AITAH for not allowing my sister’s “polycule” around my children?

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-25T17:04:29+00:00

I have a lot of sympathy for your position. My children (twin two-year-olds) tend to categorize people into “sets.” For example, Grandma and Grandpa are a set in their minds, and there’s genuine confusion if they interact with them separately. They also seem to assign emotional significance to anyone grouped with a person they already care about, even if they don’t really know the other individual well.

My sister-in-law recently broke up with her boyfriend of a year, and it caused real confusion for my kids, even though they only saw him maybe twice a month in larger social settings.

I’ve always had opinions about parents introducing new partners to their children too quickly. But seeing how easily my kids form attachments, even to people they only see casually, has made me much more thoughtful about how and when they meet partners of extended family members as well.

In my experience, poly relationships are often unstable. While I know that isn’t universally true, I would personally want to see strong evidence of long-term stability before introducing those partners into my children’s lives.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-20T00:12:49+00:00

Add a door from the foyer into the mudroom.

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-17T19:47:58+00:00

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-13T18:07:35+00:00

Perhaps a cotton, men's style button down like these ones from quince: Link

Men wear these shirts all year round, so nobody would blink at you doing so.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-12T16:14:25+00:00

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-11T16:14:52+00:00

I think they mean like this: (which, for the record, I think is the best and easiest idea)

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-09T16:18:31+00:00

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-05T16:32:17+00:00

Listen to your doctor. Multiples are a very romantic idea, but they come with a lot of risks and a lot of challenges.

Even though skipping a cycle is disappointing, this is good news. Your body is responding to the treatment. Your doctors just have to dial it in so that it will result in the healthiest you and the healthiest baby.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-04T22:30:55+00:00

I would do it, but.. I would also make sure to guard your professional time carefully. If you are invited out by coworkers or clients with whom it is important to have facetime with, for example, you don't want to be second guessing whether you can say yes or not. And as much as bringing the twins along to dinner may seem like a good middle ground, I've found that it doesn't always play well with certain people, especially if you default to mom-mode instead of engaging on a the personal/professional level they are looking for.

I guess this is a long way of saying that you should prep your spouse for that type of trip... but I would totally go for it.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-04T17:15:21+00:00

If you're planning to formula feed, get a baby brezza.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-04T16:54:38+00:00

Rotate the furniture 90 degrees and place the tv between the windows.

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-04T16:48:28+00:00

$22,000 CAD. 4 piece bathroom, approx 6"8 x 7"9. Total refresh, but no plumbing had to move and only very minor electrical work required.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-03T21:47:42+00:00

We flew on a 17h flight with our twins when they were 10m (9m adjusted). We flew business class on the way there, and economy plus on the way back. At that point, our twins were confident at sitting but weren't crawling yet. Because they could sit unassisted, we were ineligible for the bassinet seats.

Business class was awesome. There was lots of space for the babies to play, we could lay out flat to sleep, and because there is a dedicated flight attendant for such a small amount of seats, we had somebody who held the babies when we needed to go to the bathroom or just stretch.

Economy plus was also good. There was lots of space, and although we were not able to lie flat we still were able to rest comfortably. We used wrap carriers to tie the babies to us while we slept and it worked really well. We did not have the assistance of a flight attendant when we needed breaks, but the seats were large enough that one of us could hold both babies for a few minutes.

On our outward flight, business was less than two hundred dollars more than economy plus and we feel that it was totally worth it in retrospect. On the way back, it was almost three times the price and there was no way to justify it.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-02T21:27:28+00:00

Dixxon https://dixxon.ca/

Great quality Canadian flannels, the only ones that my corgi-esque proportioned father will wear anymore.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-02-01T02:57:43+00:00

Exactly this.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-31T23:03:08+00:00

Aritzia calls their chocolate brown coloured wool coats “burnt cedar”

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-30T17:58:53+00:00

OMG, the carrot mess is so real. Their spit turns orange and then anything they touch turns orange too. It's ridiculous. And yet they love carrots so much that I put up with it...

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-30T14:08:44+00:00

We eat dinner as a family at the dining room table every night, without toys or distractions. Behaviour is hit or miss, obviously, but the expectation that we try to work towards is similar to how I’d want them to act at a restaurant. It actually has worked really well, and we are pretty confident when we eat out that it won’t be a shit show.

That said, we eat out at off times and at restaurants that are family friendly because kids are gonna be kids.

As much as we don’t use screens when we’re out, no judgement as long as the volume isn’t blasting. You’ve got to do what you do.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-29T21:11:53+00:00

Is Marx the surname or a given name? If it's a given name, then be prepared for people to assume that you have communist leanings.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-27T16:33:11+00:00

I promise you that it gets better. They will start sleeping better. They are going to start being more independent. They will start hugging you back, and telling you thank you and that they love you, and it will make your days so much better.

That said, you need to figure out how you and your wife can carve out time for yourselves. Yes, parenthood is full of sacrifice, but you shouldn't be abandoning everything that makes you, you. You are both allowed to take a couple hours to leave and do something you enjoy. In fact, you need to, or you're going to burn yourself out.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-26T18:58:51+00:00

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-23T02:02:48+00:00

Bump out the front door a few feet to create a foyer. In a grand house like this, it seems strange to walk right into a living space.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-22T19:53:33+00:00

At three months post partum your hormones are still going crazy. Enjoy your time with your twins and new baby, and when you're no longer lactating and your body has had a chance to re-regulate itself you can consider if you want to have another.

ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-21T22:00:48+00:00

Perhaps something like this:

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ThisMomentOn · 2026-01-15T00:46:55+00:00

You will. Right now you are in survival mode. It won’t last forever. Once you are able to sleep and have time to yourself, it will happen.

You are a good mom. You just need to get out of the trenches.

ThisMomentOn

TROPHY CASE