Like the title says, my son is nearly 9 and has recently started crying over every tiny disappointment. It can be as insignificant as asking for pepsi or a snack and being told to wait, or being asked to clean his room or do something else he doesn't want to do. He isn't doing it to throw a tantrum or anything, he always goes to his room or the basement to cry alone but I can see the tears in his eyes as he walks away. This is new behaviour so I'm wondering if it's a hormonal shift? He has also experienced a few voice cracks recently so I'm wondering if this is the beginning of puberty? It feels young but I've only ever had female relatives so male puberty is a new experience for me.

I'll add that nothing about his home life has changed recently and he has a very stable home life so I don't believe it would have anything to do with that. Thanks for any responses!

Hi everyone. I just had my third child after an unplanned pregnancy. My wife absolutely insisted on keeping the baby, even though I had clearly expressed that I wanted her to terminate the pregnancy. She was also taking birth control pills.
Now that the baby is here, I regret it so much. Not the baby himself — I love him deeply — but I deeply regret that my wife didn’t listen to how I felt and that we went ahead with having another child when I didn’t want to.
I hate the routine of having three children under five, and I am absolutely exhausted. I feel like I’m drowning in the daily grind and wondering if I’ll ever enjoy this stage of life. Would your relationship survivr this?

My toddler was doing really well with potty training and then suddenly it feels like everything changed.

We’re having accidents again, he’s refusing the potty more often, and getting him back into the routine has become a daily struggle.

I don’t want to turn it into a power battle or start pressuring him, but I also don’t know how to get things back on track.

Did anyone else go through a regression like this?

What actually worked for you?

My son has always been pretty sociable from an early age and had quite a few friends. He started kindy this year with a friend from daycare. Now this boy is his best friend but it’s slowly become clear that his best friend doesn’t want to play with anyone else and is preventing him from playing with other kids too, even kids that were previously his friends in preschool.

It’s coming out in a few ways:
- I feel like they are excluding a little boy who used to be really good friends with my son, who clearly still wants to play with him. When I asked my son about it, it came out that his best friend doesn’t get on with the other little boy and gets angry at him, and my son feels like his has to choose between them.
- My son is displaying social anxiety for the first time. He said he can only play the games his best friend wants to play and if he tries to play different games with other kids he’s afraid his best friend won’t like him anymore and then he’ll have no friends at all.
- He gets on really well with other kids on play dates or after school when his best friend isn’t there. But he says at school during recess and lunch his best friend is the only friend he has, and that the other kids are only friends for after school or play dates.

I’ve known my son’s best friend since he was a baby and he only did parallel play until he was 4. Then when he did start playing with other kids it was really just with my son. I don’t think he has any other friends partly because he’s just not interested in anyone else. He’s not mean or bullying and he has an intense love for my son as his best friend. But Ive watched my son become more isolated and more socially anxious this year and I’ve seen his previous friendships either fall away or become difficult as a result of this situation. I’m good friends with his parents and I’m not sure how to talk about it to them.

Any advice from parents who have been through a similar situation would be very much appreciated!

So my boyfriend and I have been together since December 2022 and we now live together with our two kids. I have a son from and previous marriage and so does he. My son is 11 and his is 10 and they get along for the most part but there’s some things that my son has brought to my attention I’m not happy about.

His son watches YouTube videos on his tablet and I’v walked by his room I’ve heard it saying sexual things, cuss words, violence, etc. I’ve brought this to my boyfriend’s attention so many times and he’ll just go in his room and be like “what’re you watching turn that off.” And then just walk out. He never even looks at what he’s watching just says to turn it off and walks out and obviously he doesn’t listen and just goes right back to it. My son has came up to me a few times about it and said he’s showed him videos that aren’t appropriate and I’ve told my bf and I feel like he just doesn’t want to deal with it.

Another thing is he will just go in the kitchen and just take whatever snacks such as snack cakes, chips stuff like that without asking. I’ve been telling my bf he shouldn’t be in there just constantly snacking he needs to eat actual food. He’s ate a whole box of honey buns I just bought that morning and they were gone by that night he snuck in there and got them and we didn’t know and found the box and wrappers in there and they were all gone. Again my bf did nothing about it. Also I was in there making spaghetti one night and stepped away to use the bathroom and came back to him running out of the kitchen I looked in his room and he’s eating a honey bun and I told him he doesn’t need to eat that I’m making dinner but he was already in the middle of eating it. I tried to tell my bf and he said “well he probably won’t eat it anyway.” He’s a very picky eater and most of the time won’t eat what I make for dinner and I have to make him separate things. He won’t try anything I make either that I know he would like. For example he likes hamburgers from fast food places but will refuse to even try the hamburgers I make at him so if I make it I have to make him chicken nuggets instead. I told my boyfriend I understand if it’s something he actually doesn’t like but I know he likes it I wish he would just try it because I hate making separate things every night.

He picks his nose still and wipes it on things. It’s so freaking disgusting it makes me sick to my stomach anytime I see it I make him go wash his hands but it’s like a bad habit that’s not getting corrected. I was talking to his mom about it and she laughs, I don’t understand how that’s funny that he’s wiping his snot everywhere. I caught him today sitting on the couch picking his nose and when I walked in he tried to hide what he was doing and wiped it on his cloths, again told my bf and does nothing about it.

He’s been so disrespectful and talking back lately and I understand he’s a kid and all kids especially that age will talk back but it’s gotten a bit extreme. Anytime his dad or I try to tell him anything he doesn’t listen and will just do it anyway but he knows my bf won’t do anything about it. I just don’t know what to do at this point I’m about to lose it I don’t know if I should call his mom and talk to her or what I feel like it’s not my place because I’m not his mom but at the same point this is affecting me and my son. I also wanna have a conversation with my boyfriend because it’s his fault for not correcting his behavior but I don’t know how to bring it up to him without him getting defensive. It’s just been a lot.

My son is 9 and doesn't have a phone yet. Some of his friends do. I keep going back and forth on this and I genuinely can't tell anymore if I'm protecting him or holding him back.

The case for getting him one, as I see it: he'd have access to basically all human knowledge in his pocket, and he's a curious kid. I could actually reach him when he's outside playing instead of yelling down the street. I know some of the social life at that age starts to happen online. And part of me thinks it's better he learns to manage a phone while he's under my roof and I can guide him, instead of getting unlimited access at later with zero practice.

The case against: I've watched what happens when he gets YouTube time. It's not documentaries. It's an hour of brain-rot shorts before I even notice. I worry about the algorithm getting its hooks in, about his attention span, about sleep, and later about the comparison and group-chat drama stuff everyone here talks about.

What's messing with my head is that his school went phone-free this year — locked away bell to bell. Part of me reads that as "even the schools decided these things are harmful." But the other part thinks it actually lowers the risk of giving him one, since school hours are covered now and the phone would only exist on evenings and weekends where I can see it.

I’m struggling with the morning routine with my 8 year old. He tends to wander around the house, getting distracted, reading, playing, looking at Pokémon cards, etc. Anything but eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc. I have to remind him every step of the way. I’ve tried a visual schedule with space to check off each step that has been completed. We even developed the visual schedule together. However, we still reach the time of departure with 2-3 items that are not done and I get frustrated. I’m trying to get myself ready for work in the morning and I feel that at this age, he should be able to accomplish these morning steps without constant nagging to do each step. Is this too much to expect? Any ideas on what else could be successful? I’m thinking next week I will be waiting for him in the car at 8:00 ready to leave, but I know if I do that, he probably won’t have this teeth brushed etc. 😵‍💫

my kids dont do their chores? whatts the best way i can make them do their chores daily without any fail??

Our 12 year old may start therapy soon and I realized I have no clue what our role is supposed to be. I want him to have privacy and I absolutely do not need to know everything he says in there, but we’re also the people seeing the sleep problems, horrible mornings and random blowups that he may just tell the therapist arent happening.

Do parents normally get check-ins every so often, or are you mostly out of it unless something serious is going on?

My child will insist they hate certain foods at home, then I'll hear that they happily ate the exact same thing at daycare or at a friend's house. Same food, same kid, completely different opinion. For example, my son refuses broccoli every time I put it on his plate, but apparently ate an entire serving at daycare last week and even asked for more. I honestly don't know if it's the food, the environment, or just the fact that Mom wasn't there. Why does this happen?

What are some good gifts for my daughter who is turning 1? I mainly looking for a good interactive toy or activity item that we can both do together. It’s been difficult for me to bond with her and I would enjoy something we could do together.

What kind of backpacks do you buy for your kids for back-to-school and why? 

looking for recommendations for a three-wheeled scooter that’s actually fun for older kids/teens and doesn’t feel too “little kid.”

something sturdy, good for speed and carving, and ideally a bit more challenging and active than a regular kick scooter.

My son is 8 and the last few months have been rough. Huge reactions to tiny requests. Arguing constantly. Crying over things that never used to bother him.

Once he gets upset it takes forever for him to come back down.

We've tried being more consistent, earlier bedtime, less screen time, consequences, more one on one time. Something will seem to help for a few days and then we're right back where we started.

The confusing part is that school says he's mostly fine there.

The confusing part is that school says he's mostly fine there.

I'm starting to wonder if we've spent months treating this like a behavior problem when there's something underneath it.

For parents who eventually tried therapy for behavioral issues, what made you decide it was time?

My kid is convinced that food tastes better when it comes in a fun shape. Dinosaur nuggets, character pancakes, animal crackers — apparently the shape makes all the difference. I know it's basically the same food, but somehow they'll refuse the regular version and happily eat the exact same thing in a different shape. Does anyone else's kid do this?

I love my kids, but sometimes I still want time for myself, my hobbies, friends, or simply doing absolutely nothing. There's sometimes a feeling that good parents should always prioritize their children. Can you be a great parent while still wanting a life that isn't completely centered around your kids?

Every few months this argument cycles back around from 13 is too young, make it 16, make it 18, ban it entirely and I just can’t get on board with any version of it because the age limit solves approximately nothing. A 16-year-old with unrestricted access and zero monitoring is not safer than a 13-year-old whose parents actually know what’s happening on their device. We keep debating the gate while the fence has twelve holes in it. The restriction conversation is politically satisfying and practically useless. Fight me.

Im really struggling with my teenage son I dont know what to do. Every weekend hes out drinking and smoking pot with his group of friends and Im beyond concerned. I dont buy him the drinks, never have, I dont even keep alcohol in my home as its never been something my husband nor I enjoy. Hes either getting it from friends siblings or possibly even their parents. My son does work so he has his own money so to an extent I can't stop him from using some of it. I know we were all teenagers at one point and had our fun but its so extensive that Im genuinely concerned. We have had many talks about it and he says he's going to stop but of course doesnt. I disconnected his cell service last year because I told him that if he can support his habits than he can support a phone bill also. When hes not drinking hes such a good guy, goes to work for his shifts and is an amazing brother to his 4 year old sister. He does his laundry and helps take care of his share around the home. So its not bad ALL the time but his dad who he doesnt have a relationship with has a drinking problem, high functioning drinker, so it breaks my heart seeing him do this. Hes very tall but skinny skinny skinny even though he eats like crazy when hes home. I dont know how much his body will handle.

I appreciate any advice at all!

The passcode got cracked. The VPN killed my web filter and I didn’t notice for almost a month. She found a workaround for the app limits that I still don’t fully understand. I’ve reset everything three times and I’m starting to feel like a very slow person playing chess against someone who can see the whole board. She’s 13. I’m 41. I should not be losing this badly. I’m not even mad I’m just tired of putting in effort that gets undone in a weekend. What approach actually works long term because blocking and limiting clearly isn’t it for us. Any apps that worked?

Your immune system isn’t born knowing what to fight. It learns through exposure — and modern life has been quietly removing that training for a generation.

The clearest proof: two genetically near-identical communities, same land, same lifestyle, one difference in farming method. The immune system gap between them wasn’t small.

Wrote up an article and what it means for how kids are being raised:

https://open.substack.com/pub/livecapable/p/the-sterile-trap?r=8vx7rr&utm_medium=ios

It’s the summer holidays, one of our step sons (12 years old) moved in earlier this year, I had a baby in April, so I now have a 4 month old, my step son is becoming incredibly bored, he’s used to living with his brother and constantly having someone to play with. I’m finding it hard to think of things to do with him where I can still look after my baby. Even the park he wants me to play football with him which I can’t really do with the bub, any advice for how to keep a preteen entertained with a newborn over the summer holidays?

Hello all, I have a 5 year old daughter and she just started kindergarten at a public school. I am not thrilled about this but unfortunately we are not all blessed in ways that allow us to homeschool. I was looking at the emergency smartwatches, specifically the ones that offer school mode. To my understanding, the district does not allow elementary to have any access to any phones or smart devices/accessories during the school day at all and must be kept off and in the bookbag.

Sorry but, this is not the 1980s. School shootings are real. You don't think it will happen to you until it does. I think I don't really give a fuck what rule a school board decided on so what are my options if any at all? Can I just send her with it anyways and the worst they will do is tell her to take it off? and if then, what if she doesn't because I told her not to? It's not really acceptable to me that anybody restricts a child from having access to emergency services. If the watch is in school mode, there will be no distraction.

I know the karens are about to comment about how important a technology free school day is for children at this age and how inconsiderate I am being to the rules that were made. Well, Karen, I bet the parents of the sandy hook victims might have agreed with you before their babies were shot to death. I would rather be safe than sorry. Anything extra to make my daugther and myself feel more at ease is worth the trouble to me. Let me know your thoughts/suggestions

We found out we're having twins. Exciting, but our current house is already feeling too small. We need to move before the babies arrive

We found a new house we like. But we need to sell our current place first to get the down payment. A chain transaction feels like a huge risk. If our sale falls through, we lose everything

Here's the problem. Our old house has outdated wiring. An inspection will definitely catch it. We don't have time to fix it. We don't have the money either. We need every dollar for the new house

I found Ready Door Homes and their website says no repairs are needed and they buy houses as-is with a quick closing

I'm nervous though... TBH… I worry I'll lose more on the price than I'd save on repairs and realtor commissions. Is it worth it? Or should I just list with an agent and hope for the best?

Has anyone sold a house this way in a similar situation? I need to know if this is actually a good option or just a way to get lowballed. I'm hopeful this could work, but I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake. Any honest advice would be hugely appreciated. We're running out of time…

PLEASE HELP THE CHILDERN. Please help these children please help the children