Parenting

[long_john86]

@Heavy_blue ah what a memory. Very heartwarming! Man they always manage to find the muddiest of the puddles, right?
Unfortunately not so much of that this weekend - just pure 4.5 year old defiance! 🫠🫠🫠

[Matt]

Forget terrible twos… fucked up fours was by far the worst.

[GraemeE]

Can confirm - our twins are currently four and complete balls of chaos

[DeeDee85]

@Matt thanks for this cos my daughter turns 4 in a month..

[long_john86]

@Matt Haha ’fuck up fours’ definitely sums it all up for us.

@DeeDee85 We have found it worse than Threenagers… enjoy got anything nice planned for her birthday?

@GraemeE We only have one child and are very much one-and-done. Juggling two of the same age you must have all the skills and the tricks to share with us!?

[Tago Mago]

@Matt when I have kids I'm gonna come to you with all my questions

[DeeDee85]

@long_john86 great we live quite close to Wentworth Woodhouse and the small farm and garden centre there is pretty much my little ones favourite place in the world so we’ve booked her and her nursery buddies a party there, they will have a couple of hours of private time handling the small furries and lizards/snakes etc then hand washing time and sandwiches and cake then time to play in the parks.
This is all a good thing as the cafe serves just about the best sausage rolls and cream cakes in the business and it allows me plenty of time to sneak off and try a few I’ll make sure to upload some pics into the food thread..

[long_john86]

@DeeDee85 nice, sounds like you’ve nailed it! Always good to sneak in a bit of something for yourselves too if you can - and can’t beat a good sausage roll! We’ve started going to a particular soft play a bit more because the coffee there is actually quite decent and the bacon barms are a hidden gem! Problem being our boy just wants to sit at the table and eat with us rather than burning off steam in the actual soft play!

[SKT]

@DeeDee85 @long_john86

In between throwing my kid’s and their stuff into various lakes, creeks and rivers we did find some time to pet some small furry things at a local farm last week. It was a fun little outing and we all needed to touch some grass after a cooped up “staycation” during our spring break

[GraemeE]

@long_john86 said in Parenting:

must have all the skills and the tricks to share with us!?

Wish I could say I did but in our house its 99% triage.
If we make it to bedtime each night with everyone fed, clean and alive its a win.

Rinse and repeat for the last 4.5 years

[goosehd]

@GraemeE fed and clean is overrated.

[DeeDee85]

@SKT my soon to be 4 year old very much approves of the tiny bunny ️

[A Former User]

They will turn 5 eventually the age when they don’t only are brutal in there way of making your life a hell but also know they’re way in a discussion

[GraemeE]

@goosehd said in Parenting:

fed and clean

These are relative terms of course

[long_john86]

Speaking of fed and clean, dinner in the bath is sometimes a thing here (for my boy, not me)…

[A Former User]

@long_john86 after that some meddi peddi and his royal highness is ready for bed! Same here they’re living the good life

[DeeDee85]

@long_john86 sounds like an intelligent young man!

[long_john86]

@DeeDee85 just had a look and that Wentworth Woodhouse is about an hour and a bit away from us. From what you’re saying it sounds like it could be worth the journey across. We’re always looking for things to do to pass the weekends and avoid the ‘pressure cooker’ of being at home too long!

[endo]

I loved it so much when they were 2 to 4, no terrible twos or fucked up fours in my memory (but maybe I'm getting a bit senile here). It sure was a hard time but also so much love from these little creatures. Now they are 22,20,19 and my youngest got 14 today. I would give my right arm to be cuddled as in those days.

[DeeDee85]

@long_john86 I would definitely recommend coming over if it’s only an hour? The farm is great for the little ones and the garden centre and gift shop are great too. Then there’s the cafe and the restaurant. Can easily stay busy well into the afternoon.

The house itself is worth pre-booking a guided tour of as well if you had time on the same day. (Maybe not so exciting for little ones though) It’s currently undergoing some major renovations but I’m sure tours are still offered. The history of the place is fascinating and heart breaking in equal measure, well worth reading up on. It is as imposing as Buckingham palace upon first laying eyes on it and hardly anyone seems to know it exists! I think Wikipedia will explain most of how it came to be in disrepair and the book Black Diamonds is fantastic if you want to get the full history.