Help me rationalise - other people's childcare
Discussion
My wife and I do not yet have any children.
However, I find the behaviour of some people I know with children, to be completely at odds with how I expect I will be as a parent in future, in particular, that of my wife's brother and his wife, who have a 4 year old boy and an 18 month old girl. Not being a parent though I don't have the moral high ground, just an opinion and I want to know if my opinion is "wrong" based on the thinking of the PH masses.
I think most of this is from the sister in law.
This Christmas, they are flying back to the UK to see all the family and are staying with my mother in law. They are all coming to visit us Christmas Eve for lunch and staying for tea, so that my MiL can see my parents again as she hasn't seen them since my wedding, same with the family.
My wife then received a message from the sister in law about whether or not we have two spare bedrooms in the house. Why, I thought, they are not staying overnight?
Apparently, both children still need to have an afternoon nap. But they cannot have the afternoon nap, in the same room, and they MUST have their nap between 3pm - 4pm.
I can understand it entirely with the 18 month old. But really, do people still put their 4 year olds down for a nap? And on Christmas Eve, are they not going to be so excited by the prospect of Christmas the next day, now that he understands it all, that giving him a nap is just going to mean he is even less likely to sleep in the evening? And do you go and put them down for a nap, at someone else's house when you are visiting family?
How far off base am I being when I think this is just a bit awkward, and that's before we get to the attitude of the sister in law when things like this are The Most Important Thing Ever?
Other friends of ours who have children seem to be able to cope completely without this faff and "a nap" when they come to visit is in the car seat or pram or we just lie them down on the sofa and leave them to it.
However, I find the behaviour of some people I know with children, to be completely at odds with how I expect I will be as a parent in future, in particular, that of my wife's brother and his wife, who have a 4 year old boy and an 18 month old girl. Not being a parent though I don't have the moral high ground, just an opinion and I want to know if my opinion is "wrong" based on the thinking of the PH masses.
I think most of this is from the sister in law.
This Christmas, they are flying back to the UK to see all the family and are staying with my mother in law. They are all coming to visit us Christmas Eve for lunch and staying for tea, so that my MiL can see my parents again as she hasn't seen them since my wedding, same with the family.
My wife then received a message from the sister in law about whether or not we have two spare bedrooms in the house. Why, I thought, they are not staying overnight?
Apparently, both children still need to have an afternoon nap. But they cannot have the afternoon nap, in the same room, and they MUST have their nap between 3pm - 4pm.
I can understand it entirely with the 18 month old. But really, do people still put their 4 year olds down for a nap? And on Christmas Eve, are they not going to be so excited by the prospect of Christmas the next day, now that he understands it all, that giving him a nap is just going to mean he is even less likely to sleep in the evening? And do you go and put them down for a nap, at someone else's house when you are visiting family?
How far off base am I being when I think this is just a bit awkward, and that's before we get to the attitude of the sister in law when things like this are The Most Important Thing Ever?
Other friends of ours who have children seem to be able to cope completely without this faff and "a nap" when they come to visit is in the car seat or pram or we just lie them down on the sofa and leave them to it.
thanks to all for replying.
I certainly will "go with the flow" on the day, as I stated, I am not a parent yet myself so was asking some advice. Not my children.
But - does anyone else give 3 weeks notice that they will need to have this nap? I think this is what's odd about all this, the super advance notice.
I certainly will "go with the flow" on the day, as I stated, I am not a parent yet myself so was asking some advice. Not my children.
But - does anyone else give 3 weeks notice that they will need to have this nap? I think this is what's odd about all this, the super advance notice.
LemonParty said:
Have I stumbled into Mumsnet?
(and yes - I have a 14 month old!)
No. I'm sure if I had started this topic on Mumsnet I would be given all sort of acronym titles and be told that I didn't understand, would never understand until I had children, do everything you can around the children, they are important, I am evil cos I'm a man, and get no actual useful information at all. (and yes - I have a 14 month old!)
And probably stumble across the sister in law lurking on there as well...
k me, this must be the most boring thread topic in PH history. Get a life and stop worrying about a couple of kids having a lie down. I couldn't give a f
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