Posts by Austin Hughes2

Grace Anderson3 said:Who’s actually grilling Harold Adams19 here? What’s the endgame? 🍿 (I guess I’m starting to get carried away too 😁)

Oh, and honestly, people cling to questions like that because they run out of things to say..

Haha, it’s nothing to do with babies; he just promised a few times that he’d post photos of his Chinese person's dog and some scenic beaches, so he always ends up saying, "Yeah, I'll get to it." 😁

Grace Anderson3 said:Yeah... The postpartum fog hasn't even lifted yet, and they're already asking when we're going for round two...

I feel like I hear so many women venting about how people constantly pressure them or push for more kids right after the first one arrives. Honestly, most people don't even realize how insensitive they're being; they just think they're being friendly, but it's exhausting.
To quote my brother-in-law, Harold Adams19: here goes nothing. 😁

Grace Anderson3 said:The Great Hans says we should probably just sit tight and wait to see how things play out with Bebot. 😁

You guys just got handed this on a silver platter and didn't even blink, yet here you are already obsessing over something else entirely. Get it together, people.

Anthony Nguyen81 said:Babysitters can be a decent fix, but there are two big drawbacks. 😁
My brother-in-law and his wife used them once, and they were being pretty "subtle" signals to her to get back to work after a six-month break.
The thing is, their daughter has never truly forgiven her for that. 👎

Basically, the first issue is finding someone you actually trust.
These folks hired this sweet old lady, only to find out after a few times that she’d been teaching her oldest nephew how to headbutt people.
They had to let her go, and while things were fine after that, every sitter seems to have some kind of catch.
For instance, my kids are constantly trying to ride me like a horse 🤣, basically using me as a climbing frame since I'm tall enough to give them a better view of the world.
Babysitters tend to be strict, though; you don't get that kind of leeway with them, as they usually stick to a much tighter discipline.
That has its perks, sure, but it also has its downsides.

The second issue is the cost. You're looking at an 8 or 9-hour workday, and by the time you pay them, it’s basically hitting minimum wage levels—it follows that rule where you get exactly what you pay for.
Plus, you often have to wrap things up early because the sitter has other commitments.
So, realistically, it ends up costing as much as daycare.

There are private preschools too, which cost extra, and you might get better service there, but...
In the US, if you want a standard public daycare, you're expected to be vaccinated. For private ones, maybe not.
Which means, theoretically, they could become breeding grounds for all sorts of germs and anti-vaxxers.
That said, my best friends have a kid in a private preschool and they say everything is fine—that most parents are well-off, there aren't any creeps, and so on. 😁

Man, when it comes to raising kids, there are endless possibilities, but also endless ways to mess up.
If you can avoid infant daycare centers, I'd recommend doing so.
If you can't, well, life happens.

Bebot is going to be the king of his preschool; I think that’s pretty much a given. 😁

Everyone who used a babysitter did so based on a recommendation, and they were either satisfied or absolutely thrilled. I agree that you can't just leave a little one with a total stranger, no matter how charming they seem during the interview. And the price? That's a hurdle; whoever can afford it, will pay it.

Back when I was in college, I babysat for two different families. They would set up shifts, and I’d cover the middle slots. With the first family, I actually made more than some people working full-time. But kids are exhausting, so I bailed after the second year. With the second family, the pay was lower, but the little girl was an absolute angel after that first stint.

Every daycare is a hotbed for viruses, colds, and God knows what else. That’s probably the biggest downside to both public and private daycare. A lot of parents tell me their kids spend more time at home than in school, and more often than not, Mom is the one constantly taking sick days.

60

I was thinking this one might actually work better if we leaned into some GIFs 😁

58



Are we seriously going to turn every single random thought on the off-topic board into a numbered list?
That’s the plan. 👍

56

We'll just keep counting until we run out of steam. 😁

54

I’m just going to pick up right where I left off, though you guys can play it however you want. 😁

Grace Anderson3 said:It’s impossible to know how things will play out until we’re actually living through it. The real headache is that the daycare waiting lists here are absolutely massive—and capacity is even tighter during those peak months—so we’re forced to register right now without having any clue what the landscape will look like in a few months, let alone a year. 🤷
Thanks for sharing this... 😘

Exactly. 😍

And you certainly have a way of offering comfort, 🙂

I know several women who took a full year off after having their babies, then eventually brought in an aunt to help out as a sitter for a few hours a day until the kids turned three; they actually coordinated their work shifts just to make that arrangement work as smoothly as possible.

One of my relatives had to put her baby in daycare at just seven months old because her employer was dropping some pretty heavy hints that it was time to get back to the grind. She ended up using a neighbor who watched her kid along with a few other little ones from the block. Once the child hit a year old, they transitioned into preschool, but they did it very gradually.

There really isn't a magic formula, though I suppose there might be academic studies on the "best" way to do it. The problem is that every few years, some new theory pops up to claim the old one was wrong. 🕺

Just keep hugging, cuddling, and kissing that baby 😘 while they're still in your arms, and everything will turn out fine.

The fact that we’re already being pressured to sign up for daycare feels like a total disaster, but when your hand is forced, you don't really have much of a choice. 🕺

Grace Anderson3 said:Beyond just separating them too soon, I’m also worried about my kid constantly catching every cold going around because they're stuck in such a large group for so long. Plus, there's the whole issue where we probably won't be allowed to bring them in if they—or any of us—show even the slightest symptom.
Grandparents helping out doesn't really cut it for us either; it’s just not an option.

Hopefully, we'll have a clearer picture and make a smarter call in a few days, though frankly, how much my boss likes the decision is secondary. My child’s comfort is what actually matters here.

Everyone has their own take on this, built from a mix of good and bad experiences.
Some swear by getting kids around other children early to build up that immune system. Then you have parents who kept their kids home and claim they ended up catching every single childhood illness once they finally hit elementary school. There's also the argument that they learn social skills earlier and develop better speech patterns.

On the flip side, you've got the risk of premature separation and the potential emotional fallout.

The ideal scenario would be a gradual transition, but let's be honest, hardly anyone can afford that kind of flexibility. I know some preschools in the US actually follow that kind of model—they might have the kids stay for just an hour during the first week and then gradually increase the time by an hour each day.

I've also noticed that some kids just take to it much better than others right from the start.

We all know little Bebot is going to be the leader of his pack. 👍

53 🤣

That’s exactly what I was thinking, we ended up right in the middle of 🤣

51

We could probably count all the way up to 100 🕺

I’m with you there—it was an absolute train wreck. 🍿

👍

I’m really crossing my fingers that things don't end up being quite like this

🤣🤣

I mean, I’m laughing, but honestly, this is probably how it’ll play out 😁

Grace Anderson3 said:Anyway, he isn't planning on heading out at that hour tomorrow, so he'll likely just stay put and stick to the bed with the baby (just to give Josh some peace of mind 😁).
He spent an entire hour feeding him today, so I think I'll prep a double dose of milk for tomorrow to cover those two hours. 🥳

Yeah, that’s exactly how it should be, 👍
and honestly, the baby might even be sleeping through it all.
Hans will probably be catching some Z's right along with him. 🤣

Grace Anderson3 said:I agree with you, Baz—they really need to start building that foundation of trust right now. Once those classic father-son clashes inevitably kick in, it’ll be way too late to fix things.

Josh 🙂 Hans is honestly one of the most level-headed guys I know; he just needs to find his footing and work on his confidence. If things ever go south tomorrow, he’s got that punk rock neighbor ready to step up and help him out. 🙂

From what I can see by watching how everyone else handles things, the sooner they get started, the better.
The longer they wait, the harder it gets, and you end up with kids who won't listen to their fathers or anyone else for that matter.
Hans will figure it out, though; you didn't pick him for nothing. 😁

Grace Mitchell87 said:Man, you should probably go grab a massage while you're at it. 😁
The sooner Hans gets his act together, the better it'll be for everyone involved. 🙂

I’m voting for leaving him alone with the Baby as much as possible; honestly, it’s a win-win for both of them. 👍
After all, they share the same DNA.

Grace Anderson3 and I are still crunching numbers on the calculator, just about ready to grab our cleaning supplies and get to work 🙂