Menu: Parenting
By: Mia Thompson
Updated: Aug. 14, 2023
Originally Published: June 1, 2015
- You still reward your 4th grader with high fives and stickers for using the potty, because, as the professionals say, there’s no limit to positive reinforcement.
- You find yourself getting emotional when you hear the whiny voice of a certain cartoon character named Caillou.
- You’ve recently hung your son’s middle school book report on the refrigerator.
- You steer clear of Gymboree, especially on Gymbuck Tuesdays, because peeking into that store feels like a sharp stab to the heart—those adorable themed outfits are hard to resist.
- You’re still packing snack bags for a quick outing with your husband, even if it’s just for an hour.
- You justify carrying your old diaper bag as a fashionable purse, convinced it’ll make a comeback.
- You sneak Disney classics like Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid into the car’s CD player during road trips because who says you can’t enjoy a good undersea adventure at any age?
- You instinctively find yourself rocking back and forth while cuddling your golden retriever.
- You still fret over choking hazards, cutting your daughter’s grapes into quarters even at her middle school dance.
- You get misty-eyed hearing about local car seat checks, and even though you haven’t used one in years, you contemplate stopping by just to reminisce.
- You convince yourself that you recently saw HGTV designers using plastic Spider-Man and Elmo dishes, so you’d better hang onto yours.
- When your older kids have friends over, you still refer to it as a “playdate.”
- Your pantry now has Goldfish crackers and fruit snacks right next to Doritos and Powerade.
- A few of your child’s baby blankets are still tucked away in your linen closet, just in case your 16-year-old needs to wrap up during a chilly night.
- You tell your 6th grader that it’s perfectly fine if he doesn’t want to sit on Santa’s lap, but how about a quick picture next to him?
- You ask the waitress for two kids’ menus, despite your kids having devoured an entire pizza for breakfast.
- There might still be a stray Leap Frog toy lying around, just in case friends with young kids come to visit.
- You catch yourself asking a group of tweens, “Does anyone need to use the potty before we leave?” as they scroll through their phones.
- Dr. Seuss books still reside on your teen’s bookshelf, sharing space with Divergent and The Hunger Games.
- You try to convince your family that the next vacation spot should be “The Land of Make Believe.”
- You recently asked your son’s high school friends to remember their “inside voices.”
- You suggest an adventurous outing for the family and can’t quite explain how you ended up at a petting zoo.
- You remind your eighth grader to “Look both ways” before crossing the street, attempting to hold his hand as you do.
- You may or may not have a four-pack of crayons stashed in your purse, all while touring colleges with your kids this summer.
- You find yourself reminiscing about the parenting journey, and while you look to the future, you sometimes wish for those simpler days.
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Summary:
This article highlights 25 humorous and relatable signs that indicate you may be struggling with the rapid growth of your children. From still using positive reinforcement for potty training to holding onto baby items, these signs capture the bittersweet nature of parenting as kids transition into adolescence.
Keyphrase: Signs You’re Struggling with Your Kids Growing Up
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