The OFFICIAL AIBU buddy bench/naughty bench thread NO 7

[ElmoFan]

Come hither all those who haven't found their place on mumsnet, have scrapped in Aibu or crossed words in chat. The buddy bench shalt not judge.

The buddy bench will hand out wine and cakes, it will join you on your scoffathons getting pissed

All those who sit on the bench, will have their sins erased and be given a warm welcome and cheerful chat from CheerfulYank, gomummy, tiredmum, teaandcake, valiumredhead and far, far too many more to mention.

Welcome to the buddy bench, we look forward to meeting you all

Oh and don't forget, last one to leave polishes bench and locks up!

Naughty naughty I will look forward to seeing a pic, I really have never heard of anything like it

Hope you are ok otherwise?

You start with this and then when you are done you have this :o Gross to adults, fun to kids!

We are planning a whole ocean scene. I'll put a pic up on my FB I'm sure. :)

How are you today, buddies?

I'm taking off this weekend to spend some time in Duluth with my best friends. A whole weekend...ahhhhhhhhhhhh We're just going to laze around and watch Entourage and gossip about slebs. Could not be happier!

Oh also. DS has been coming in our room at 3 or 4 in the morning and saying he's scared and wants to sleep with us.

On the one hand, I remember when I was younger and (after having read a book of ghost stories ) being absolutely terrified. I was so upset, hated the dark, didn't want to be alone, etc. And my parents were really dismissive of it and I remember just lying there crying in the dark with terror.

I definitely do not want him going through that.

HOWEVER. I don't know if he really is afraid or just wants to come in our bed? And our room is very hot and he kicks, so co-sleeping is just not going to work.

I'm not sure what to do...all three of us need a lot of sleep or we are total crabs the next day, and this fractured night business is not going to do it for any of us. Any advice?

Star chart for staying in his bed and super dupa treat if he does for x number of days?

Be honest with me about needing sleep, not enough room blah blah blah but let him know if he's really scared to tell you.

Also how about a night light if you haven't got one cheerful

And them hot dog squids look gross please tell me you don't dip them in jello

Hiya tea hope all is well down there?

And cheerful your weekend sounds delightful I hope you have fun

Agree 100% with Tea Star charts are fantastic . DD starts a new chart each month (for staying in her own bed , eating meals etc) and if her chart is full at the end of the month she gets a special day out or a treat , works wonders with her

Have started a thread in Chat asking if people still consider turning 13 to be a special birthday . Ds thinks it's just a normal birthday whereas i remember turning 13 being a big event when i was a kid

Ds turns 13 next Sunday , i really want to make it a special day for him . Any idea's ? xxx

Hello lovely benchers!

Have a great weekend Cheerful and please promise me you'll never eat those things Let me know if you crack the getting-out-of-bed thing, it is a problem here too.

@ those of you with success with sticker charts, DS just not motivated by the "rewards" system. :(

Cheerful Would it be possible for you to make up a little bed for him on your bedroom floor , maybe one of those Airbed things ? might be worth a try . I remember i considered doing that when dd wouldn't sleep in her own room .
xx

If it comes down to it I would think about it, Elmo. I'd rather not because when he gets out of bed to come into our room (and honestly, with our doors open our beds are probably 10 feet apart in our teeny upstairs) it takes him longer to settle and get back to sleep. I notice such a difference in his frustration level the next day depending on whether he's slept all night or not!

He asked to watch TV today and I told him no because I think he is watching something that is scaring him, and if he's too frightened to sleep then he shouldn't watch any more. Is that too harsh? I think it that works that will be our deal- if you stay in bed all night you get TV time the next day, if not, no. Though that will be hard for me because his TV time is my nap relaxing time!

I am also going to get a flashlight for his room and tell him if he wakes at night and is frightened by something he can shine the light at it to see what it is.

He doesn't have a nightlight but he has an alarm clock that is quite bright, and we leave his door open most of the way and the hall light on. We'll see how if goes!

Yes the hotdog squids were GROSS but DS loved them and gobbled them up along with seaweed (cucumber sticks) crabs (arranged with tomatoes and red pepper) and sea stars (mandarin orange slices). I did not eat them myself. :o

Elmo is there public ice or rentable ice where you live? DB is a winter b-day and had a skating party somewhere around that age, kind of an open invitation thing. My parents brought a BBQ and did burgers and sausages for whoever showed up, played music from the truck, etc. I didn't get there but remember him saying he thought it was great.

That was a long time ago though, maybe there are liability issues and the like nowadays.

13 not a milestone for me personally, but can imagine how it certainly could be.

You are so creative Cheerful, I am in awe of the ocean food!

Flashlight and the nightlight helped DS early on when he was in his afraid-of-the-dark phase. Now, however, he just wants to play at all hours - he has learned to make all kinds of those hand shadow things and will play with it for so long (with loud narrative) that we have to take it away to get some sleep.

Not too harsh at all lovely , needs must ..x It's soooo hard to live on very little sleep . We co-slept with dd until she was almost 4yrs but it took 22 nights of pure hell (she screamed for hours on end) to get her to sleep in her own room . I was like a zombie , coping with maybe 2-3 hours sleep each night.

Would getting him a new duvet cover with his favourite cartoon character help bribe encourage him to stay in his bed ? x

gomummy No ice-rinks near here , but that sounds great :) Sorry but i had to laugh at your ds making shadow puppets in the middle of the night , A very inventive little boy you have there x

Elmo of course 13 is a bit special it's officially the teenage years

Ds1 is 9 tomorrow, and I have heard of nothing else my birthday this and my birthday that

Happy Birthday Tiredmums Ds xxx
Hope you have a brilliant day x

Ha Elmo, come on over and stay for a bit, the shadow puppet thing was not nearly so funny at 2am, 3am, and 4am today! Inventive was so not the word I was thinking...

Another Happy Birthday to TiredmumDS! :)

Fingers crossed that you have a restful night Cheerful!

Well. DH received a Thor doll as a belated Christmas gift today. He has taken him upstairs and says he will be brave all through the night because Thor is brave.

Here's hopin'! :o

Your H? You meant DS right?

LOL LOL LOL! Yes, DS.

PMSL thinking of my 6 foot 4 DH clutching a Thor doll to make himself brave.

:o :o

Did your DH make it through the night?

Thanks for starting my day with a chuckle!

cheerful that made me giggle

Thank you ladies for ds's birthday wishes, he had a lovely day loved his pressies and choccy cake, I have a house full of balloons but all is good

And Liverpool won woo hoo the icing on the cake

Hope you are all having a wonderful day, I am also a week late did test but twas neg will wait to test again, blimey it's all go here eh

Oooooooooh Tiredmum!

No! Really?! SO EXCITED! Go Tiredmum go! :o

And glad DS's birthday was lovely.

Wooooo Hooooooo Tiredmum Keeping ALL fingers & toes crossed for you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

PS PLEASE don't make us wait too long before you do another test