What parenting things do other people do that you absolutely refuse to do?

[FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop]

I never bake my kids' birthday cakes. I can buy a very good supermarket one or pay someone to produce something that looks better than what I can do and has cost me less.

I won't do role playing with them. There are no scarier words than "mummy will you play with me - you be the dog and I'll be the owner". I apparently do it ALL WRONG anyway, I usually say something like "instead, why don't we do some painting" or I even say I'm busy. And I thank God every day the days of playing tea parties are over. Me perched on a very uncomfortable toadstool seat pretending to sip tea from a singing Fisher Price teacup for 2 hours and doing it wrong anyway 😂

@pinatastick

Listen to nursery rhymes in the car. Nope, my car my music thank you!

Ooh same!

I don't even let my kids listen to their (shit) modern music in the car, they have to tolerate my New Romantics bands and soft rock because they basically get everything else they want so music should be mine 😂

I never did Elf on the Shelf because it just wasn’t a thing when mine were small. Same as tummy time. Never heard of it til on MN about ten years after first DC!

Climb up the slidy bit of the slide. Have a present on sibling's birthday. (Everyone has a special day.) Take requests for what they want for dinner. (I'm the adult so I'll decide.)

Against my better judgment I started Elf on the Bastard Shelf 3 years ago.

I deeply, deeply regret it. They now expect it every year and the total tedium of trying new things makes me want to decapitate the little twat (the Elf, not the DC). They also remember if you repeat something!

DD is 9 now and I AM stopping it this Christmas.

Never rocked them to sleep, fed them to sleep, coslept, satcwith them till they were asleep, etc.

Bath, story, cuddle, night night, shut the door.

I don’t drink anything other than water or tea myself, so I’ve only ever offered DC water. Soft drinks should be an occasional special treat not an everyday thing.

This probably sounds mad but I didn’t put DC in childcare until they were capable of telling me what happened. Otherwise god knows what could have happened and I’d have no idea.

@Ragwort

Loads ... I never understood the comment 'I can't even go to the toilet/have a shower in peace'.

Never co slept, never fed my baby to sleep. Certainly never shared a bath or shower with my DC.

Elf on the shelf.

I quite enjoyed baking birthday cakes until the year my DS begged me for a 'shop cake'

Role play, in fact any sort of "play" apart from board games or sporty stuff.

Never took my DC to theme parks etc

Refused to do 'trick or treat' ... one year he really wanted to so DH took him ... came back after 10 minutes saying what a waste of time it was!

No theme parks and no playing? That’s sad.

Never baked with ds(17) before until we had lockdown! Found it is another great way to do something together and talk to a teen who otherwise hides in the bedroom. Now he can do a decent banana loaf and that's about it!

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop

I agree about primary school sleepovers and I'm amazed at how many happen in my DC's class.

You’re amazed people do something their kids love?

It’s school hols here and my two are off for a two/night sleepover at mutual friends this afternoon - great!

Nursery from birth
They never slept in same room as us

Formula feed 😂 come at me!

When I work late, I’ll not sit on the end of the bed of my charges and listen to a blow by blow account of their day, or answer questions like what is your top favourite ant and why, or let’s plan my 8th birthday party even though I’m only 5, or ‘I’m scared of moths’. I’m well aware it’s not a special bonding time where all their cute little worries come out but a way to mug me off and delay bedtime 😂

I generally say ‘look it up in your head and I’ll see you tomorrow, night!’

@LimeRedBanana I wouldn't send them to someone's house to sleep who I didn't know and trust extremely well, some might say that's OTT but that's just me!

It’s no big deal to formula feed,it’s safe and adequate nutrition

Elf on the shelf/Christmas eve boxes!

@EspressoDoubleShot

I don’t smack or physically chastise. Never have,never will.

Isn't smacking children illegal now? I don't think this is exactly an unusual parenting choice in the twenty first century.

Oh cake smash photo shoots! ….why?!!!

I know it's been said but no smacking or physical discipline. It's always those who say well it never did me any harm, really? Yet you hurt small children as a way of communication, yeah you turned out just fine.

@EspressoDoubleShot

It’s no big deal to formula feed,it’s safe and adequate nutrition

Did I say there was anything wrong with it? I was answering the question!

I gave breastfeeding my best shot. It nearly broke me so FF it was. The absolute relief when I put my boobs away.

[quote FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop]@LimeRedBanana I wouldn't send them to someone's house to sleep who I didn't know and trust extremely well, some might say that's OTT but that's just me![/quote]
OK, but amazed that other people do it? Presumably with people they know well and trust?

Birthday parties. Hideous affairs, best avoided at all costs.

Never did controlled crying, or any form of sleep training really, and I am still breastfeeding my 2 year old which I get alot of judgement for. Other than that I'm pretty laid back and there's not alot that I would say 'never' too (apart from smacking that is non negotiable and does not happen in our family) I once said never to Peppa Pig with my eldest and lasted for over a year until my MIL decided to introduce it to her every time she babysat does that count

@airy you seem defensive for no reason. I wasn’t criticising formula. I made a factual response. That’s all

We don’t do Santa.
Never made a fuss over clearing plates.
Didn’t sleep train.