Comments on: Open Request For Parenting Advice About Feeding My Kid Dogfood

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:41:11 +0000

AndyZ is old enough to understand the concept of no.

Most people dont give toddlers enough credit for how much they understand.
The fact that he does it when you arent looking means he knows he isnt supposed to, hence his understanding of right and wrong on a very basic level, and totally demonstrating his ability to understand no.

but its damn cute!

By: yueqing

yueqing — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:28:06 +0000

that’s so cute!..AndyZ sharing his dinner with the pet dogs =P..well my take is that let Lilz have fun in his teen years; he will mess up sometimes but he will learn; and going by his caringness for his family u blog abt- I am sure it will keep him ok

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:16:12 +0000

I have no advice. I usually look to you for ideas on how to parent. I have a 14 year old daughter and an almost 2 year old son. I think you are doing a wonderful, amazing job with your childrean and I hope to be even half as good a mom as you are.

By: Nancy R

Nancy R — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:32:35 +0000

My middle child when through phases where for a week or so she’d wet the bed and then go months with no problems at all…I finally just chalked it up to growth spurts, figuring her body was just trying to keep up with other changes and so waking up to use the bathroom fell to the back a little.

I just continued to make their bed (she shared a queen with her older sister, which was a PAIN on those nights) as I did when they were babies & toddlers- with a double layer of sheets separated by a wet pad so we could just strip off the wet stuff and put them back to bed as quickly as possible. There was a wet pad between the sheet and the mattress too, but it never happened twice in one night.

By: carolyn

carolyn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:58:58 +0000

1. My oldest was a hard sleeper and she wet the bed some. We limited her liquids in the evening and woke her up to potty when we went to bed. Still didn’t stop the occassional accidents, but she eventually stopped them altogether.
2. My oldest (again!) slept hard but when she woke up in the middle of night, she couldn’t go back to sleep. So, she came to sleep with us. And it continued on and off until she was about 6 or so. Then she gradually got better and getting back to sleep and it stopped. But I enjoyed the cuddle time. It was sweet while it lasted.
3.My two kids are above-average ability, so I have told them they need all As and Bs. When a subject is especially challenging, like Chemistry for the oldest, we get flexible. I need to see effort too. Lack of effort means lost electronics, like TV or the computer. Different things motivate different kids, though, so its not the same consequences for each child.
4. We negotiate with both kids, especially as they have reached their teen years. They are smart and perceptive and I have learned that they can almost always offer an interesting discussion on the rules or whatever. We have our non-negotiables, but lots of things are up for discussion.
5. Doggie goes outside when we eat.

Love reading all the other opinions!!

By: Leah

Leah — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:55:52 +0000

Not having read previous comments:

bed wetting – I’d put her back in pullups, honestly. Easier all around, and I’m guessing she won’t wet the bed by college.

bed sharing – if it bothers your husband, he gets to be the one to escort her back to bed. You get to sleep because it doesn’t bother you. (I cosleep because I NEED MY SLEEP so all transitioning into their own bed had to be done by my husband)

teenagers – not a clue, really, though I do think that it’s good to help kids hone their UBER IMPORTANT negotiation skills before they go off to do it on their own. The world is not black and white.

dog feeding – dog gates to keep the dogs out of the dining room until this phase passes. In a year or two he’ll be shrieking “NO DON’T TAKE MY FOOD” at them.

By: JaniceNW

JaniceNW — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:21:11 +0000

I think teens need to know how to question authority respectfully. We don’t want a repeat of the 1950′s now, do we?

I instructed the child to think about his request. I required the use of perseusive argument. I know I can’t spell. I asked for 2-3 points to persuede me. This is best done when everyone is calm. Negotiation is not an option in the middle of arguing or rebellion.

Some rules are non negotiable.

By: Operation Pink Herring

Operation Pink Herring — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:11:58 +0000

I’m not a parent, so the only advice I have is from my own experience as a teenager: Hearing NO all the time (and even worse, NO just because I said so) made me start just lying to my mom so I could do what I wanted, which for the most part was reasonable. Like, my curfew was midnight, no extensions. If my friends were going to a movie that ended at 11:55, I couldn’t go because I wouldn’t make it home by midnight. I started just lying about it (my mom was always dead asleep when I got home, anyway) or sleeping over at a friend’s house every weekend so that I could avoid the curfew altogether. All in all, it just made me unwilling to talk to my mom because I felt like she didn’t listen. So I don’t think changing the rules is inconsistent… I would have appreciated it very much!

And I just have to say once again that the photo of LilZ playing with his siblings warms my heart.

By: ashleyw

ashleyw — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:53:41 +0000

Hi Zoot! I’ve been a long time stalker/lurker and feel like commenting due to 8.5 hours of babysitting my cousin’s children and the wine that immediately followed.

As far as high schoolers and rules and homework… Based on previous entries, your oldest son sounds like a smart, responsible guy and, again, it sounds like you guys have a great line of communication going for you. Use that instead of having him to x amount of hours doing homework. Tell him to come to you for help, keep an eye on his grades (should you be aiming for college, that’s what matters, not how hard he tried…as I’m sure you know), and trust that you raised an intelligent person who knows to go to somebody for help. If you feel like he’s prioritizes badly, then, yes, setting grade goals is a good idea…but not “get all As and you get $100, get a B and we disown you” type of goal. More of a “stay at or above what you’ve been doing and your life stays the same. Get worse and your free time/social time gets shortened.” Your oldest child is just about grown up and that’s a hard place to be. I agree with you…listen to his gray areas. Keep doing what you’ve been doing…it’s been going well so far!

Dog feeding? I’ve been reading your comments for this, since my son’s been feeding our dogs and my Pom has gone from 3 pounds to 10 in 6 months. Not good.

By: Dee

Dee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:28:08 +0000

As for the bed wetting, at least in my house it always seems to be due to being stressed/overtired. We watch the fluid intake after dinner, though it seems my son is ALWAYS thirsty.

I don’t have any other advice, but if you get a good answer on the feeding the dogs question, I could really use some help there! We fight it at EVERY meal.