Any parents still around?

[ADobbs1989]

Hooray, there's another father of four on the boards!  I have two boys, 5 and 3, and my wife is due with twins at the end of July. A boy and a girl, so the ultrasound tells me...  How's life with the little one working out?

 

Going fine, took some getting used to though. Good luck with them twins...it can be a doosy! Maybe you can at least get your 5 yo to help out a bit.

[Metalhead]

Proud dad of one here. Just joined, but pretty pumped that there is a parenting section to these forums.

[Shereads]

I've got four kids. Since it was a life goal to at least have one. I think I surpassed the goal. They are good young people who are going to make pretty good adults once we finish up the teen years. They are pretty good teens for that matter but I expect a few bumps on the road for a couple of them.

[Thrillho]

All three kids ran the triathlon! No pictures of my youngest, sadly, and my oldest didn't finish... his arthritis has been really acting up lately, and because he's a year older his distance requirements were DOUBLED this year.  But my middle child finished nearly first in her age class! GO EVERYONE!

 

[mom2sjm]

mom to three boys (13 year old twins and a 10 year old) here!

 

[alienjenn]

All three kids ran the triathlon! No pictures of my youngest, sadly, and my oldest didn't finish... his arthritis has been really acting up lately, and because he's a year older his distance requirements were DOUBLED this year.  But my middle child finished nearly first in her age class! GO EVERYONE!

That's awesome! I'm impressed that he still gets out and does stuff with arthritis... I'm a grown-up (supposedly) and I struggle to get out there with arthritis pain... I can't imagine a triathlon!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[Thrillho]

Junior triathlon.  He does what he can.  Hey, I can post this here! (Don't tell my wife) Here he is, in his own words.

 

[alienjenn]

Junior triathlon.  He does what he can.  Hey, I can post this here! (Don't tell my wife) Here he is, in his own words.

I love him.... he is the most awesome kid... give him a giant squishy hug for me!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[Krisis]

Hi guys!  I'm a mommy to a 5 year old boy.  Toby is mildly autistic and has ADHD.  He's a hard kid to handle (we had a bad day today too) but he can be fun too.  He's super active and is one of the reasons I'm here - I need to lose weight so I can have energy to keep up with this kid!  

 

We just went hiking in Bryce Canyon last week and he did great.  Handled a 4 mile hike at elevation of 6K-8K ft with no problem whatsoever.  I was so impressed with him.  He also does karate and ballet (though we've quit that because the teacher couldn't handle having a boy in her class of all girls.)  And he just started violin lessons. 

 

He's crazy smart and has a memory like you wouldn't believe but sheesh.  I am tired all the time 'cause of his craziness!  

[alienjenn]

Hi guys!  I'm a mommy to a 5 year old boy.  Toby is mildly autistic and has ADHD.  He's a hard kid to handle (we had a bad day today too) but he can be fun too.  He's super active and is one of the reasons I'm here - I need to lose weight so I can have energy to keep up with this kid!  

 

We just went hiking in Bryce Canyon last week and he did great.  Handled a 4 mile hike at elevation of 6K-8K ft with no problem whatsoever.  I was so impressed with him.  He also does karate and ballet (though we've quit that because the teacher couldn't handle having a boy in her class of all girls.)  And he just started violin lessons. 

 

He's crazy smart and has a memory like you wouldn't believe but sheesh.  I am tired all the time 'cause of his craziness!  

 

 

my 13 yo has aspergers... and adhd...

 

when we found the right combination of therapy and meds and "rewards" (bribes whatever...) it was amazing and awesome...

 

feel free to pm me if you ever need to talk!

[TheOtherScott]

My daughter Morgan was born on Thursday!  I'll be here an awful lot, I think.

[mom2sjm]

Krisis - My 13 year old has PDD-NOS, initially diagnosed bi-polar at age 6 - his challenge is regulating his emotions.  I feel like I've done it all - counseling, group therapy, OT/PT, social communication skills group, therapeutic horse back riding, specialized camps, private school, public school, 504s, IEPs, a 10-day stay at Children's psych, meds...  But he is so smart - oh man, he is taking some advanced classes in science and math at school, loves anything tech, competes on a cyclocross team and has a small group of friends.  When he isn't in a rage he can be so kind and sweet and is very loyal.  There are lots of us on this board - reach out if you need us

 

Yeah OtherScott!!  Welcome baby Morgan

[Arpeggio]

Another Aspie mom here! I have 2 kids of my own, and I'm also a foster parent. My son is pretty high functioning, but sometimes we have our crazy days. I've found a non-stimulant medication that helps a lot with him, but I swear the thing that helps him most is having a very scheduled day. Which means summer isn't lazy time for me, unless I want a small maniac on my hands. My daughter is as normal as can be, which is a relief.

 

Oh, and if anyone wants to know our system of organization/responsibilities/discipline, I'm totally willing to share - I got it from a foster care training, so I didn't invent it, but it has worked really well for us.

[allirep]

stepmom to two awesome kids.  planning to add a 3 kid to the family one day.  i'm planning to participate in a mud run next spring w/my 9 yr old.  

 

Junior triathlon.  He does what he can.  Hey, I can post this here! (Don't tell my wife) Here he is, in his own words.

 

i had a good friend in high school w/this - he is now happily married and loving life.  love your son's positive attitude.  that is a good kid you got there!

[Krisis]

Oh, and if anyone wants to know our system of organization/responsibilities/discipline, I'm totally willing to share - I got it from a foster care training, so I didn't invent it, but it has worked really well for us.

 

I'd love to hear your discipline ideas.  Nothing is working with Toby and I am at my wit's end.  Today his principal met with me for 30 minutes because he was hitting, biting, scratching, spitting on his teachers and calling them "evil witches" (thanks a lot, Disney.)  I am so frustrated.  I feel like he should be able to behave himself.  We talk about it ALL the time and talk about strategies for when he's upset but he just... I don't know what happens in his weird little brain. 

 

I shouldn't be one to talk.  I'm PDD NOS / ADHD myself and I know I was a nutball growing up (though not the same way Toby is.)  I'm still weird in my own little ways (someone sat in the seat right next to me in class today and I wanted to kill them - go take a seat somewhere else!  Let me have my space!  And the principal was really big on eye contact and I freaking hate making eye contact so that was doubly hard.)  

 

It's just a good thing Toby is so stinkin' cute.  Dang kid.  

[Arpeggio]

So my post got really long - I decided to start a thread about it instead!

 

I honestly think that my son's cuteness is the only reason why I haven't gone completely bonkers... It really does make up for a lot.

[Haikoo]

I am here, too. Mom of 3 -- 6 year old twin boys and 9 year old daughter. Awesome to see so many others in the twins club

[girljen]

Yeah twins!!  ^_^  I don't have twins, nor will I ever (my six-year-old is my one and only)...but I am a twin, and it is awesome. 

[SpiralGalaxy]

Mom of one awesome 2 year old here. He's in baby gym which seems to be a great workout for both of us.

[kime316]

Just joined a week or so ago. I'm a mum to a gorgeous 3 year old girl

[Krisis]

So here's a random question.  Are your children enrolled in any classes or anything outside of school? 

 

Toby (age 5) has been taking violin lessons since May.  Before that, he was in Music Together for a  year or so.  He's also done a parent/child Antigravity Yoga class with me.  Oh, and he took 6 weeks of ballet lessons which almost killed his dad and his grandma (but Toby LOOOOOOOOVES ballet.)  

 

I want to get him involved in something that will keep him moving because he's so freakishly active.  Right now I am considering gymnastics or tumbling, or karate.  Any thoughts on this?  He has a hard time with connecting things... like, instructions, he can't follow them so well.  Or "I fell on my knee, so now it hurts" - that would never occur to him.  He thinks "I fell on my knee.  My knee hurts.  Why is it hurting?"  So I worry about putting him karate where he's learning fighting because he just doesn't GET that it shouldn't be used on other people.  At the same time, he's expressed an interest... (and let's face it, I begged my mom to let me take karate my entire childhood so if Toby takes karate I could live vicariously through him!) 

[CrisciMalosh]

I have to wait until Zander gets a little bit older (he won't be 5 until October) but I plan on enrolling him in karate, maybe gymnastics, and soccer. Zander doesn't show any interest in music, but his little brother will probably start piano when he turns 5. I'm also thinking of doing the karate and gymnastics route for him. Both boys will likely be in Cub Scouts. (my husband will most likely home school them after I finish college)

 

Before enrolling your son in anything, just talk to the instructor on what experience they have with kiddos like yours, and how they might be able to help him succeed. 

[SpiralGalaxy]

I haven't had to deal with any of that yet--my son's not-quite-two. We've got him in Baby Gym--sort of a tumbling class for toddlers. He loves it, and it's already been really helping his balance. Of course, "following instructions" isn't part of the program at that age. There's a 1:1 parent:child ratio, so the parents literally walk the kids through all the exercises that the coach lays out. 

 

I agree with CrisciMalosh: talk with the coaches before enrolling him, and see what their experience is like. I'm sure they've had to deal with plenty of inattentive 5yos in their time! Good luck!

[kfheston78]

Mom of one, and working on number two, here.  I'm new to the boards and a little post shy.  Always looking for new recipes and ideas to get Hubs and Babyzilla involved!

[Krisis]

Oh Toby loved Baby Gym when he was a baby.  I had him enrolled, once upon a time, in Music Together and Gymboree Play and Learn.  

 

He did really well at violin today.  Keeping my fingers crossed that we can continue to pay attention like a real person, Toby  It's almost unfortunate that he is so intelligent because people don't expect  a child this smart to be so behind emotionally.  Alas.  

 

The only reason I put him in violin was because he's so scary good at music.  He memorizes songs and sings them with perfect pitch after hearing them once.  My mom started me in piano when I was 6, but I was too young and didn't appreciate it.  I think violin is a little better for little kids because it's only using the one hand.  When he's older, though, I'll probably have him take piano too.  If nothing else, my experience taking piano enabled me to read music for my whole life, and that has been an awesome skill I have used constantly in the last 20 years.  

 

Anyway, we're going to go try out a karate dojo tomorrow and see how that goes.  I'd like to get him into a gymnastics / parkour class that used to be offered somewhere around here, but I can't find it.