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Mom asks other parents if they actually 'miss the newborn phase' and gets a massive response

Not every parent has nostalgia. And that's okay.

newborn phase, parenting, missing newborn phase, ask reddit
Photo credit: Canva

Not every aspect of parenting is "magical."

The newborn stage is often described as a magical time—a fleeting blur of intoxicating baby head smells and love-rush-hormones. It’s also a time when your potential as a parent is virtually untainted. After all, the needs are simple—feed, clean, nurture, repeat—and you haven’t royally screwed up yet…at least, not that you know of.

But is it really that magical? Or is that nostalgic feeling parents having while looking back at baby photos simply an example of euphoric recall?

It certainly hasn’t been sunshine and roses for one frustrated mom of two, currently being put through the ringer again with a 10-week-old and wondering if she’s alone in thinking “I cannot wait for newborn time to be over.”

“Can I please ask parents who have kids who are older this question… do you actually miss the newborn stage if you didn’t like being in it?,” she began in a Reddit post.

She also explained that, “Once my first born was 5-6 months old I felt like I was more able to understand a little more of what she was trying to say. But I’m back here again with my 10 week old who is actually way chiller than my first was and I still am just not enjoying it as much as I thought I would have.”

Which brought her to her question: “is it ok to just simply not enjoy this stage?”

“You’ll miss the newborn stage…” do you?
byu/Moist-Government-694 inParenting

“I feel like so many people are just telling me ‘you’ll miss it…’ when I see pictures on my phone of my first born as a baby, I always tend to gush over the 5-6 month stage, not the newborn stage. Anyone else feel the same?” she concluded.

After literally thousands of fellow parents responded with commiseration, it’s safe to say that this woman can probably feel a lot guilty for not loving this stage.

“Mine are 8 and 6. I rejoiced to be done the newborn stage. It was not a good stage for me with either of them. But watching them grow and develop into their personalities is just so cool. They get cooler every day,” one person wrote.

Another added, “Not for a single second. Mine is 11 and the independence, the ability to tell me what’s wrong and what she needs. Watching her personality blossom, seeing her grow as a person is way better to me than newborn times.”

Quite a few admitted the reason why they wouldn’t be having more kids was because it would involve dealing with newborns.

“I hated it so much it’s one of the reasons I’m one and done,” one person shared.

Another echoed, “My kids are 5 and 8, and I absolutely DO NOT miss the newborn stage. It was extremely difficult and one of the many reasons why we stopped at two kids.”

For many, the sleep deprivation alone was reason enough to not ever want to deal with newborns again.

Sure, having an adorably tiny little smoosh-ball is the best. But when you’re too exhausted to even exist…the magic wanes.

parenting, newborn stage, parent nostalgia "I didn't sleep at all. I also felt bored beyond belief and mentally stunted. It was very depressing."Photo credit: Canva

“My kids didn't sleep through the night until they were 2. They were breastfed and wouldn't take bottles. I didn't sleep at all. I also felt bored beyond belief and mentally stunted. It was very depressing. My kids are now 13 and 15. I'll take teens any day,” one mom wrote.

All this to say—no parenting chapter is perfect. Each will come with its own blessings and challenges, and it can be hard to differentiate between the two when you’re in the middle of it. So if you happen to be really struggling during one phase, it doesn't mean you're a bad parent. It just means you’re a human experiencing life.

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How can riding a bike help beat cancer? Just ask Reid Moritz, 10-year-old survivor and leader of his own “wolfpack”

Every year, Reid and his pack participate in Cycle for Survival to help raise money for the rare cancer research that’s helped him and so many others. You can too.

all photos courtesy of Reid Moritz

Together, let’s help fuel the next big breakthrough in cancer research

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There are many things that ten-year-old Reid Wolf Moritz loves. His family, making watches (yes, really), basketball, cars (especially Ferraris), collecting super, ultra-rare Pokémon cards…and putting the pedal to the medal at Cycle for Survival.

Cycle for Survival is the official rare cancer fundraising program of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). One hundred percent of every dollar raised at Cycle for Survival events supports rare cancer research and lifesaving clinical trials at MSK.

At only two years old, Reid was diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Pediatric cancer research is severely underfunded. When standard treatments don't work, families rely on breakthrough clinical trials to give their children a real shot at long-term survival.

When Reid’s chemotherapy and brain surgery didn’t work, he was able to participate in one of MSK’s clinical trials, where he’s received some incredible results. “Memorial Sloan Kettering has done so much for me. It's just so nice how they did all this for me. They're just the best hospital ever,” Reid recalls.

And that’s why every year, you’ll find Reid with his team, aptly named Reid's Wolfpack, riding at Cycle for Survival. It’s just Reid’s way of paying it forward so that even more kids can have similar opportunities.

“I love sharing my story to inspire other kids to PERSEVERE, STAY STRONG and NEVER GIVE UP while also raising money for my amazing doctors and researchers to help other kids like me.”

Reid remembers the joy felt bouncing on his father’s shoulder and hearing the crowd cheer during his first Cycle for Survival ride. As he can attest, each fundraising event feels more like a party, with plenty of dancing, singing and celebrating.

Hoping to spread more of that positivity, Reid and his family started the Cycle for Survival team, Reid’s Wolfpack, which has raised close to $750,000 over the past eight years. All that money goes directly to Reid’s Neuro-Oncology team at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

In addition to cheering on participants and raising good vibes at Cycle for Survival events, Reid even designs some pretty epic looking merch—like basketball shorts, jerseys, and hoodies—to help raise money.

If you’re looking to help kids just like Reid, and have a ton of fun doing it, you’re in luck. Cycle for Survival events are held at Equinox locations nationwide, and welcome experienced riders and complete newbies alike. You can even join Reid and his Wolfpack in select cities!

And if cycling in any form isn’t your thing, a little donation really does go a long way.

Together, let’s help fuel the next big breakthrough in cancer research. Find out more information by checking out cycleforsurvival.org or filling out this interest form.

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A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

Steve Zylius/University of California, Irvine.

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

A team of researchers at UCI had been experimenting with nanowires for potential use in batteries, but found that over time the thin, fragile wires would break down and crack after too many charging cycles. A charge cycle is when a battery goes from completely full to completely empty and back to full again.

But one day, on a whim, Thai coated a set of gold nanowires in manganese dioxide and a Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel.

"She started to cycle these gel capacitors, and that's when we got the surprise," said Reginald Penner, chair of the university's chemistry department. "She said, 'this thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it's still going.' She came back a few days later and said 'it's been cycling for 30,000 cycles.' That kept going on for a month."

This discovery is mind-blowing because the average laptop battery lasts 300 to 500 charge cycles. The nanobattery developed at UCI made it though 200,000 cycles in three months. That would extend the life of the average laptop battery by about 400 years. The rest of the device would have probably gone kaput decades before the battery, but the implications for a battery that that lasts hundreds of years are pretty startling.

Batteries being recycled at WRWA, London. Nov ‘21Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

"The big picture is that there may be a very simple way to stabilize nanowires of the type that we studied," Penner said. "If this turns out to be generally true, it would be a great advance for the community." Not bad for just fooling around in the laboratory.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Parents share the worst children's books they've ever bought, and some are laughably bad

Not all books are created equal.

Photo credit: Canva

A great comprehensive list of anti-recommendations.

Sure, a few highly regarded kids books from our youth don’t fully stand the test of time, but by and large you can still count on the classic works of authors like Beatrix Potter, Anna Dewdney, Mo Willems and Dr. Suess (even if a few of his titles underwent some modifications) to be reliable sources for young readers.

With more modern day reads, however, there’s apparently more of a gamble.

This was a lesson learned by one parent, who had endured one too many duds that they ordered online or received as gifts. It prompted them to ask other folks on Reddit:

“What’s the worst kid’s book you’ve come across?”

This person listed their own worst offenders, including a Toy Story book “that turned out to be an AI retelling of the story with the darkest and grainiest screenshots from the movie”; a CoComelon branded book solely comprised of lyrics to Christmas carols; a dinosaur-themed “12 Days of Christmas” book, which sounds great in theory but used a ton of hard-to-pronounce dinosaur names shoehorned in (example: “four Fukuiraptors feasting.” Just…how?); and last but not least, “that awful Jimmy Fallon book where 95% of the words in the book are just ‘mama’.”


What’s the worst kid’s book you’ve come across?
byu/Caa3098 inParenting


In fact, many parents agreed that among the worst titles were often kid’s books created by celebrities. Which is probably not the biggest surprise, since celebrity brands are taking over multiple industries…even though they usually have zero expert knowledge behind any of said products.

As one person put it, what makes these books so laughably bad is that they “are meant to be empowering and mainly consist of ‘you are amazing and unique and loved and can do anything you set your mind to, my special child’ over and over. No plot, no anything, just platitudes.”

Still, there are always exceptions, as many pointed out, like with B.J. Novak’s highly acclaimed The Book With No Pictures. It is worth noting that the Office actor actually is a writer. So there’s that.

Even worse offenders were AI-written books, which are essentially glorified SEO driven blog posts in book form. And, unfortunately, since it’s incredibly easy to churn these out for a small profit, there's probably no shortage in sight. So parents, be aware.

On perhaps a smaller scale, books labeled as “5-minute reads” that tend to be wordy, painful retellings of a show or movie, as well as children’s books that shoehorn in lessons for adults (the book Antiracist Baby came up as an example) should be avoided at all costs, so sayeth disgruntled readers.

And then there were titles that fell into none of these categories, but were nonetheless cringey.

“I picked up a book from a garage sale called Don’t Call me Little Bunny. It’s a German children’s book. I did not read it myself before reading it to [my 4 and 5 year olds]. After being called Little Bunny, the main character is angry. I remember flipping the page and all of a sudden the bunny has a gun.”

“I have come across one where Santa's elves make little girl dolls that are definitely sentient. Then Santa casually looks under their skirts going ‘ho ho ho’, and if the dolls can't say ‘mama’ or aren't cute enough, he throws them on the discard pile. That went straight into the garbage.”

“You ever read any of those [X] for Babies science books? Like, General Relativity for Babies or Newtonian Physics for Babies? Most of them are pretty decent. Yeah obviously stuff gets oversimplified, but it's a board book for kids and it understands the assignment.Most of them. Rocket Science for Babies is extremely, fundamentally wrong in almost every way about what it tries to teach. Its explanation for why rockets fly is that the fins/wings produce lift, which I really hope I don't need to tell you is completely untrue, but on top of that its explanation for how fixed wings produce lift is also completely wrong! We've kept the rest of our [X] for Babies board books, but somehow the Rocket Science one got ‘"lost.’”

Yikes. Well, dearest readers, while a book’s merit is certainly a subjective matter, it seems we can all agree to steer clear from robot drivel and half-assed money grabs.

And you’re looking for fresh finds that aren’t terrible, the ALA has a pretty extensive list here.

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Millennial dad of 3 shuts down boomer parents for their 'ridiculous' holiday expectations

"Why is it that every time I have to make the effort for you, yet you can't do the most basic thing for me?”

via Canva/Photos

A Millennial dad has had it with his boomer dad's expectations.

A TikTok video posted by @carrerasfam is going viral, with over 300,000 views, because so many millennial parents can relate. In the video, a husband politely but firmly tells his “practically retired” baby boomer dad that he’s not taking his 3 young kids on a 400-mile drive to their house for the holidays.

Carerras Fam is a popular TikTok page about “all things postpartum and mamahood.” The husband opens the conversation with his dad by explaining all the inconveniences of taking 3 young kids on a long road trip. “I know you want us to drive down for the holidays, but it's kinda ridiculous that you want me to pack my 3 kids with their portable beds with my clothes, their clothes, the formula, everything that goes on with raising 3 kids and having them feel comfortable. Drive down for over four hours just so that we could spend some time in your house?” the husband says.

@carrerasfam

Sorry it’s just so much work. But you’re welcome to visit us #millennial #millennials #parents #parenting #parentsontiktok #boomers #millennials

It’s obviously inconvenient for the couple to pack up their kids and drive 4 hours, but it’s also unsafe because the house is not baby-proof. "I'm gonna have to run around, make sure that they don't break any of your stuff, and which you will take care of them,” the husband continues using sarcastic air quotes.

The dad brings up another great point: His parents are in good health, so why don’t they drive to their house? “You could visit. You don't have little kids,” the dad continues. “You don't have anything going on.

"Why is it that every time I have to make the effort for you, yet you can't do the most basic thing for me?”

It’s clear from the phone call the dad understands that traveling with the kids and staying in a house that isn’t correctly set up for young kids will make the holiday a struggle. Instead of making memories, they’ll most likely be running around bent over trying to save their kids from breaking something or hanging out at Target buying electrical socket plugs and a bottle brush because they left theirs at home.



The video struck a chord with many millennial parents.

“First holiday with a kid… parents are confused why I won’t drive 9 hours with a 3mnth old for Christmas,” too_many_catz writes. “The ‘not baby proofed’ part hit my soullllllll. It’s so stressful having to chase your kids around and ask to close doors, move pictures, block stairs, etc. And nobody takes you seriously!" OhHeyItsIndy added.

It’s also expensive for young families to travel. “Add to it they want us to spend money on gas, airfare, etc. when we live paycheck to paycheck and rent while they own homes and live comfortably off a pension,” another user wrote.

This one hit hard: “They always act like you're asking the world of them, yet they will willingly go on any other vacation that they choose,” Mackenzie Byrne wrote.

TX Travel Chick may have hit the nail on the head with her explanation for why boomer parents expect their children to road trip it to their house for the holidays. “Because we are used to following their orders!!! REVOLT,” she wrote.

Ultimately, it would be interesting to learn why boomer parents want to inconvenience their kids when it would be much easier for them to take a trip to see them, especially if they can afford a hotel. One wonders if they are being entitled or if they’ve forgotten how hard it is to travel with young kids.

Family

Group of Swedish dads bust out singing at play dates with their kids and holy moly

Their pitch perfect harmonies have made them a viral sensation.

Dad Harmony/Instagram

Dad Harmony singing with their kids

Seeing a group of young dads hanging out with their young children on playdates is already incredibly wholesome. But add in some a cappella singing in harmonies that enrapture those same children? Come on now.

That's what you get from the five Swedish fathers who make up the group Dad Harmony, a viral sensation that started with some friends just casually singing together.

The dad "boyband" hails from the northern town of Skelleftea, Sweden, and consists of two brothers, Peter and Tomas Widmark, and their friends, Michael Aberg, Sebastian Åkesson and Adam Stenlund.

“This story all started at my bachelor party,” 33-year-old Peter Widmark told the AFP. “We were hanging out and singing as we usually do when we hang out in the bath [jacuzzi]…(and) my brother filmed it and put it on TikTok with his seven followers.”

The song they were singing was "The Wellerman," a sea shanty that was all over social media during the pandemic. The next morning, the video had 40,000 views, and it shot up to 20 million within a couple of weeks.

The friends decided to start recording themselves singing various popular hits a cappella, which led to a formal band name, Dad Harmony, as well as studio recordings and a European tour.

Their beautiful harmonies have captures people’s attention around the world, but the videos that include their kids are particularly popular. Most often, the dads are sitting around a living room or dining room table holding babies and small children, just singing away. The kids seem to enjoy it, too, with Widmark explaining, “It’s a s soothing thing when we sing.”

Each of the dads has two kids and works normal day jobs like sales and janitorial. As far as singing with their kids, Widmark's brother, Tomas, told AFP they are "typical Swedish guys" who simply spend a lot of time with their children.

"Almost every guy in Sweden is used to taking paternity leave, so it's not a big deal for us," he told the AFP.

People gush in the comments of their videos:

"These kids are so lucky! They get the chance to listen to their dads creating these magical sounds (when most of other children of their age are spending their time on tablets ..)"

"I absolutely love how the kids are always seen in these videos. Never hidden but loved so much and loving the beautiful music being made 😍"

@dadharmony

#onecallaway #dadharmony #acapella #charlieputh #dads #singing #singingdads #pippi


"Every time I get to see and listening you I get so emotional!! The way the children listen!!! And the newborn is already inside the circle of love!! Thank you guys!!! 💕"

"Gorgeous! And those kids will grow up with such an appreciation of music. So important."

"Kids growing up thinking this is casually every dinner table … 'Oh, your family *doesn’t* sit at the table and sing vocal arrangements?'"

"So much admiration for these Dads who clearly make family a priority and the focus on blending their voices into a beautiful harmony that soothes those children as they listen. What an incredible legacy they are creating for their families. How inspiring!"

And no, the kids don't always sit still. Sometimes they squirm. Sometimes they dance.


@dadharmony

I guess now we’re dancing as well 🙈 #standbyme #beneking #dadharmony #singing #dads #acapella #harmony #children #father #dancing

But there's no question they are getting an unusually extraordinary experience growing up with these "dad harmonies" surrounding them.

You can follow Dad Harmony on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, and find their tour dates on their website.

And if you're curious about which dad sings which part, the five of them answered that and other reader questions here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

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Michelle Yeoh discusses overcoming the 'huge sadness' felt by not being able to have kids

A refreshing and poignant perspective on a topic not many talk about—but so many can relate to.

European Union, 2024/Wikipedia, Photo credit: Canva

"You come to a point where you have to stop blaming you."

Anyone that’s tried and failed to become pregnant could tell you that there’s a definitive mourning period that comes with an infertility journey—one that can and often involves guilt at not being able to conceive. Even if a woman logically understands that this was purely something out of her control (cue feelings of powerlessness), the pressures of societal and familial expectations alone are enough for her to start blaming herself.

But, as with all forms of grief, time offers fresh perspective.

Recently, actress Michelle Yeoh opened up about her own infertility struggles, and the difficult feelings that arose as a result. Her candid and vulnerable words are making so many women who have had similar experiences feel seen—not to mention hopeful.

In two separate interview—one with BBC’s Woman’s Hour and the other with The Times—the Oscar winner revealed that she had always wanted to start a family. It was a dream shared by her first husband Sir Dickson Poon. Yeoh had even retired from her budding acting career in order to make this dream a reality.

And yet, that dream would go on unrealized, even after trying a fertility treatment.

"And I think the worst moment to go through is every month you feel like such a failure," she told BBC.

Poon wanting kids and Yeoh not being able to get pregnant eventually became the major factor leading to their amicable divorce. While Yeoh commended the “bravery” they had to make such a hard decision, she still told the Times that it remains the “biggest sadness” in her life.

But, even while holding onto that sadness, Yeoh committed to giving other aspects of her life her “ 110 percent,” which she said enabled her to live without regrets. And no one would argue that, with a highly successful career spanning over three decades and an Oscar at 62, she didn’t give it her all.

Plus, Yeoh has been able to appreciate the “beauty” of her six godchildren (one of them being Poon’s daughter), her many nephews and nieces, and even a baby grandchild from her stepson. Yeoh had recently remarried to Jean Todt after a 19-year engagement. So plenty of blessings still to be had.

"I did everything to make it work, and sometimes even that is not enough, you have to be able..." she said while apparently raising her arms with her fists balled. "In life we say, you have to not go around holding your hands like this, you have to learn to let go, and sometimes letting go helps you move forward."

As for feelings of guilt, she told the BBC, “I think at some point you stop blaming yourself. I go, there are certain things in your body that don't function in a certain way. That's how it is.

"You just have to let go and move on. And I think you come to a point where you have to stop blaming you."

This last point struck a major chord with other women who’ve had similar challenges.

“Thank you for this interview. I think because society pushes us to try harder, do more, and look on the bright side of things, we learn not to have compassion for ourselves on the things we have no control over. ❤️”

“As someone who wanted children, but ended up not getting them.. it is just beautiful to hear the words from someone else's mouth. I always admired Michelle Yeoh and this just amplifies the love I feel for her ❤️”

“It is so refreshing, and so necessary, to hear this topic being spoken about with such honesty and clarity 👏👏 Permanent childlessness is, for many, such a huge thing to face either as a couple or solo, and yet remains a largely hidden experience. It definitely needs to be talked about more and it is wonderful to see the conversations beginning to appear in places like this, with brilliant people like this 😍”

“You're not a failure because you were not able to have children❤️ I had to have a hysterectomy at 32 and even though it caused me, I had to accept that not everyone gets to be a mom. Now I have love for everyone in my life to share❤️”

“Thank you Michelle for sharing your story. This is my story almost exactly. I’m 57 and the pain still shows up in me sometimes.”

Hopefully any other woman going through this kind of challenge finds this today and remembers to give themselves a little self compassion.

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