Did you ever.....think other people were being a bit mad in their claims re their child, until you had a second child who behaved just as they described?

[hunkermunker]

I used to wonder about people who said their baby pestered them for food, for instance. Even now, DS1 will amble up to me, say "That's Mummy's orange/biscuit/toast/whatever" then gallop off, with no attempt to cadge a bit.

DS2, on the other hand, fair mugged me for a slice of orange when he was not quite seven months old. He had a perfectly servicable peach at the time. He grabbed a gingerbread man off DS1 when he was 7mo. And now, if there's food anywhere near him, he will pester and gannet for it (often with great success... ), whoever is eating it.

Yep. I have an older sparrow and a younger gannet. "I share" can sound immensely sinister if said a certain way...

DS does too. Everything is his. Unless I am teasing him pretending to eat his in which case he will sharply point out 'yours' at my own plate (ie, stop being a greedy pig mummy').

How are you BTW?

I was definitely a smug - 'my child is sooooo well behaved' parent. That is, up until I had ds2 whose tantrums were the sort that would put most people off ever having children.

Ds1 never had a problem with the word 'No' whereas a No to ds2 mean't World War 3, he should have come with a health warning 'Please don flak jacket, hard hat and thick skin as refusal is likely to cause offence'.

I'm well, thanks, Floss - am biting my nails re house move (all seems a bit up in the air atm) but other than that, all good. How are you? When's your next scan?

Marina, this is the odd thing - DS1 is a total gannet too, but he just won't take food from people. Actually, he will occasionally now - if offered - and when he was about 17mo, he came and helped himself to all the kidney beans out of my chilli con carne, but that's it.

Yes. I think I said "Nice children don't bite" a few times - smugly - re my extremely well mannered DS. Erm DD is a nice child but my wordy could she bite. We even seriously thought about delaying her entry to nursery school.

Ditto re sleep. I gave quite a lot of well meaning advice on the sleep threads when I only had 1 child who would go to be at 7.30pm and sleep through to 7am. Cue hollow laughter when I gave birth to the non-sleeping devil child.

I thought people whose babies didn't sleep were somehow Getting It Wrong.

cue arrival of ds2

I also thought I was a frickin awful mother for having to bellow Sergeant Major-like orders to get any form of response - but ds2 seems to be a delicate little flower who responds to the kindest 'No, darling' (must be lack of sleep)

I have learned that they are not all the same. You can know it, but until you experiance it, you don't really BELEIVE.

Anchovy

Ds1 regularly slept6 from 8pm to 10 am

i am only surprised to be alive, after telling everyone.

I'm fine Hunker, next scan at end of April. Worrying about it!

Hope the house move goes well - sorry to hear its all up the air, I don't know what stage you are up to but good luck. xx

Oh yes - all of ds1's good points were due to my perfect parenting, whilst his bad points were due to naff genes (from somewhere of dh's side of course).

Whilst ds2 did confirm some of the gene theory, my perfect parenting seemed to vanish out of the window.

Am laughing hollowly about sleep comments.

I also had a DD1 who slept well and thought other parents were somehow getting it wrong.
For my sins I have been blessed with The Child Who Doesn't Sleep (9 months and wakes a lot at night, never naps for more than 20 mins during the day) as my second child.

That will teach me to ever judge another parent about anything, ever...