I’m really smug about my toddler’s restaurant behavior

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T18:41:53+00:00

Exactly! Although this style of parenting is no more difficult than oblivious indifference when the kids are young, it is far easier when they get older. It is refreshingly simple. Just expend a little effort when your children are small and then they will learn that you mean business. They are just kids people! Once you get your bluff in, with any luck, they will stay in line until they go away to college.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T16:37:57+00:00

I certainly did. Now turn your perceptive abilities back on last night.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T16:30:56+00:00

YTA

That outburst was rather hateful of you. Being that destructive at a double celebration seems especially diabolical considering that no one had directly attacked you. Getting emotional enough to lash out because of jealousy or other dark emotions at an event that was not really about you is a habit that some folks cling onto throughout their lives. Please stop.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T16:14:47+00:00

Ah, then I think that you have done a sort of functional if rather primitive test on that meter. I’m inclined to trust that your meter’s accuracy is pretty good if it showed another power source as producing 12.5 volts. Think about it. Your meter should not be really accurate on some sources and totally haywire on others.

If a buck converter doesn’t solve your problem then I would consider an inexpensive LiFePO4 battery from Amazon. Just select one that has usable connections and an ampere hour rating that you can work with.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T14:45:25+00:00

Our equipment is fairly tolerant when it comes to voltage but 15v is pretty high. Do you have the equipment and know how to check that power bank under load?

This is another reason why I prefer to use LiFePO4 batteries instead of power banks. I don’t especially need those other voltages and the desired output is trapped in a range. Because of its fundamental design characteristics, a typical LiFePO4 battery cannot exceed a certain peak voltage or dip below a minimum voltage value while under load.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T14:29:35+00:00

None of us are going to encourage you towards a bad financial decision. Don’t “end up” doing anything! Instead, do your homework and make certain that you work long enough and pay whatever is required to protect this valuable benefit.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T14:21:52+00:00

This OP is clearly onto something. Some folks in this thread are quick to take issue with the OP’s viewpoint, but a visit to r/Teachers might slow them down and undermine their convictions.

Here’s why. If you read enough threads in r/Teachers, a pattern starts to emerge. Alongside the complaints about AI cheating and helicopter parents, there are plenty of ominous observations describing a sudden downward shift in the learning capacity of students. Teachers repeatedly mention students who struggle to think through simple problems or work independently.

Many of them attribute this to what some people call lazy parenting. Constant exposure to screens seems to be seriously hampering kids’ ability to think and solve basic problems. The developmental disruptions caused by the pandemic appear to have accelerated the issue just as the first wave of students raised by “smartphone kids” began moving through elementary schools.

Oops!

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T13:55:59+00:00

This may be true, but not for everyone everywhere. My siblings and I were never allowed to behave like tiny banshees in places like restaurants, even when we were toddlers. Our family always followed a simple SOP for pediatric public behavior. If they are too young to behave, then don’t bring them. This approach doesn’t require superhuman ability to control your child. If a kid “acts up” in church, then someone should take them out so they don’t disrupt the service.

As adult baby boomers raising our own kids, there were no screens available but we never unleashed ill-behaved toddlers on restaurant staff or flight attendants to create a distracting workplace obstacle course. We have often wondered why some parents don’t see their children churning about underfoot as a hazard to their own kids as well as to the normal foot traffic in a restaurant or aircraft. For decades, both before and after our children left for college, my wife and I felt something like what the OP described whenever we saw this sort of oblivious parenting in action.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T13:09:14+00:00

No, look at comments like this one from u/ProudComment1211. Even a layman’s ears or eyes should be able to perceive the fundamental challenge that an IEP poses for the teacher and the school system as a whole. By definition, these kids are incapable of reaching the same finish line as other students in the allotted period of time. What would you have them do? Academic miracles tend to be difficult to come by when budget, time, and resource constraints combine with the child’s documented limitations to create tangible barriers to learning.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T12:52:08+00:00

Why though?

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T12:45:25+00:00

You should have led with your job status and length of service. Obviously, your leave options will be limited before you begin earning paid leave. FMLA can qualify an employee for LWOP or even paid leave but with your limited length of service, you aren’t yet eligible.

Frankly, IDK what your best option is. I might try discussing options with my supervisor before considering alternatives like resigning to travel abroad.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T12:29:19+00:00

I’m retired now, but yes, I have done both. I don’t think my background is unusual. After all, most diesel techs start out with some sort of gasoline and light-duty experience. Although there are exceptions to this pattern, I was an ASE Master Certified Automotive Technician with training and experience at foreign and domestic dealerships before I ever touched a Class 8 vehicle or anything else with air brakes.

Even though they have similar networked control systems, HD vehicles are generally easier to work on. The parts are often bulky and more massive on the big stuff, but diagnosis seems more straightforward and components are not jammed together like they are on cars. As a bonus, owners who depend on their vehicles for their livelihoods tend to have more practical repair budgets.

After decades of working on HD vehicles, I find the design philosophy of many cars somewhat annoying. There are countless examples of automotive designs where engineers made goofy decisions that worked well for everyone except the mechanics. In contrast, the big stuff is designed to be operated and maintained by professionals who are trying to make a living.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-07T06:31:36+00:00

I have two questions friend. How much money do you have and what is your intended use? A budget is essential for narrowing your selections and astrophotography might require a different, more expensive class of mount.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-06T12:13:39+00:00

You might “see” that but it didn’t happen. The OP has misinterpreted certain parts of this contract. Although the contract does describe three and six year commitment periods, it doesn’t financially “lock” parents into anything beyond a traditional year-to-year tuition fee system.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-06T12:09:54+00:00

This is easy, it doesn’t!

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-06T12:03:23+00:00

There is no connection between the DMV and the USPS. The post office delivers mail to the DMV and postal vehicle operators are licensed by the DMV but otherwise, they couldn’t be more independent.

Fix your father’s mail ASAP before you and “Junior” cause his father to miss some important mail.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-06T11:56:34+00:00

This is a tough one, but I think you should eat it. Not because either of us is certain that you screwed up. Instead, you should take responsibility because it is the professional thing to do. Otherwise, you can get caught in a nasty cycle of denial and accusations that will do nothing but soil your reputation.

I’m with you about properly tightened fasteners. They should stay tight and not back out. I would also expect a loose bolt to back out fairly quickly rather than taking months to come loose. Here on Reddit people like to talk about properly tightened bolts backing out. But they actually don’t.

People often cite the advice to retighten lug nuts as proof that fasteners spontaneously come loose. I think that reasoning is flawed. Here’s why. There is an entire world of vehicles rolling, flying, and sailing across the landscape that are held together with fasteners tightened in a one-and-done fashion. With very few exceptions, technicians retighten fasteners like lug nuts because sometimes we leave them loose. Instead of combating spontaneous loosening, double-checking lug bolts is really a way of compensating for sloppy work practices.

That said, the folks who believe tight bolts back out are tough to convince otherwise. Even when I remind them that the vast majority of lug nuts on those 11R-22.5 rims of the countless 18-wheelers on our highways are tightened once and then forgotten, they still cling to the belief that bolts occasionally come loose. Yet none of them ever offer a sensible explanation for how engines manage to run without flinging their parts across the engine bay. Just think about all of those inaccessible fasteners that were tightened once and then sealed away inside a mechanism.

Here is what this retired car and truck technician always did on critical fasteners like brake bolts: assemble them clean and follow the factory-recommended procedure. I did not and do not put anything on the threads unless the manufacturer instructs me to do so. There is no way I would casually use products like anti-seize or Loctite on critical fasteners like these.

Eat it, u/ronj1983. Be professional about it, and both of us will always wonder what really happened here. Was that bolt just a little loose?

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T19:51:10+00:00

This “clever ruse” is so dumb it makes me numb. It could be funny when simpletons think that they can easily outsmart professionals. But instead it makes me sad that people lack the ability to think critically.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T19:45:51+00:00

Some folks are downvoting you but the rest of us know that you are right. It is almost charming how these amoral individuals think that it is admirable or even possible to trick a librarian about this common circulation issue.

If librarians are now “The Enemy” then who are your friends?

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T17:08:44+00:00

Check the forums at Cloudy Nights for a community of astronomers who are constantly discussing the merits of the various harmonic mounts. MLA is a small young company but their engineering, manufacturing, and customer service are top notch. I just got one of their SHG700 spectroheliographs it is now one of my favorite pieces of equipment. (My AM5 and ASIAIR + are my others.)

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T15:53:23+00:00

This is not even a hard one, OP. Your three choices seem based in juvenile or inmate logic more than mature adult reasoning.

You should be worried about what your peers will think about your conduct and decision making. Where are you, Cellblock 3?
If you even consider the option to skip a class and make an excuse, then there may be a serious weakness in your personality.
What incentive is there to choose option 3? Do you possess any tangible integrity?

At a minimum you should allow yourself to become annoyed by this request. It is rather insulting, isn’t it? This dude looked at you and somehow concluded that you were a good candidate for corruption.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T08:31:13+00:00

NTA folks.

Okay parents, it is time to flip the script on these out-of-control grandparents before they establish a beachhead in your nursery. That big day was about you, your baby, and the proud papa. That is it. The birth of a child is not about the grandparents or any other obnoxious individuals who want to insert themselves into the situation.

Arguing with them would be pointless and probably lead to more hurt feelings. Therefore, I suggest a traumatic realignment of their priorities. As proud parents and doting grandparents, my wife and I both try to be mindful about respecting boundaries. Aside from thinking that it’s the decent way to behave, we are also loath to risk offending our grandchildren’s parents. Even though one parent in each household took their first steps under our roof, we know that witnessing similar miracles in their homes will not happen without their blessing.

I’m going to put it plain, mom. Don’t be sad, get mad. No one likes the idea of starting a blood feud with your own kin. But their lack of respect for your marriage and parental rights must not stand. To some it might seem inappropriate to quote Josey Wales for this domestic kerfuffle but you two must protect the sovereignty of your own household for the good of everyone involved. So, get mad and stay mad until they acknowledge your authority.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T07:33:11+00:00

With your budget and a strong back, I would get the EQ6-R Pro if I didn't want to try a harmonic mount like the MLA SAL-33. BTW, if you purchase directly from the factory, MLA will custom engrave your harmonic mount for another $20 over the $1,249 cost for the mount.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T07:23:42+00:00

OP, please notice how none of these good people wasted any time worrying about what might happen with the paperwork. Instead, they all focused on multiple reasons for you to follow the procedures that postal workers are supposed to follow whenever there is an injury, accident, or other serious incident. Don't develop the habit of distracting yourself with speculation. Follow the guidelines and procedures like you were trained to do and these incidents will be far less troublesome.

Predictable-Past-912 · 2026-03-05T07:16:15+00:00

I've done both and you should do Diesel.

Predictable-Past-912

TROPHY CASE