6-8 year old parenting club birthday partys, homework and extracurricular decisions

[2in2022twoyearson]

Hi,
Anyone want to join me navigating this age of parenting? Children could be outside this age bracket.

There's lots of baby toddler advice groups and some teen groups but this age I feel a bit in the dark.

I have a soon to be 7 year old girl. She's amazing, loves school, but I often feel like I'm doing or saying the wrong thing to and with her. She's going through a stroppy stage, finds school tiring.

Me and her dad work a lot and we haven't signed her up to many extra curriculum clubs, some of her peers have done loads since reception.

We're planning her birthday party and she has lots of opinions about it, I'm feeling the pressure!

That's good, its a good age for playdates. Our neighbour has their grandson visiting who is just a few months older than DS so they are in and out of both our houses all the time when we're home, along with the girl up the road. Its always a bit chaotic but they have fun.

Some of her classmates live on our road but there not close friends. I think these children who live closer to the school do more playdates. One mum mentioned it over a year ago when we were on the playground together. But then when I followed it up she was too busy, grandparents do lots of childcare. Both girls were expecting it and a bit upset. It's put me off a bit.

Oh that's a shame

Maybe I need to be more pushy and keep asking. She's going to a birthday party of a boy who this weekend who was at her party and seems nice, they've only started playing together at school recently. He has similar interests to my DD so I'll try and talk to the mum about playdates this weekend.

Yeah keep asking. Though usually its the kids that ask at this age, which parents often find harder to say no to.

I need to work on DH about brownies too as there's space but he's reluctant, I think it's beneficial...

Yeah very beneficial, DD learnt so much in Scouts

How's everyone doing? My DD enjoyed a new graphic novel called boss of the underworld Shirley Vs the green menace. Today we have her last swimming lesson, then a bowling birthday party. Going to try and be sociable with her friends parents for her benefit. See about meeting in the summer holidays. See if they are staying hanging about nearby or something.

I need to work on DH about brownies too as there's space but he's reluctant, I think it's beneficial...

Any particular reason he's reluctant? My daughter moves up to Brownies after the summer. She loved Rainbows. I think there are definitely benefits.

Today, dd has her last ballet class before the holidays. It's a pyjama party and then we're all going to see the new Jurassic World movie. School broke up yesterday and the kids are in full holiday mode.

My parents left this morning and so did the neighbour's grandson so I think DS will be a bit down today. He missed two birthday parties while we were on holiday which he's also a bit gutted about. Saw one of his friends in the shop yesterday and suggested he come round to play sometime.

@SkeletonBatsflyatnight he doesn't see the point of it compared to a music or spots club. And sees time at home, as a family is important and clubs take away from this. Also thinks it seems a bit culty. Deep down I think he's jealous he didn't get the opportunity to attend as a child. It's definitely worth another conversation.

@Natsku we all feel the post holiday blues don't we?

he doesn't see the point of it compared to a music or spots club. And sees time at home, as a family is important and clubs take away from this. Also thinks it seems a bit culty. Deep down I think he's jealous he didn't get the opportunity to attend as a child. It's definitely worth another conversation.

I agree time at home as a family is important (although my children do a lot of extra curriculars) but Brownies here is an hour and a half a week. One of the things I like about Guiding (and Scouting) is that it allows children to try a broad range of things to see what they want to take further. My two have been camping, sailing, climbing, ziplining, trampolining and singing. They've gone to museums and had bagpipes tasters (luckily decided it wasn't for them... violin practice is bad enough). Then there is also the practical side, from safety at home to visits to the Fire Station, the Police and dd's favourite, the Coast Guard. Plus, for us at least we live rurally and the school is small. There are 8 children including dd in her year group (15 in ds's). Extracurriculars in the wider community allow for a wider friendship group which will come in useful when she moves to secondary school.

Yeah Scouting/Guides offers so much more than other extra curriculars (well, if the group is decent). I follow my local Scout group on facebook even though DD no longer does it and they just came back from Lapland where they've been hiking on the fells, gold-panning, and visited a husky farm! And of course all the skills they learn, like camping, cooking over fires, whittling, and the classic knot tying.

Thank you @SkeletonBatsflyatnight that's a good reason for guides and scouts
..her 2 best friends go to beavers which has a waiting list she's on. Then there is combined brownies and guides, which has spce, she has a couple of friends at this too. I read a bit more on my parenting book and it recommends exactly what you do to try out lots of activities so your daughter can find their spark. There was a list of suggestions at the end of the chapter, I skipped to. One was to get your daughter to write a list of all the things she's interested in and choose one or two we can pursue.

We live in a London comuter town lots of people move to to raise children so her school has 2 classes and it's one of the smaller ones so she's not short of potential friends and choices of kids activities. Spoke to a couple of mums today. One has one week holiday then her girls are in holiday club which is common here.

@Natsku it's the if the group is decent I'm not sure about. I guess I just have to try it to find out. I did brownies and she would adore the brownie story because she's very into fairys.

Give them a call and ask/see if they have a social media account that shows what kind of activities they do, that'll give you a good idea.

I think I made a mistake this week, but we'll learn from it.

DD is in a band at school, it's quite an expensive extracurricular, she had her first concert this morning, she's been excited about it for weeks. Unfortunately DH couldn't make it, had something at work. DD was expecting ds to come, not the original plan, but because she wanted it, I rearranged childcare and brought him along and dropped him off at the childminders after. He had a bad night, was overtired, hyped up, but excited to see DD's music. He was impatient waiting. It was a number of small bands doing one song each. Her band was first. Ds enjoyed the first 3 then wanted to run around and was going to get disruptive so we left after the 4th. DD was glaring at me when I left.

Last night I was working into the evening, DH said how badly behaved they'd both been, esspecaly DD. I spoke to her and found out they all went to their parents after for a little bit. She was the only one without anyone and went back to class early. I explained it's because ds was watching and he couldn't sit through all of it. A colleague was at the show and told me today she tried to explain to DD that I had to leave, also the was only one song left. Well I tried to make an effort, bringing ds along but feel guilty now. They do a concert every term, so next time we won't bring ds, DH should be coming too.

She has been really off with DS since. Hopefully well have a nice relaxing family weekend.

It was short lived upset. She has an exciting coach school trip today. She found it hard to go to sleep last night. Her class have not been anywhere on a coach before. We got her a new lunch box, as she'll be going from school dinners to lunch boxes in September. Fortunately the weather has cooled down for the trip, as it did for sports day. Children in the rest of the world are on a break from school, we've got a week and a half still to go!

DH and I have different ideas on what os good parenting. Eg I've been trying to give her a bit more freedom, but in public, DH wants her near us, incase of an emergency.

It must be so hard for children to be in school trying to learn when its really hot, poor kids.

You and your dh will have to find a compromise, difficult when parents have different opinions on independence and safety. My OH insists on DS wearing a life jacket when fishing from the shore which feels unnecessary to me but I compromise on that to give him peace of mind. But I did let DS try something a bit scary and with an element of risk (though he was wearing a life jacket and there was an adult with him) this weekend, clinging onto an inflatable being pulled fast by a jet ski in the lake. I was a bit on edge watching from the jetty but DS loved it. I was actually surprised he was brave enough to try it because he won't even jump into the water from the jetty with a life jacket on. I need to find time this summer to take him swimming more and build up his confidence in the water.

Normally, the way it works in England is it's rain when the holidays start.

In feeling a lot of guilt at the moment because I didn't sign DD up to a PTA event most her class is doing as DH doesn't agree with it. I wish I'd argued more/ just booked her in as it's not dangerous or anything. He just gets hung up on certain things being unnecessary and is stubborn. A friends DH is simular, seems to be want to pay for children to do things that are fun....I just need to work on brownies/beavers for September.

I'm stuck on the M6, it's red hot and my kids are squabbling over music (and have been since at least Edinburgh) so I maybe not in the best of moods.

Don't ask him in future? If we don't already have plans, I just ask if they want to do x and then sign them up accordingly. Certainly my just turned 7 year old has very clear opinions of her own (hence the squabbling) and I know from my own childhood, it's easy to get resentful of parents who limit opportunities for their own personal reasons.

Yeah for something not dangerous or extreme then there's no need to discuss it and agree on it. I make decisions on my own all the time, and so does my bloke.

Though we were both in agreement yesterday that DS was not to go with my brother, his girlfriend and their kids to her mum's house by the lake because we don't trust his level of supervision near water. DS was disappointed though, as he really likes it there, but when he can't swim more than a few metres then he's not going near water without a proper responsible adult (was even a bit anxious when he went with his childcare class to the beach the other day even though there were several responsible adults, but more children than adults)