I've ever met who couldn't get their kid to stop hurting them was weird and wishy about the appropriateness of making their kid stop, exceptions made for kids with special needs depending on the circumstances

You might not know what projecting is. I've been someone's parent for almost 25 years, have been a childcare provider, a nanny and I've spent large amounts of time with parents of all stripes. Never had an issue getting a garden variety kid to stop hurtful behavior

But moms like this think telling a kid no in harsh voice, putting them down, denying them comfort on demand for a few minutes to reinforce a boundary causes psychological damage so snark it is.

The genuine answer is to yell "ow! That hurts" and put them down. "Mommy isn't going to play with you if you hurt me." And then don't. But she also needs to have regular talks about the importance of not touching people's parts but she's been told this, I promise.

Yeah so you're unfamiliar with this exact breed of learned helplessness then. She doesn't want help. She wants a cookie for her suffering.

And lastly, it's actually the better educated, higher skillset and trained careers that are affected by significant employment gaps. So just wrong from every angle

plus if it's not that big a deal, why don't moms take the first year and men the next since it's not a big hit, right? Which it wouldn't be actually if men did this

And it's also a financial hit, long and short term. Certifications can lapse, the industry can shift causing a knowledge/skil gap, etc. It's more than basic employment. And most end up with a 4-6 year gap.

Sean Connery and Patrick Dempsey were in their 50s when they wore this PR crown...