Weirdest things you've seen other parents do as they bring up or care for their DC?

[FortunesFave]

Here are mine.

I was in a public toilet in the cubicle and heard a woman come in with a small boy.

They went into a cubicle together and I heard her ask him repeatedly "Do you want to dirt!?"

She meant poo!

"Do you want to dirt???

Omg.

Second is SIL. When her DS was little...around 2 or so, she'd put chips for him INTO A BOWL OF COLD WATER so they'd cool faster.

Dump the cooked chips into a bowl of water. Leave them there for a bit and then drop the soggy pile onto a plate for the poor child.

WHY? What are yours?

@therespectablecardigan

Dd spent quite a lot of time in hospital as a toddler so I saw some really odd things there. The saddest one I saw was a boy who had leukaemia and his tonsils had to be removed as they'd become dangerously enlarged. I heard the doctors telling the mum that it was a high risk op due to potential for haemorrhage and his platelets were low. Mum then announced she was leaving as she was going to a music concert, so could they make sure to start the op before 1pm as she had to go to get her tan sprayed and start drinking with the girls before the concert. The boy was crying "don't leave me mummy" all morning, and the mum just kept saying it wasn't fair on her to miss it as she'd been looking forward to it all year. She kept badgering nurses to phone the surgeons as she "needed to leave", all the whilst the boy cried louder. Thankfully the boy was taken into theatre before 1pm so his mum was with him, but he came out on his own and didn't have anyone with him until late the next day, when the mum staggered into the ward

A weird one was a boy who had just come back from theatre and his mum was trying to force feed him a king sized Mars bar, a sausage roll and a bottle of coke as "you need a decent meal or the anaesthetic will curdle in your stomach". The poor boy kept insisting he didn't want to eat yet and the mum was getting irrate with him, saying it was really important to have a proper meal 😂

So, do you judge his dad who wasn’t there at all? Or is it just mother’s they aren’t allowed to have a life? Having a sick kid alone as it appears this woman was, I don’t blame her for wanting a break, Jesus Christ.

@TheOriginalEmu really? The mum needed a break? There's a time and place for a break and probably not while your child with leukaemia has a tonsillectomy!
Cannot say I would enjoy a concert and drinks if my already unwell child was in hospital under an anaesthetic!

There absolutely is a time in everyone's life when their needs are greater than yours. This is one and parents, yes both parents, need to suck it up and meet those needs, sometimes at the expense of their own.

@bestcattoyintheworld

Sil used to give her dcs plain pasta with grated cheese sprinkled on every lunchtime. No nutritional value whatsoever apart from some fat in the cheese.

Well, not really. Cheese has protein and calcium as well as fat. Pasta is carbohydrate, which is a good energy source. Children need plenty of energy.

Where my dc were born snot sucking was standard- the paediatricians said it prevented it settling further down and causing infections. We all had ones that attached to the hoover

@TheOriginalEmu you think her need for a spray tan was equal to her son’s need for her to not leave him alone in hospital?

Agreed, @orangeautumnleaves. Children in hospital are very vulnerable and it makes such a difference if a family member can stay with them.

Sil used to give her dcs plain pasta with grated cheese sprinkled on every lunchtime. No nutritional value whatsoever apart from some fat in the cheese.

My mum used to feed me pasta with ketchup at least once a week I reckon. Beat that. (I’ve grown up to be a healthy adult).
I’m not saying it’s the best meal, but if you seriously think cheese and pasta has no nutritional value other than ‘fat’ then you should probably refrain from giving nutritional advice…

Goodness I love the nights when we are in late after a long day and dc request pasta and cheese. Simple and filling with knelt one pan involved

Leave their 15 yr old at home while they fuck off to Crete

Is this not done now? Once I got to 15/16 I didn't want to go on holiday with my mum and dad so I stayed at home and had my friends come for parties sleepovers while I ate my way through the freezer full of pizzas and ready meals my mum had left for me. Tidying up and anything up to a fortnight's worth of dishes would be done in a frenzy three hours before their flight was due to land.

Sil used to give her dcs plain pasta with grated cheese sprinkled on every lunchtime. No nutritional value whatsoever apart from some fat in the cheese.

This is one of DCs 'safe' foods. Often accompanied by half a plain baked potato or a slice of unbuttered bread.

Re - pasta and grated cheese. I wonder if Mac and cheese or a carbonara would get the same judgy reception? It’s nutritional very similar.

DD drinks squash. Not something I really worry about tbh. I didn't drink enough as a kid, I never really liked plain water so I just didn't drink it, and I always had headaches. If we went on holiday to a hot country I would have a headache for basically the whole time! Even now I don't drink enough - I really have to make myself drink. So being hydrated is the most important thing IMO.

It's interesting, this thread, as it's made me realise how individual children all are and how there are often good reasons for what might look like bizarre behaviour.

@CatonMat

Big jobs.

Hello fellow Big Jobber We've always called them Big Jobs. DS 1&2 do too. I'm one of 6 kids & we had one bathroom growing up. You'd have been in there for about 5 seconds before someone was hammering on the door shouting "is it Big Jobs?", trying to get you out. Not exactly conducive to bowel opening. Out of habit, I never linger in the loo - in and out like a ninja - & my sister reckons it's given her serious hang-ups about pooing

All sorts of things are pretty similar nutritionally to pasta and grated cheese.

Cheese sandwich
Toasted cheese
Pizza
Cheese souffle (wheat in cheese sauce, OK there are eggs and milk too)
Cheese scones or other kinds of cheesy baked goods
Baked potatoes with cheese - different sort of carb, but it's still cheese 'n' carbs
Cheese and potato pie
Cheese and crackers

Peckish now.

@Cactu

I’m not sure about the early potty training being damaging. For most of history it’s been impossible to have effective nappies and clearly kids can’t just piss everywhere until they’re 2 so I think this must have always happened. Even basic Terry washables rely on a plastic outer cover to work.

I sat my DS on the potty whenever he was about to poo from when he started eating solids at 6 months. After 2 weeks the only time he ever pooed in his nappy again was when he had a tummy bug at 11mo and he was so distressed about it. It took longer for him to learn not to pee in the nappy but by 18 months he wasn't even wetting at night. A couple of my friends did the same with their kids and had similar results, especially with poo, one from about 3mo.

Babies generally won't poo themselves if they are genuinely given a choice.

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Weirdest things you've seen other parents do as they bring up or care for their DC?265
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Today 16:23Staffy1

You sure it wasn’t “do it” which could sound like “dirt”

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Today 16:27TheOriginalEmu

therespectablecardigan

Dd spent quite a lot of time in hospital as a toddler so I saw some really odd things there.
The saddest one I saw was a boy who had leukaemia and his tonsils had to be removed as they'd become dangerously enlarged. I heard the doctors telling the mum that it was a high risk op due to potential for haemorrhage and his platelets were low. Mum then announced she was leaving as she was going to a music concert, so could they make sure to start the op before 1pm as she had to go to get her tan sprayed and start drinking with the girls before the concert. The boy was crying "don't leave me mummy" all morning, and the mum just kept saying it wasn't fair on her to miss it as she'd been looking forward to it all year. She kept badgering nurses to phone the surgeons as she "needed to leave", all the whilst the boy cried louder. Thankfully the boy was taken into theatre before 1pm so his mum was with him, but he came out on his own and didn't have anyone with him until late the next day, when the mum staggered into the ward sad

A weird one was a boy who had just come back from theatre and his mum was trying to force feed him a king sized Mars bar, a sausage roll and a bottle of coke as "you need a decent meal or the anaesthetic will curdle in your stomach". The poor boy kept insisting he didn't want to eat yet and the mum was getting irrate with him, saying it was really important to have a proper meal 😂

So, do you judge his dad who wasn’t there at all? Or is it just mother’s they aren’t allowed to have a life? Having a sick kid alone as it appears this woman was, I don’t blame her for wanting a break, Jesus Christ.

Today 16:38orangeautumnleaves

@TheOriginalEmu really? The mum needed a break? There's a time and place for a break and probably not while your child with leukaemia has a tonsillectomy!
Cannot say I would enjoy a concert and drinks if my already unwell child was in hospital under an anaesthetic!

There absolutely is a time in everyone's life when their needs are greater than yours. This is one and parents, yes both parents, need to suck it up and meet those needs, sometimes at the expense of their own.

Today 16:47Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

bestcattoyintheworld

Sil used to give her dcs plain pasta with grated cheese sprinkled on every lunchtime. No nutritional value whatsoever apart from some fat in the cheese.

Well, not really. Cheese has protein and calcium as well as fat. Pasta is carbohydrate, which is a good energy source. Children need plenty of energy.

Today 16:48liveforsummer

Where my dc were born snot sucking was standard- the paediatricians said it prevented it settling further down and causing infections. We all had ones that attached to the hoover

Today 16:50LittleBearPad

@TheOriginalEmu you think her need for a spray tan was equal to her son’s need for her to not leave him alone in hospital?

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Today 16:52Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Agreed, @orangeautumnleaves. Children in hospital are very vulnerable and it makes such a difference if a family member can stay with them.

Today 17:11Rosesareyellow

Sil used to give her dcs plain pasta with grated cheese sprinkled on every lunchtime. No nutritional value whatsoever apart from some fat in the cheese.

My mum used to feed me pasta with ketchup at least once a week I reckon. Beat that. (I’ve grown up to be a healthy adult).
I’m not saying it’s the best meal, but if you seriously think cheese and pasta has no nutritional value other than ‘fat’ then you should probably refrain from giving nutritional advice…

Today 17:13liveforsummer

Goodness I love the nights when we are in late after a long day and dc request pasta and cheese. Simple and filling with knelt one pan involved

Today 17:30Clocktopus

Leave their 15 yr old at home while they fuck off to Crete

Is this not done now? Once I got to 15/16 I didn't want to go on holiday with my mum and dad so I stayed at home and had my friends come for parties sleepovers while I ate my way through the freezer full of pizzas and ready meals my mum had left for me. Tidying up and anything up to a fortnight's worth of dishes would be done in a frenzy three hours before their flight was due to land.

Sil used to give her dcs plain pasta with grated cheese sprinkled on every lunchtime. No nutritional value whatsoever apart from some fat in the cheese.

This is one of DCs 'safe' foods. Often accompanied by half a plain baked potato or a slice of unbuttered bread.

Today 17:31Rosesareyellow

Re - pasta and grated cheese. I wonder if Mac and cheese or a carbonara would get the same judgy reception? It’s nutritional very similar.

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Today 17:34SylvanasWindrunner

DD drinks squash. Not something I really worry about tbh. I didn't drink enough as a kid, I never really liked plain water so I just didn't drink it, and I always had headaches. If we went on holiday to a hot country I would have a headache for basically the whole time! Even now I don't drink enough - I really have to make myself drink. So being hydrated is the most important thing IMO.

It's interesting, this thread, as it's made me realise how individual children all are and how there are often good reasons for what might look like bizarre behaviour.

Today 17:38Threewheeler1

CatonMat

Big jobs.

Hello fellow Big Jobber grin
We've always called them Big Jobs. DS 1&2 do too. I'm one of 6 kids & we had one bathroom growing up. You'd have been in there for about 5 seconds before someone was hammering on the door shouting "is it Big Jobs?", trying to get you out. Not exactly conducive to bowel opening.
Out of habit, I never linger in the loo - in and out like a ninja - & my sister reckons it's given her serious hang-ups about pooing.

I knew there would be another who did big jobs.

I can remember being asked if it was big jobs too!

Oh my god.
That didn't work.
Goodbye!

Is it just me or is this thread in itself quite weird? Some dark stuff on here. (I'm talking about the cancer ward observations among other things)

Bloody hell, CatonMat. It's this thread, it's like a weird vortex/portal.

@CatonMat

Oh my god. That didn't work. Goodbye!

I have newly mastered the quote function and am now showing off But I like what you did there...not sure how you did it, but Iike it

@CatonMat How the heck did you manage that? Good job!

@GrandDuchessRomanov

Leave their 15 yr old at home while they fuck off to Crete.

This thread is supposed to be weird things. Don't think I ever went on holiday with my parents after 15!

I really hate it when people use 'cute' words for things because that's how the child pronounced that word at 18 months, and continue to use those words.

I have a friend whose 7yo calls her ears 'waff waffs' and another with a 6yo who calls bananas marnas. Surely it's time to correct them!

My brother does it as well - 9yo niece calls my mum "Banama" (like Panama with a B 😂) and it drives my mum potty, but "oh shes called you that since she was 2"

I have a friend whose 7yo calls her ears 'waff waffs' and another with a 6yo who calls bananas marnas. Surely it's time to correct them!

I'm certain at 6 and 7 these dc always know the correct term for banana and ears. 😏

It's the sun that burns. Whether you can feel the heat or not

My ex-DIL used to shout 'she needs a poo' and leg it to the toilet with her 4 month old and held them over the loo . Both DGC ended up with bowel issues and needed to see a consultant on a regular basis and had to take laxatives for years . DGD was still having 'accidents' at secondary school .