h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As I spend more and more time here I wonder how many other h2g2ers have children? I am the mother of 2 - a rampaging post-toddler type named Minstrel who will be three on Christmas Day and a cuddly and adorable 6 month old named Jethro who is responsible for all the posts I make at 5:30 a.m.

I'm the Father of two. A boisterous eight-year-old and an equally boisterous two-year-old, both boys. They are fighting at my feet as I type.

Mother of one 8 year old (Monique) whom according to her, is having a very hard life because her parents don't understand her and invariably fail to see things from her point of view.
She also has to contend with not having enough freedom and ALWAYS being told what to do. Which really is not fare because she is her own person and should have the right, at the age of 8, to decide what is or is not good for herJ
There is rarely a quiet moment (she talks in her sleep!) but I couldn't even begin to imagine life without her!

ICU2

Sounds like me as a kid, only I was quieter.

Chronically sleep deprived? Addicted to any/all caffeinated beverages? Am I a shift worker? No, but I have two small children at home: Adam (4 years) and Fiona (11 months). However much I would love to have a good night of sleep again, I love having them around (although I know that eventually they will go away)

The biggest transition I have found with becoming a dad has been the ENORMOUS change in what I choose to do to relax. Before kids, my wife and I would frequently go out with friends, attend concerts, go to bars, listen to jazz, etc; you get the idea. Our idea of a GREAT night out now is to have both of our kids illness-free (they both have severe asthma) and be able to go to a coffee shop for two hours. Oh well...they will be all grown up soon enough.

I have two children: Mair (age 12) who has just been struck by puberty travelling at the speed of light or like a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick and Christopher (age 9) who is profoundly autistic and is a little sweetie! Both are suffering from their mother's addiction to this site (ie: missing meals, burnt dinners and not finding any of their toys as I'm not tidying them up anymore!!)

We've just had a daughter (a month old on Thursday), and we had a son last year, but he died after 12 days because he was severely premature.

I have a very loud and active 3 year old boy, Christopher and another boy due on January 27th.
The only problem is that i will be outnumbered by 3 lots of testosterone running around the house!!!(hubby is a bigger kid than Chris and he's 28!!)

Nil kids here - sorry to intrude

kimmy, I was wondering if you knew that as you haven't created a user page yet no one can leave a message for you on your home page - the only way anyone can talk to you is in forums you've posted to.

G'wan hit that 'edit my page' button in the Goo on your home.

Then again the inability to receive unsolicited messages might be a GoodThing™

;^)#

They most certainly grow up so very fast!! I am the single mother of two. Joshua is 15 (already!) and Jessica is soon to be thirteen. Big, knowing grin at the statement about "hitting puberty like a slice of lemon wrapped around a brick..". Free advice to any couples venturing in to the wonderful, outrageous and often hair-pulling world of parenthood--If you would like two or more children of different genders, and think that 2 yrs apart sounds like a good gap, HAVE THE GIRL FIRST!! Providing you can find a way to guarantee choices. As of last Spring both of my children are sharing their puberty with the household. Remember, girls enter this phase before boys do.

Thanks, Just what i needed. Someplace else to come share my children.

I agree that it's a great idea to have a place to come share the kids... Even tho' mine are wildly different in ages from yours there's a certain shared experience when you have responsibility for other people's lives. And I imagine that we'd have a fair bit in common with other h2g2 parents. Perhaps an h2g2 parenting forum?

Perhaps a forum should be created for all the "orphaned" and neglected offspring of h2g2 addicts!

Jim, if you read this, I am really sorry about your premature baby dying - there's not a lot one can say. I would hate to go through something like that. Congratulations on your latest arrival though and don't negletct her too much by spending all your spare time here (nag, nag, nag....)!

I've wondered what other h2g2 children do. Mine are old enough that we compete for pc time. My son is a fellow researcher. However, he won't tell me his i.d. He says, "You'll figure it out. I have faith in you.". Wonder where he gets his sense of humor? lol My daughter doesn't understand the fascination. We tell her she's adopted.

Don't get uptight about the adoption comment. It's a joke between us because she's so different in her tastes. She knows that our differences compliment our home. How droll it would be if we were all alike!

Gee, ever heard the saying, "apples don't fall too far from the tree?" Oh, duh, that's right, you use that phrase ALL the time. LOL. Just teasin' ya. Hello, allow myself to introduce.......myself......I am the infamous Joshua "grndcntrl" speaks of, and behind me is my little imp of a sister, Jessica. Say hello to the nice people Jess.
"Hi!"
Ok, NEway, since this is suppoed to be a "parent" type chat thingy we'll be going.

I've got a pair...
Natalie, aged 5 next month and Meredith, aged 5 months last week.
The eldest is learning to read and exploring her world. The youngest is learning to get teeth and exploring her world.

Sleep is a very good thing (so I'm told)!

Your youngest is just a couple of months younger than my youngest who will be 7 months on the 23rd. Yesterday he finally nailed getting himself into a sitting position, which combined with rolling, twising, bum-sliding, etc. has made him very mobile. He also just demonstrated his first mastery of being able to pick up a small object between thumb and forefinger - a clod of dirt which he immediately put in his mouth. Yum! All this aside however, isn't it amazing how much easier it is the second time around?

I think it's easier because you're not so worried about things...
.
If daughter #1 put a clod of dirt into her mouth, we'd panic. If daughter #2 puts a clod of dirt into her mouth, we say, "Look, mud."

I am fortunate enough to have a large extended family. (I think it's fortunate, anyway) It's interesting the differences in upbringing over the gen. My parents had the 'early set', My older brother and I, then six years later, two more. The younger two were allowed much more freedoms. As you say, my parents were more relaxed. The great thing is that by the time I had mine, my parents actually gave good advice. Things like, "Don't sweat the small stuff. Keep your 'radar' on and let them explore. (and my personal favorite) Don't let other people (us included) tell you how to raise/discipline your kids.".
I like being an Auntie almost as much as I've enjoyed being a mom. I can let the little ones really express themselves, and then call 'mommie' when I've had enough fun. It's like a second set, without the expense of daycare or nappies.
Luna

In rather the opposite situation(just the three of us), but we had a lot of loving and generous friends - I've (had) two boys and can honestly say that although I was besotted with them as babies, each year is better than the last.The older one (a rich and happy programmer) introduced me to h2g2, which is a fair swap for my having bought him the books in mediaeval times.

I always thought I would dread them getting older. You know, mommie's not the center of the world any more. (she's a somewhat strange planet on the near edge.) However, I have discovered that as they get older we get closer, not farther apart. My oldest is here also (see earlier frame). His uncle and I like to take credit for broadening his literary horizons. His uncle is a futre English teacher, working towards his MA at present. My daughter is more interested in reality......what a concept! LOL! As stated in an ealier thread, her practical outlook compliments our home.

Luna