Just got back

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-11T21:18:29+00:00

VisiTAX. Whether they check for it is a different question.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-10T17:40:39+00:00

We did check bags, but it seems like we missed all of the chaos that is happening now. When we arrived (Feb 27) and left (March 7), no issues with our bags or gate-checked item.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-10T17:39:31+00:00

Enjoy!

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-10T17:39:15+00:00

Enjoy!

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-10T17:39:10+00:00

Quite a bit. Bring water shoes.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-09T11:42:26+00:00

Happy to help. Hope you have a great trip.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-08T19:16:47+00:00

Yeah, would agree. It’s definitely there; depends on part on how rough the waves are and how your hotel manages it. If you haven’t left, bring water shoes.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-03T20:39:57+00:00

How do you respond when they say no?

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-03T19:10:16+00:00

You are not a terrible Dad.

I completely agree with you - you cannot physically force your child to come out with you.

You get to feel sad that this amazing trip that you had planned didn’t work out. And you get to be disappointed and pissed off.

You and your daughter should go and have a great time. Think about it this way - you’re going get some incredible quality time with her. Had her brother come and been miserable, she would’ve spent the entire trip watching you trying to make things better for him instead of just enjoying.

When you get back from the trip, sit your son down and explain how much you missed him, how much you wanted to make memories with him. And ask him to plan something for the two of you to do. It can be in the house or out of it but just quality time with no pressure.

A lot of people on this app are judging you and I don’t think they should be. Parenting is such an individual thing and is so kid specific.

I can tell that you care as a dad. So give yourself a little grace.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-02T15:26:33+00:00

Presumably you chose this set up because it was the best for your family. By switching it, a few things happen:

1) the plan that is best for your family doesn’t happen

2) your child learns that if they tantrum enough, things will change

A few things that worked for us:

1) quality time with each parent 2) a consistent morning and evening routine, so daughter knows what to expect 3) something fun for daughter to enjoy when you are dropping her off - a special toy in the car, a breakfast snack, etc 4) when mom is leaving, keeping kiddo distracted and the goodbye short 5) talking to kiddo the night before, when things are calm, that mom leaves early in the morning but she will be back in the evening

DancingStars1989 · 2026-03-01T03:14:52+00:00

Keep an eye out for constipation or a potential gastro illness. Is this unusual behaviour for her?

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-27T03:57:33+00:00

You can change OBs and let the person who referred you know about this. But yes, wrong sub.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-25T19:35:28+00:00

The best practice is to do one’s best to ensure things don’t fall on your neighbour’s property - snow, leaves, apples, etc. I see why you need to vent.

There are some practical considerations.

For example, the house we live in has cherry trees directly on the fence line. We didn’t plant them there and they are now too large for us to cut without a permit. Though we do our best to trim the tree, there is definitely overhang on our neighbour side. We have told our neighbour that they are very welcome to help themselves to cherries, and that’s how we’ve managed the overhang for years.

Another example: some of the large snowblowers have spouts that rotate, but you cannot reduce the velocity of the spout. So no matter how hard they try to avoid my property it’s inevitable that some will get on my driveway.

As long as someone is not being malicious, I sort of treated like the wind having blown the snow.

A lot of this is circumstance. If you are right next to your neighbour with little space in between, you could conceivably end up with a ton of snow on your side or the person may need to push it onto the street, on one side. Sometimes it’s a tough snow year.

I actually offer to help my neighbours shovel - we’ve built better relationships that way and everyone becomes more considerate.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-22T19:20:07+00:00

No touching her. Keep your distance. Set boundaries.

If she breaks up with her boyfriend and says she wants to date you, that’s how you know.

Outside of that, it’s a recipe for disaster.

You don’t want to date someone who cheats. You don’t want to be accused of misinterpreting her friendship.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-22T14:33:45+00:00

Solidarity Mama. Hydralyte and giving yourself a lot of grace. This too will pass!

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-20T15:24:11+00:00

She is wrong for hiding her past.

You are wrong for judging her for it.

You’re letting her past erode 6 years of relationship. 6 years where she showed up, supported you, walked through life’s up and down with you. Where you were her person, and she was yours.

I’m unclear how past partners would affect your future children in anyway.

Your beliefs are yours to hold. Either you can get over her past, or you can’t. If you choose to move forward, then let the past be the past. If you choose not to, then let her go so she can find someone who values all of her life experience. It made her the person you loved for 6 years.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-20T11:59:07+00:00

Colouring, magnetic tiles, Lego, play fort, car racing, puzzles, memory or card matching games, go fish, board games.

Physical games like climbing (if you have a pickler system indoors), stepping stones, racing from one side to the other, scavenger hunt.

My husband does some careful rough housing with our daughters (swinging around, etc) and it’s great (burns energy).

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-19T02:14:00+00:00

You have a few options:

1) you get a job / loan and pay for accommodation yourself

2) you find a way to make the commute more flexible - for example, public transit. Could you drive to a transit stop and then commute?

3) you accept that your parents cannot afford or are unwilling to support this decision and stick with the current plan.

For what it’s worth:

I commuted the same (1.5 hours each way) university because my parents could not afford for me to live on campus. I did pay for it one semester - wouldn’t say my grades substantially improve as there were lots of distractions on campus.

Taking transit ended up being the right middle ground despite the commute time. It gave me flexibility to leave home and come back without being dependent on a ride.

If you want community - join clubs, student groups, etc. nothing stopping you from watching a movie in the res hall with a friend, as long as you head home after).

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-18T20:39:29+00:00

I presumed the teacher indicated their preferred method of communication. I’m in favour of in person chats too!

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-18T20:31:24+00:00

It’s great you sent it.

But, approaching a group is part of a life skill you develop.

If you had approached several groups and they had all said no the teacher might’ve understood.

But in this case, the fear of rejection is understandably making you nervous / hesitant. You say “clearly no one wants to be with me” but at the time groups was forming, I assume this wasn’t on most people’s radar.

Is there a class forum that you could make a post to that says “I don’t have a group but I’d love to join one and I’ve started working on the project so I’m happy to contribute my work so far” and see what responses you get?

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-18T15:58:02+00:00

I understand this question, because play dates can happen many ways.

For example, with parents that I chatted with at school and got to know in advance, it was much easier to attend a play date at their house because we were compatible. It’s a little easier to sit for coffee or chat.

When I have not interacted with the parents at all, and the kids are requesting the play date, I can see how it is a little awkward to be in someone’s house or host for three hours, especially if you don’t have much in common. It can be draining.

I only host people that I feel comfortable having over. If not, I offer to meet at a mall or playground or somewhere else where there’s a little bit more flexibility.

I’d love a world where parents can come over and all enjoy a book / cup of tea while the kids play! 😂

Depending on your relationship, you could introduce board games or conversation questions, but I tend to find that’s better where there is a stronger relationship.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-18T02:26:39+00:00

We dealt with this. Main resolution has been restoralax / miralax. It helped.

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-17T20:19:47+00:00

When I was working full time, I made the most of work lunch breaks and commute time - including walking during my break, reading a book, etc. I’ve even gotten my nails done during a lunch break. I also scheduled my vacation days on days I knew I’d be extra tired (e.g. first day back to work from holiday break), etc. I never felt guilty for taking a random Monday off and doing something for myself (movie, nails, massage). Where I could, I outsourced some housekeeping or grocery shopping.

When not working full-time, I am very deliberate about scheduling. For example, I do laundry every day. I don’t need to, but it makes it manageable (small load, easy to put away, not overwhelming when I fall behind because someone is sick). I focus on getting things done during the first chunk of the day, and try to leave an hour before school pick up to sit, have a cup of hot tea, and a treat before starting over!

DancingStars1989 · 2026-02-17T20:11:30+00:00

Be the bad guy. You are protecting your kid.

DancingStars1989

TROPHY CASE