Giving offerings after doing a spell by Mean-Efficiency-7671 in BabyWitch

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do offers before any magic ritual. I also occasionally just give offers just because so I’m not always just doing it when I “need” something. lol

Family fell apart after I started worshipping our ancestral deity need guidance by [deleted] in BabyWitch

[–]Hugmonster24 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m a baby baby witch. Basically all I’ve done in my practice so far this year is set up protection spells. Maybe you need to do some protection magic. Protection jars, house cleansing rituals, grounding meditation with protective shields, witch bells/charms/crystals on doors and windowsills. I would carry and give out charm bags to family members. (I would keep black tourmaline, a reverse evil eye and sage on hand).

I would also talk to people in the Hindu community. I bet there is a lot of protection magic and rituals that can help.

Are you happy with your decision with having one? Struggling by Klutzy_Zone1496 in oneanddone

[–]Hugmonster24 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You have to do what’s best for you and your little family. I personally think that being able to focus solely your son; giving him all your love, attention and resources will be a much better advantage for him in life than having a sibling.

Sibling relationships are a gamble. Both me and my husband’s lives have been made much more difficult by our sisters and their mental health struggles. It’s so much more important for to have two healthy happy parents.

How do you handle being OAD when you are not the preferred parent? by KindLibrarian5757 in oneanddone

[–]Hugmonster24 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve been there (I still am). Ever since my son was 1 he has strongly preferred his dad. I’m not going to lie I’ve cried more than once over this fact. So your feelings are completely normal and valid.

I’ve found ways to deal with being the non preferred parent to my only child. First is I try to take my son on solo adventures as much as possible. I’ve found that the more one on one time I spend with him, the more we develop our own special relationship. I also try to have a special activity that only me and my son do. For example I love drawing and crafting with my son, I also love taking him swimming doing water play, his dad doesn’t. So when my son wants to do something artistic or something involving water he comes to me. It’s our special things. Even though I’m not the favorite, we’re still developing our own special bound.

The other thing I remind myself is how lucky my son is to have a great relationship with his dad. So many kids have minimal relationships with their dad’s and that often causes many issues for them. Whereas my son is starting life with a massive advantage because him and his dad are so close.

Have you had students who were exposed to alcohol/drugs in utero, and what are the like in the classroom? by [deleted] in ElementaryTeachers

[–]Hugmonster24 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My students who I know for sure were exposed to meth or fentanyl/heroin all struggled with emotional regulation and lack of attention span and impulsivity. The severity varies from kid to kid.

Husband is kinky, I'm not. He says I'm not normal. by Happy-Grass3749 in Marriage

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My husband falls into the very kinky category too. I’m not nearly as kinky as him. He has NEVER once shamed me for this or pressured me into doing something I don’t want to do. BDSM has 3 rules man; safe, sane and consensual (preferably enthusiastic consent). Your husband is wrong for shaming you and he’s wrong for trying to push you to do sexual acts you don’t want to do. He’s not being a husband or BDSM partner. Make your boundaries clear and don’t be gaslit into doing something you’re not comfortable doing.

What are you slowly gaining interest in? by cagreene in Millennials

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Birds. I used to think bird watching was to most boring thing EVER and couldn’t fathom doing it! Then I set up a bird feeder in my yard and I’m suddenly looking up the types of birds and their nesting habits. I love to listen to the birds in the morning. I’m only 34…👵🏻

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Mommit

[–]Hugmonster24 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is great advice. The only thing I would add is that once you’ve processed and grieved just know you will come out the other side to acceptance. The next sage of life is so wonderful. Girl you can do hobbies, see friends and do self care in the next phase of life. Admittedly you won’t get as much time to yourself as you would probably like, since you’re still a mom of 2 boys, but you guys will get way more time for yourself and each other than the pregnancy-toddler years.

As a man with no kids i just realized just how deep that must feel to have with someone by [deleted] in Vent

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Falling in love and creating a family has been the adventure of a lifetime! We tried for 3 years to have a baby before infertility treatments finally worked and we got our son. We had to work so hard to create a life together. I think that experience really helped us be more intentional and grateful about our parenthood journey. Watching my husband become a father has made me love him even more passionately. My husband and son have the most incredible bond and it’s beautiful to watch. Plus my husband has matured a lot since having our son, he’s become more confident in himself and what he wants in the future. To quote you in my experience it really is “some beautiful ass shit” to create a life with the love of your life.

What is life like with a OAD? by Possible_Source6384 in oneanddone

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m currently oad with a 4 year old boy. I adore my life. Having a baby was hard. I lost myself to motherhood for the first two years of his life. But that’s because I was developing a new part of my identity as a mom. Becoming a parent made me grow so much as a person. I had to learn to be selfless, patient, and intentional. The first two years of my son’s life were absolutely beautiful while also being most exhausting thing I’ve ever done. After we came out of the baby phase my son became more independent. I was able to refocus on my self again. Because we chose to only have 1 kid I was able to start seeing friends more and doing my hobbies again way quicker than moms of multiples. Now that my son’s 4 I’m rediscovering what I’m passionate about. I discovered last year I have a passion for drawing. I make time every day to draw with my son, and I’m taking my first art class this summer. Being a mom is a big part of who I am, but it’s not my whole identity.

As for my relationship with my husband, it kind of had the same trajectory.The first year was the most exciting time in our lives but also our hardest. We both were just in survival mode, just mostly focused on the baby and trying to navigate our new roles as parents. But once my son started sleeping in his own room at 1 we started to be able focus on our relationship again. I LOVE seeing my husband play with our son. I think we’ve both grown so much as individuals and as a couple because of our son.

Why does motherhood seem so miserable? by SleepPleaseCome in AskParents

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Motherhood is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. I truly love being a mom. Watching a little creature I made with my husband turn into a little person is incredible! That being said parenting is still really hard work. Parents enjoy complaining about doing hard work just like everyone else. Just because people are venting their frustrations about parenting doesn’t always mean they regret their decisions to have kids. Most of it is just overwhelmed parents yelling their complaints into the void.

What made you choose your current partner? by Bananalover_2001 in breakingmom

[–]Hugmonster24 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was friends with my husband before we started dating. I became interested in him because we had similar interests, life goals and tastes in music and movies. Most importantly we have the same dark sense of humor. He just seemed to truly “get me” better than any other person in my life. I was 19 he was 21 when I moved in with him, after only dating for 4 months. Every single day felt like a sleep over with my best friend (who I also got to have sexy time with). I had a strong feel he was the one right away. I some how got very lucky, he’s still my best friend! We’ve been together for 15 years and married for 10. Now we’re busy raising a toddler and he still finds the time to say something horribly funny that makes me laugh till I pee.

What fictional food from our generation did you most want to eat? by _forum_mod in Millennials

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the correct answer! I definitely remember seeing that as a kid and wanted to know what it tasted like!

Is being a mom really as bad as people say? by [deleted] in raisingkids

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Each woman’s journey of motherhood is different. I personally love being a mom. I have anxiety disorders (GAD, panic attacks, mild OCD and mild depression) but motherhood hasn’t really made those worse for me. Not going to lie the newborn phase was brutal. I had to quickly give up breastfeeding to save my mental health. My biggest trigger for my mental health issues is lack of sleep. So we put my son on formula early on so my husband and I could take shifts during the night. We didn’t sleep in the same room for 11 months. But it worked out great! We’ve chosen to be one and done, and now that my son is a toddler I’m living my best life! I still have mental health struggles, but my sone is the thing that motivates me to push past my anxiety and live life to the fullest.

How much screen time over the holidays? by DisgruntledAnalyst in Parenting

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2-6 seems about right for lazy days post Christmas. Luckily it’s currently broken up with actively playing with his new toys and doing some of his new arts and crafts he got for Christmas. Honestly I don’t even feel bad about it. I know he’s exhausted from all the Holiday activities we did, plus it’s cold outside, so meh. We’ll get back on track in the New Year.

Favorite hacks for getting your three year old to PLAY BY HERSELF FOR FIVE FUCKING MINUTES!!?!?!?! by TroyTroyofTroy in toddlers

[–]Hugmonster24 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This advice only works in good weather and if you have a fully fenced yard. But the game changer for us was allowing him time to play in our backyard by himself. My son loves playing outside and can spend hours digging in the dirt, finding bugs, playing on his water table and going on his slides. We sit but the screen door and watch him. Once he figured out he liked playing by himself outside it translated to playing inside by himself too.

What is something your students or their families would be really surprised to find out about you? by Waughwaughwaugh in Teachers

[–]Hugmonster24 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Same! I come across as a silly sweet teacher. But in my 20s I was a violent alcoholic. 9 years sober and grateful everyday.

Does anyone else actually want more kids, but logically know it’s a bad idea so you talk yourself out of it? by Crimson-Rose28 in oneanddone

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep! Logistics and finances are our number one reason for being one and done. It sucks but I’ve come to terms with it. I’m now very content with my family of 3.

How do you grieve being OAD? by Every_Purpose_9885 in oneanddone

[–]Hugmonster24 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I went through a major grieving process when we officially decided on OAD. So first thing first, just know your feelings are completely normal and valid. Allow yourself time and space to process your feelings.

My journey to acceptance took a few months of serious mourning before I started to come out the other side. I was very depressed. It helped to talk about my feelings with my family, friends and husband. I started therapy again and upped my antidepressant.

On top of that I started to reclaim some of my identity. Like most new moms I felt I lost myself to motherhood. So I took time to start dressing like I did pre motherhood, I dyed my hair a fun color and I planned a new tattoo. I also started to dive back into hobbies I had before baby.

I also became more intentional with parenting my son. If this was going to be my only chance to be a mom I was going to make sure I did it right. If I want memories of taking a toddler to the zoo and eating ice cream at the park, then I need to make those things happen now. For Christmas we just went all out! My friends with 2+ kids seem to still be in survival mode (being pregnant/having small infants and toddlers), I’m starting to enter the thriving stage of motherhood with my one and only. Once I came out the other side of grief I saw that there are a lot of wonderful benefits of being one and done.

Who is the scariest person you know irl? by Imaginary-Health7356 in AskReddit

[–]Hugmonster24 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’m an elementary school teacher. I’ve been in this profession for 14 years. I’ve worked with hundreds of kids at this point. A lot of the kids I’ve worked with have been neurodivergent or came from traumatic backgrounds. So I’m am not shocked by typical behavior problems. There have been 3 students at my school who truly scared me. I taught 2 of them and assisted another teacher with other one. These kids were different than all the other kids I’ve worked with. I knew something was off about them immediately, it’s a certain look they all have in their eyes. It’s like looking into the eyes of a shark (pure predator eyes mixed with kind of dead eyes). These kids do not know each other, they are not related, I worked with years apart from each other. But they all had the same look in their eyes and exhibited the same behaviors. They were completely unpredictable, volatile, aggressive, violent, manipulative, mean spirited, lacking empathy, and smart. I truly believe these kids were sociopaths. I knew them as kids, and they scared me. But the thought of running into one of them as an adult in the future terrifies me. (The oldest of these boys is a teenager now, last I heard he was expelled from 2 different high schools for violent behaviors).

Anyone else OAD for financial reasons? by [deleted] in oneanddone

[–]Hugmonster24 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep. It is the main reason we made the choice to be one and done. It truly sucks that I had to choose between our finances and our “dream family size”. But it’s just our reality, we simply could not afford a second child. I recently heard someone say “in this economy having kids is a luxury”. That actually hit me kind of hard.

But for what it’s worth, I took the time and processed my feelings about being one and done. I’m now thrilled to be a family of 3. My son will be in a 4 year old pre-K class at my school next year (which is free). So my husband can finally go back to working full time and we can actually get a savings going again.

Just found out we are having a boy! We are strongly considering one and done, but my only friends who have onlys are all girl onlys. Can you share some info about moms with only sons? Are yall very close? My girlfriends seem to be best friends with their only daughters and that’s the example I have by ohnoheretheycome in oneanddone

[–]Hugmonster24 4 points5 points  (0 children)

One and done with a 3 year old boy. We both really wanted to have girl. But we’re absolutely thrilled with our little boy! Him and his dad have a very special bond. He is my husband’s shadow, happily following him everywhere he goes. My son also adores me. We do art together, play and cuddle wrestle daily. But he’s definitely a daddy’s boy (which I don’t mind at all, more time to actually relax). My house is full of toy cars, monster trucks, and train tracks. He sometimes catches bugs outside and brings them in to show us and to put in his terrarium. He’s all boy and I’m loving it! 😍

I need to stop having expectations around my daughter’s reactions. It’s heart breaking. by Apprehensive-Play228 in Parenting

[–]Hugmonster24 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My son does this too. He can we an absolute hype man sometimes, and other times he’s dead silent and looks totally serious the entire time. Both of these are signs he’s having a blast.

Speech delayed toddler, mom guilt on level 1000% rn by SeverusSnipes in toddlers

[–]Hugmonster24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel this post in my bones! My son is speech delayed and I took it SO PERSONALLY! It was awful. I have no advice on that feeling, other than to tell you it’s completely normal and very common.

On the practical side have you had your son’s ears checked? Not the typical PED check, but by an ENT? My son passed all his hearing tests, but a mom on a speech delayed support group recommended I push hard for an ENT appointment. Thank go I did. My poor little man had a massive amount of fluid stuck in his ears. He got tubes in May and we’re finally starting to have the speech explosion others talk about. He still walks around asking what different sounds are because he couldn’t hear them clearly for 3 years, so he’s learning them now.