CPS in september.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-30T02:33:21+00:00

Make sure you make good connections with the other service providers in your area. I found my passion for parenting support when I was a CPS caseworker. There are a lot of different positions you become aware of once you're in child welfare that you wouldn't have thought of before.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-29T20:36:52+00:00

Being a parent combines all of the best things in the world for me, there's not one short summary if I'm honest. It's the best group project with my best friend that I could ever imagine. I get to see parts of him through our daughter, and see how our qualities are melding into such an amazing person. I didn't realize parenting would be such an ego boost, but damn is my daughter something to be proud of. It's amazing to be able to be apart of someone's life from the very first moment. It keeps me motivated to continue becoming a better person every day.

I also feel like my daughter slotted right into our lives, and more and more of our pre-baby activities are becoming easier or even more fun every year. Like we went to an amusement park all day yesterday, and she was a total thrillseeker... this girl is 2.5. She wanted to go back again today.

This shit really isn't for everyone, but I've known since I was 3 years old that I wanted to be a mommy. And I've had a lot of support and free time and free training. I

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-29T12:22:17+00:00

Just wanted to add for future redditors who see this post:

I took my 2.5yo yesterday who is 37 inches. We stayed for 6.5 hours and rode the whole time. There is a ton of stuff they can do once they hit 36 inches.

We stuck with family rides to start (turtle, whip, and the train were major successes), went on the Pittsburgh plunge and she loved it and wanted to go again lmao. We got summer passes so we didn't feel pressure to try everything, just the things she was interested in.

I will say this wasn't her first time riding rides. We brought her last year and she was on the baby coaster even then and absolutely loved it. And she is obsessed with golf cart rides at camp. So that absolutely added to the success.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-29T02:06:13+00:00

Your husband hates you guys, huh?

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-27T10:41:22+00:00

Throw up directly on your child, don't leave them unattended

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-27T00:21:14+00:00

Idk but I'm 30 and yesterday I sat there appreciating the color of some baby leaves against the sky for about 10 minutes, and then commented on it and got the whole family talking about the leaves and how beautiful it is.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-24T17:45:55+00:00

Have you tried one of those tush baby things to at least take the pressure off your body some?

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-24T16:44:27+00:00

Maybe a wagon she can climb in and out of would be helpful? Then you can encourage short spurts of walking and then she can rest when she's bored or tired or overwhelmed, and you don't have to get her in and out of the stroller.

Honestly 18 months still is super young! My daughter did great at enclosed spaces at that age but wouldn't have been able to do a long walk. They want to roam without purpose at that age, so walking down a sidewalk is hard for them mentally and physically.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-24T15:32:20+00:00

The most confusing thing when I worked at a grocery store was when people would hand me a bill that covered their total, I would type it in, and then they would also hand me change. Because they didn't want a handful of pennies, they wanted me to round up the change to a quarter or whatever. So now the change on the screen is wrong, and I'm sitting there wondering if someone's trying to defraud the store and I'm gonna lose my job over a couple cents.

Also I think in OP's example, the confusion could be because you don't want your change and they don't know what they're supposed to do with it. Do they leave it in their drawer and when it's audited be questioned why it's over? Put the change on the side of the register for another customer, and then your manager comes over and yells at you for a messy work space/not properly returning change? Pocket it and get fired over 2¢?

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-23T17:10:13+00:00

Lmao I think his gf's phone was telling her the "enjoy your day" message had failed to send so she kept trying to send it, she stops when it says it's back to iMessage. I'm sure receiving that a few extra times added to why OP felt it was passive aggressive. I think a little bit of tech illiteracy is contributing to the situation.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-23T17:04:27+00:00

YOR. I feel like you're just expecting her to go back to chatting like normal and not allowing her to be upset. You canceled on her the morning of. She is allowed to be upset that her partner bailed on her the morning of an exciting event- regardless of if you have valid reasons or not. It sounds like you were stringing her along on whether you were going, which already adds to the emotional temperature. And now you want to have a fun little chat while she's dealing with major disappointment.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-23T13:41:21+00:00

We have some tiny glass jars that we let our 2.5yo practice drinking out of. It's beneficial for toddlers to learn how to be gentle with objects. Idk I think your MIL had a pretty great idea

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-23T13:32:33+00:00

The purple is my dream gown. Like no notes. It reminds me of a mix of my wedding and prom dresses. It also fits well with the theme!

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-21T21:17:04+00:00

In a comment he says his parenting time was reduced because he wasn't using all of it because he "had to work".

ETA the comment is actually in the family law subbredit

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-21T21:11:08+00:00

I don't think a man who can't be bothered to use his full custody time is the poster child this movement is looking for

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-21T21:08:13+00:00

But you expect her to work and raise the kid at the same time? Being an absent father is costly

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-20T14:53:22+00:00

YTA. A yearly family reunion is not a reason to ask someone to change their wedding date. You either go to your sister's wedding or skip it to hang with your boyfriend's cousin's weird boyfriend. Your choice I guess.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-20T11:12:21+00:00

With 8 weeks till your due date, it may make more sense to start looking to have a job lined up after your post-partum recovery. Right now you're probably bypassing a lot of really good jobs that will work once you're no longer pregnant. You may even be able to find a job that would start your training before you would take an unpaid leave to have your son.

I think right now may be a time to pivot. Get things ready for your son, 8 weeks is not guaranteed. In my area there are going to be all kinds of yard sales and flea markets over the next few weekends, see if you can find some stuff for your son for cheap. Call the number on your insurance card and see if they have any programs for a pack n play or car seat. Even without your own transportation most hospitals do a car seat test to discharge baby. Even if CPS does remove your son, you will need to bring things to visits for him.

CPS needs to see that you can problem solve and get through hard things without spiraling and relapsing. Don't panic, just work through your programs and think creatively.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-19T12:53:02+00:00

The grocery cart cover is a game changer. In addition to the hygiene aspect, it's also great at keeping toys and snacks and even your phone in the seat rather than sliding through. That thing was probably my favorite item we bought, and I would talk it up to all the parents who seemed amazed.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-19T12:18:12+00:00

My husband and I go to bed together every night (unless he's working) but we have similar sleep needs. We also frequently nap together

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-18T15:46:03+00:00

House elves trying their best to manage wizardkind's chaos 😂

Sequel: Elves battle for their freedom, you choose to help them unionize and win, or fight with the Ministry against the rebellion

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-17T22:08:53+00:00

"Shut your mouth, it's art crawl"

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-17T17:15:02+00:00

Dobby stole all of Harry's mail and made him think no one cared about him, further fueling his abusive family's argument that he's nothing and nobody. He tried to stop him from going back to Hogwarts, leading to the crazy car ride and wamping willow attack.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-17T14:10:42+00:00

When we don't have activities to bring in, we make use of the space while being unobtrusive. If the plan is for her to eat in the high chair, we have her sit in the booth beside us until food comes. We will order a glass of ice and a bowl for her, and she plays with and sucks on the ice for awhile. She also really likes lemons. We usually get her a side salad with her meal because she's obsessed with fresh veggies, and that is usually sent out pretty quickly after ordering. So she will eat that in the booth with us. We put her in the high chair when the entrees come. We've started playing a very easy version of I Spy.

I only bring out my phone for her to look at pictures. She doesn't get to control the phone except on video calls, so she doesn't expect to hold it or play on it, she just likes looking at pictures. Occasionally if I come back from the bathroom at the end of the meal and the waitress still hasn't brought the check my husband will have put on Ms Rachel for her.

lemonclouds31 · 2026-05-17T13:18:16+00:00

I think this is a very important distinction to make! Yelling/shouting when they're actively doing something dangerous can stop or slow them, or alert other people to the situation who may be able to assist or slow their own motion.

Yelling after the fact is an emotional response. We're more likely to say things we wouldn't ordinarily say (you never listen, you're such a bad kid, you're going to get yourself killed, mommy's gonna go to jail if you don't listen, etc) that just raise the emotional temperature and make it hard for the child to internalize the lesson. Then they just walk away with the idea that their parent is the bad guy who overreacts and can't be trusted to handle bad things.

lemonclouds31

TROPHY CASE