to ask you what you love most about your kid(s)

[QueenNefertitty]

Just seen an awful thread about a kid being sworn at in public (promise this isn't a TAAT)....

it made me feel rotten, and for some reason I started thinking about DS and all the things I love about him, listing all the ways he makes my heart swell. I wanted to share them, and thought other people might want to too...

theres always so much turmoil and worry about parenting/ kids/ child development on MN - it seemed like a nice Friday night jolly thread - hopefully not too mushy from me!

Anyway, DS is 18 mo, and the things that tug my heartstrings the most are-

The way he tries to put my face cream on my face and rub it in for me

The way he says 'Mama' when he's tired and wants to breastfeed

The way he offers me his food on a fork if I finish mine first, with a very intent look on his face

The way he stands on my feet and asks for 'a dance'

The way he sniffs tubs of playdough with a big inhale like its a delicate, savoury bouquet

The hand movement he does when he sees a fish in a picture book, or in real life (like a one handed clap)

The way he reaches out to hold my hand when we're setting off walking outside

The way he waves goodbye and shouts 'BYYYYYEEEE' AFTER someone's already left (never before)

I’m way past all the gorgeous stuff when they’re little but have loads of memories of those times.
For me it’s watching my son with his son and seeing that my beautiful baby has grown up into a fabulous Daddy.
I was a single parent for a very long time so when I see them together it warms my heart
Lovely thread

DS is 18. I love that I love tiny babies, and toddlers, and infants, yet every stage of parenting is just better than the last. He is kind and caring, looks out for his mates, fiercely feminist and egalitarian, hilariously dry witted, and incredibly servant hearted. He has patience beyond measure with the boys with additional needs that he leads in our Sunday school, he adores his little cousins and will spend ages taking them out for walks, or playing with Lego or trains.

DD is 16. She too is so patient and caring with her cousins and younger kids at our church. She sings her heart out, dances with abandon, even though she doesn't have the typical ballet dancer's physique. She sees jobs that need doing in the house and does them, often texting me to ask what is for dinner and getting it going before I get home from college. She is empathetic, and the friend that others turn to for support and advice.

They both can be little b@#£@rs, but actually, they are just fab.

Ah, this is lovely.
My DD- her impressions, she can watch/ listen to/ see anything and do a spot on impression. It’s so funny and her accents are spot on.
Her kindness and intuition, for an 11 year old she’s amazingly good at seeing all the facets in a situation. She has a knack for knowing if I’ve had a hard day and will offer to make me a cup of tea.
Her nose. Little freckled snub nose, she’s lucky I haven’t stolen it.
My DS- his quick wit. He is seriously funny and incredibly quick, he catches me off guard with come backs and jokes.
Again, kindness. He always comes out of the house at 5.15 to put my bike away when I get in from work. Without me even asking.
His devotion to family.

DS2 is 9 and every morning he comes into our bed for a mummy cuddle. We just snuggle in and think of ridiculous ways we love each other the most. He makes my heart sing.

I love my 9 year olds curiosity. He so wants to learn everything about the world and seems to think mum knows all the answers! I love that even though he's really pushing for independence and being grown up, he's still very much a child and wants nothing more than to spend quality time with me. He totally kicked my butt at Mario kart the other day. I love that my toddler is a sassy little thing. She struts around with her hands on her hips and is bossy as hell but I love her for it. She's just starting to let me do her hair and likes me to pretend to do makeup on her. It's so cute. She always compliments me on my makeup! Don't get my wrong, my kids can be little shits sometimes but there are so many things I love about them that outweigh all of that.

My first ever post, been a long,long,long time lurker, but this thread tonight (combined with insomnia) made me finally post - what a lovely thread, it’s giving me gritty eyes. So many people these days ‘making money’ by portraying their kids as ‘annoying’ (or worse) it’s really nice to read a positive reminder of why we’re all doing this, no matter how difficult at times. I love how much my 4.5yo makes me laugh, just their thoughts at this age and play can often be so funny and it’s said in such an innocent way.

DD is 2.5 and has started inventing loads of fun games, most of which involve lying in bed and giggling. When we’re not hiding from scary cats, she’s pretending that she’s putting me to bed, or she’s being my nurse, or the other day we just blew raspberries on each other’s necks and laughed. She’s so much fun, and at 32 weeks pregnant with DS I appreciate being able to play horizontally!

She’s funny and joyful and stubborn and bossy and I love her more than anything else in the world. DH and I are just so clever to have made someone so amazing.

DS s sense of humour, how caring he is, how he always backs me up. How he’s the one thing in life I’ve done that has turned out well

I love her personality. I love the way she laughs and gets really goofy and starts laughing over everything when she's tired

Ds1 is 7 and is amazing. He notices when I've bought new clothes and compliments me every time. I'm impressed how his confidence is building. He had always been very shy and we had some serious bullying incidents at school (which have been handled well by the school) and I though he'd be crushed by it. Instead he's made some great friends and has been telling me all about the school science fair this week, which involved going on stage in front of everyone and setting off a volcano experiment.
Ds2 is almost four and is a total cuddle bug. I love it! He has the fattest little laugh and is incredibly stubborn. I admire that he knows his own mind.
Most of all, they get on! They really care about eachother. I didn't have that growing up, I'm actually jealous of their relationship.
Yesterday, ds1 decided they'd have an impromptu birthday party for ds2, which involved dressing up, playing hide and seek, wrapping up toys as presents and playing pretend pinata.
It was so sweet!
Ds2 also has stinky feet and I love them. He tells me off for stroking his sweet little toes.

DS has just turned one. He is so happy and smiley that strangers comment on it every time we go out. I love how joyful and good natured he is. He always wants to give me his toys or food to share. He is warm and affectionate. He loves animals and touches them so gently, and has started to give me proper hugs where he walks over, wraps his arms around my neck and squeezes tight! He has so much energy and he's very determined and curious. He's never phased by new situations and if he wants to learn a new skill he'll go into a deep focus and try over and over again until he can do it. I am so proud of the wonderful little boy he is becoming.

@QueenNefertitty thank you so much for your lovely, lovely comment. It is really tough - even without PND I imagine it's really tough - and your kindness has helped more than you know.

Lovely thread!

DD1 (11) I love how much she loves reading and is a giant nerd.

DD2 (9) She is super affectionate, imaginative and fun to talk to.

DD3 (6) She is a little ball of crazy fun and I love how she thinks DP and I are the best things in the universe.

When DD 14 weeks giggles, I never knew how much it would make my heart burst, tears run down my cheeks laughing with her

How she holds my finger when she has her bottle.

Her squeals of delight.

How determined she is when she grabs something.

Everything really but these are just a few that stand out

DD is 9. She's such an original little person and so optimistic and confident and affectionate too.

DS is 6, also so loving, with the sweetest little voice (albeit too loud much of the time!) and says such hilarious random things.

DS1 is the most kind-hearted person I've ever met. He's never said an unkind thing about anyone in his life, he sees the best in everyone and is one of those people who can find joy anywhere. I remember when he was little I took a party away from him as a consequence for something he'd done (I think he drew a picture of himself and the dog on the bathroom wall and signed it with the dog's name) and he just smiled and said "well that just means more time to sit and snuggle with you". He is like Buddy the Elf with his sheer determination to always be happy. He also pushes himself to extremes physically; having ASD and Dyspraxia mean he has to work hard to achieve a lot of things but he's so stubborn he'll just keep going and going til he gets it right. It's been incredible to watch and he's now a great cricketer, plays for the school football team, swims for our local team and rides horses like a pro.

DS2 is 7 and he is an incredible dancer. He asked me to teach him some ballroom steps (I used to dance as a teen) years ago and now we regularly have dance shows in the kitchen where everyone has point-paddles and has to mark him. He's been fanatical about books since he was tiny and never goes a day without reading. His love of all my favourite childhood books has been something I've loved bonding over. He's also brilliantly creative and is always building and making things; he has a photographic memory for art (if that's a real thing - he can replicate images after just seeing them once) and our kitchen wall is covered in his pictures and posters, he brings such colour to our world.

They both love animals and find animals love them in return; I call them both the Disney Princesses because everywhere they go they attract animals.

I'm not sentimental generally but thinking about this has been just lovely. It's incredible to see the many ways everyone loves and adores their DC.

My 16 year olds ambition and drive, and ability to work hard.
Starting secondary he was labelled (modern equivalent of) a 'swot' because he worked hard and had a drive to learn. Despite ribbing, he never lost it and now at 16 is giving Skype revision to many of his friends!
Plus quirky sense of humour and that he will still hug me!

Lovely thread.

I totally adore my 2 DS and I think they are going to grow up to be the most amazing men.

I love that they are both really hard working. I love that they both have massive amounts of integrity, even at their young ages. I love how fiercely they love their family. I love that they are assertive and confident, but also humble and very grateful. They always tell me they love me and want a hug.

DS has just started choosing to share things (insisted on sharing his grapes and his ice cream with daddy) and caring for people (got a bump buddy for his grandma's sore arm) and it's so lovely! The stories he makes up, the songs he sings, the space rockets he builds out of every construction material under the sun, and the way his arms snake round my neck for a cuddle.

Love this thread, and it reminds me of what I’ve got to come with my lo who is 9 months old.

The way he looks at me with delight when he does something amusing that amuses him, like bashing two toys together.

The way he says mama

He tries to feed me his snacks with an earnest little look on his face

His beautiful little laugh

Amazing thread- my pfb is 4 months and my heart melts when he smiles especially as it's only for mommy when he wakes up 😍💕he goes bananas if it's his dad 😂

DD9 her insatiable love of reading and her wacky imagination. Shes had numerous stories and poems published in childrens collectives.
DS7 his unselfishness and politeness. For example he insists on holding doors open for others and says 'Good Morning' or 'Hello' to just about everyone on our long walks.

They both enjoy helping me with the housework too! Hopefully their future spouses will appreciate it.

@peachgreen

I hope you see this -

I had awful Postnatal Anxiety. Full disclosure: I began OCD thought spirals and convinced myself I had postpartum psychosis. I avoided inpatient treatment, and managed to work through it with psychoanalysis - but it did end the relationship with my son's father - who simply couldnt cope. I was supposed to be 'the strong one'.

I have had some very very dark times - but here's the light at the end of the tunnel - tonight, I'm here, a single parent to a stunning baby boy, who is asleep next to me with a face still sticky with ice cream. He's laughed and tantrummed like a loon all day, and I'm shattered -

But I wouldn't change a single, single minute. Okay - maybe I wish I hadn't wasted so many minutes on the thought spirals - but otherwise? I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. It's hard but bloody hell it's worth it. And please - read all the other heartwarming, tearjerking, laugh out loud posts on this thread, and hold them in your heart as a signpost of all the good times you have to come - honestly, it'll be golden in the end.

@baz

I fantasise about 'going for walks' with DS ... we've just started ( takes about 3 hours to get from one end of the park to the other , with lots of dramatic 'lying down on the ground) - but am already planing a trip to walk the Santiago de Compostela when he's old enough.

You're lucky you've got a natural, friendly walker!

My daughter is all grown up now - nearly 30 but I love to look at her and wonder about how amazing she is. She's got quite a bad disability that is only going to get worse and she has been in a wheelchair for a few years now. She's not let that stop her and she has married and produced two beautiful children.

I am totally in love with her and her positivity and practicalness and most of all her generosity in sharing her lovely family with myself and my husband.

I'm very lucky that she has never been a moment's trouble to me - we have NEVER had an argument - not once.