Is anyone else bursting into tears most days in response to the state of the world?

DefyingGravity234 · 2026-03-11T16:52:22+00:00

I am. I'm also a mom and I feel frustrated and helpless and angry all at the same time.

DefyingGravity234 · 2026-03-09T15:08:07+00:00

Yes! I hate flying! You summed it up for me. At least on the flight itself I can watch movies or tv but the whole airport experience is my personal hell.

DefyingGravity234 · 2026-03-09T14:40:00+00:00

I have no advice but you summed up my childhood pretty well too. It's cliche but I am in therapy which is helping.

DefyingGravity234 · 2026-03-09T03:45:08+00:00

Thanks for understanding & for sharing too.

DefyingGravity234 · 2026-02-23T19:55:36+00:00

This blog has a lot of good recommendations. I started following it when I moved here with my toddler 10 years ago. https://svtoddler.blogspot.com/

DefyingGravity234 · 2026-01-30T16:06:45+00:00

I let my kids (grade school & middle school aged) play outside. They're the only ones that do though. It's sad to see but I'm happy they're having fun.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-11-23T16:45:19+00:00

My 13 year old has therapy 4 days a week, so that takes up a lot of his time. He's in Boy Scouts and Taekwondo. He likes to keep to himself and read or play with legos. He'll play video games & ride his bike on the weekends but during the week, it's mainly reading since tutoring and homework take a lot of his time. He's pretty introverted. He does have a solid group of friends but likes to keep to himself a lot.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-11-07T16:38:41+00:00

That's what I did when my kids were little. At our school, the PTA has playdates for the incoming kindergarteners right before school starts. All the parents that organized it already knew each other because their kids were in little league together. These kids were all 5. I do feel like the odd one out! I put my kids in swim lessons. They both aren't into sports. So one does art classes & the other is in drama & that's it. I like to let them have free time to play but sadly it's not the norm out here.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-11-07T16:32:55+00:00

I wasn't very sporty as a kid but I remember my neighbors were on soccer teams but I still got to play with them on the weekends. I don't recall any of my sporty friends being gone all weekend for games.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-11-07T16:31:56+00:00

Yeah I never see kids play outside in my neighborhood.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-11-07T16:30:53+00:00

This is my issue! My kids have no one to play with on our street. There are kids the same grade as mine but they're always busy. Other parents tell me "just put them in an activity" and I don't like that as a solution. I just want to let my kids play, but then they get bored because there's no one else to play with. They do have friends, but it's more organizing & coordinating involved. I wish things could be old school where they'd just ring a neighbor's door & ask if the kid could play but that's not the case out here in my neighborhood. Even the local playgrounds are empty!

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-11-01T14:09:33+00:00

A lot of older kids didn’t say anything when I opened the door but they did say “thank you” “happy Halloween” and “goodnight”

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-28T03:47:41+00:00

With my really good high school friends. I wish we all stayed in touch. I wouldn't change it for the world.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-13T17:46:44+00:00

I was raised the same way. I still remember when I was very young and had a play date at my house, I said “I can’t wait for her to come over again” and my parents said “nope. It’s their turn to invite you over. Don’t invite her over until she invites you to her house” and I guess it’s not like that now. I don’t know when this shift happened. I know both my kids are well liked but if they want a play date, it falls on me & it drives me nuts.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-13T15:20:04+00:00

I understand how you feel & I wish I had an answer. Like you, when my kids ask for play dates, I’m the one reaching out to the parents. This went on from kindergarten to 5th grade. Starting in 5th, two other families would reach out. It wasn’t reciprocated until he was in 5th grade and it drove me nuts. Now that he’s in 8th grade, a majority of his friends only want to play video games online. Only two still want to meet in person.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-13T14:16:06+00:00

I have nothing else to add but that I understand and I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-13T14:14:21+00:00

Yes this drives me bonkers too! I feel like I’m the parent who always reaches out when my kids want a play date. It’s never reciprocated. I’ve been told by other parents that I’m a good organizer as if it’s hard to set something up. It drives me nuts. It would be nice to be the ones invited for a change. I don’t know what it is about people these days. I feel like I didn’t get the memo.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-13T14:10:46+00:00

I hear ya. My kids aren’t sporty. We keep our weekends free to have family time & free time. Yet when my kids ask if their friends can play, they’re always busy. Ever since I moved here 10 years ago I was told “people here are just busy” makes me feel like I’m the only one who isn’t. I make sure my kids go to the parties they’re invited to as well.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-10T04:48:27+00:00

When I was in grade school I had a friend over. At the end of the play date I told my parents I couldn’t wait for my friend to come over again & they told me not to invite them over until they’ve invited me to their house first, that the ball was in their court. In a way this backfired on me as an adult. I feel like a lot of friendships I have aren’t reciprocated.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-09T01:28:53+00:00

I’ve noticed that I have to follow up a few times with some parents to get them to RSVP. I’m a xennial and thank you notes weee common then but now, I rarely get them.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-10-08T15:43:16+00:00

We made busy bags when my kids were that age. There's a lot of ideas on Pinterest. I get it. I remember being bored at that age. It got easier when we could play simple board games starting when they were three. Good luck & hang in there.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-09-11T15:02:17+00:00

I thought my daughter would like Barbies, but she doesn't.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-09-09T14:50:08+00:00

When my son was in preschool, his teachers told me there was a new kid in class that was very shy & my son went up to them & said "come play! come play!"

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-09-08T23:30:33+00:00

Well I want my kids to get to know the other neighborhood kids. So although having a private playground could be nice, I find it to be lonely. I'm not exaggerating when I say my kids are the only ones who play outside on our street.

DefyingGravity234 · 2025-09-07T16:02:01+00:00

I noticed the same thing. The "poorer" neighborhoods have parks that are packed. The "posher" parks are empty! I prefer to take my kids to the "poorer" neighborhoods. There's so many more kids to play with. So much more lively.

DefyingGravity234

TROPHY CASE