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Can’t believe I’m writing this, but I need some advice—and this group always comes through. My youngest child, my daughter, is turning 8 this month, and my husband and I made the really hard decision not to throw her a birthday party this year. Over the last few months, her behavior has become incredibly difficult. I’m not talking about typical “off day” stuff. I mean frequent, intense outbursts—hitting, kicking, screaming, cursing, slamming doors, refusing to follow any directions, and saying deeply hurtful things to everyone in the family. It’s not isolated to one type of trigger or situation either—it’s been happening multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day. We’ve tried everything—calm-down spaces, social-emotional tools, connecting before correcting, taking time to reflect together when things are calmer. But she flat-out refuses to use the tools and often escalates further when we try to help. It’s reached the point where my older child and I have both ended up in tears after the way she’s treated us when she’s upset. One particularly heartbreaking example: on her older sibling’s birthday last month, she refused to join us for our celebratory family dinner. Not only that, she was so nasty to her sister that she ended up sobbing. My husband and I ended up taking our older daughter out to dinner without her. It was awful for everyone. We told her several weeks ago that if she didn’t start being more respectful and cooperative, she wouldn’t have a party this year. We even gave her a few opportunities to earn it back with better behavior—but nothing really changed. And now here we are, just days away from her birthday, and I feel completely torn. On one hand, this is the standard in our family: birthdays are a big deal. The kids get to skip school and do something fun with just us parents, pick out a special cake and theme, and have a party with friends. Her sister had a great party recently. So yeah—I feel sad and guilty that our youngest isn’t going to get that this year. She’s only 7, after all. On the other hand, if we go back on the boundary we set—after clearly stating it and giving her chances to change—I’m afraid we’re just reinforcing that there are no consequences for truly harmful behavior. And she knows the expectations. She just isn’t interested in meeting them. We do believe in gentle parenting, and I absolutely believe she’s a child who is having a hard time, not a “bad kid.” (Thanks Dr. Becky + Janet Lansbury.) But the truth is—our whole family is struggling right now. The emotional toll of her behavior has made daily life really heavy. Tonight was just another example. We asked her to get pajamas on, and she shouted “I’m not doing anything you say!” and stormed off. We calmly told her it wasn’t a choice—it’s bedtime—but she just sat in her room reading, ignoring us. This kind of standoff happens every night and bedtime stretches until 10pm. We’ve reached out to a few child therapists in hopes of getting her support, but there’s a wait to get in. Meanwhile, her birthday is coming up fast, and I keep second-guessing this decision not to celebrate. Am I going to scar her by skipping her party this year? Will she just spiral more out of control if she feels rejected or left out? Or are we doing the right thing by holding the boundary and following through on a consequence we clearly stated? Feeling really stuck and really sad about this. – A Very Tired Mama

I can tell my husband is depressed. He has been for a while and I’m just unsure how to support him right now. Not to mention we have 3 kids and I’m feeling super burnt out carrying the emotional load of the family. He’s snappy with the kids and it’s the biggest turn off. Any ideas to help him get back to normal?

Hi friends! I always feel like searching for a great vacation rental turns into a total time suck—it's such a rabbit hole! We're on the hunt for a good (and relatively affordable) family-friendly ski rental. Open to locations—Utah, Colorado, or wherever you've had a great experience. If you have an Airbnb or rental you’ve loved, I’d be so grateful if you'd share it!

Looking for anyone who has a 2025 Expedition Max or a 2025 Suburban! Needing to get a new car in the next few months and these are the two we’re looking at. Would love feedback from anyone regarding these cars!

Anyone other ladies using cups? Which brand do you like?

My 1 year old screams and cries like he is in pain when he poops. This started around 12 months. I have tried Prune juice, adding fiber, flax seed and probiotics. Any suggestions to ease my baby with his bm’s? Thank you!

Hey mamas, I know it’s a pregnancy board, but I’m asking out of curiosity for my partner. He’s been looking into options for boosting energy and performance and came across Cenforce 25mg Tablets. I’m wondering if anyone has experience with this before pregnancy — like whether it’s safe for men trying to conceive? I’m researching to make sure we’re both on the healthiest path. Appreciate any insight!

Anyone have recs for a wide brim sun hat that can get wet but still look somewhat cute?

Not trying to go to a back alley, but wondering if others have found some well-priced options around town.

Looking for the best non toxic tampons that actually work - AKA don't fall out when you walk (bare minimum) but staying put for a lunge/workout would be IDEAL!!

Hi Mamas- I need some advice. I have a five year old who has become extremely emotional. Not in the outburst tantrum kind of way, but when her feelings are hurt, if she gets hurt, if something is not perfect, she cries and cries. And it’s not the trying to get attention type of crying, I’m a mom of three girls and this is a first. She seems to feel ALL things to her core. Like..if she makes a mistake, she cries. If she has a fight with her sisters she cries, if she is worried about something she cries. Sometimes she just hides and cries. Has anyone experienced a highly emotional child like this? And any advice? My heart is breaking for her and I try to tell her that we can solve all problems but her emotional state is alarming. How do I help her through this?

any recs for a Christian-based counselor for kids? My son is 7 and is TERRIFIED of rain. He’s always been a little anxious but this is taking it to the next level. It’s been going on for a few months and the recent floods in the Hill Country / this rainy summer has made us be in a constant state of trying to regulate his emotions. Thanks!

Hi. We have three girls, 6, 3 and 9mo. The 3 year old is a high feeling, very intelligent little girl who is in OT to help us handle this but, I need some encouragement and advice. The flying off the handle, screaming bloody murder when she doesn’t get her way…it is killing us. It has seeped into every moment of our lives. We do timers do help with transitions, which doesn’t help. Bedtime is an absolute nightmare, she stays up late and wakes up early. She shares a room with her 6 year old sister, who actually enjoys sleep. She lies, she twists out words on us (“no YOU screamed at ME and hurt ME”). We are hoping OT will help, we’re about three weeks in. We haven’t done OT before and plan to ask at what point do they start addressing these types of behaviors but, can anyone shed some light or encouragement here? We are contemplating having her be in her own room and have the 9 month old and 6 year old share. It’s affecting our 6 year old and we are just at a loss. She responds to nothing. She has cherry picked potty training, she will poop in the potty when she wants but refuses to pee - not because she can’t but because she “doesn’t want to.” SOS. We are exhausted.

Looking for meals/recipes I can double and freeze for busy weeknights and when I travel for work etc Preferably not lasagna.

My 5 year old is still walking on his toes. I have always watched carefully he is meeting mile stones and possible signs for autism. My son is very social and active. Any suggestions? Thank you!

What’s your go-to, quick, easy and yummy dinner?

Has anyone had a colonic? What can I expect? Would love to hear your experience. Doing it to hopefully flush everything out. Sorta nervous and also wtf am I doing?

Talking to Our Kids in the Wake of Tragedy Katie Taylor, Certified Child Life Specialist, Founder Child Life On Call, @Katie-Taylor-CCLS First and foremost, my heart is aching for so many families whose worlds were forever changed yesterday.️ As a parent who is watching the relentless rain pour over our hill country, I can speak to the fact that this is a true terror for so many friends and neighbors who are still looking for their girls. As parents, it’s hard to know how to (or if we should) share these horrific events with our kids. Questions like: Should I tell my kids? Should I let them watch the news? What do I say? Hopefully some of this info about how to handle hard conversations lightens this heaviness we are all feeling. Despite our best efforts, kids pick up when adults are sad, scared and worried. This doesn’t mean you have to hide your feelings better. It just means you should be aware that your kids may notice you’re upset, and may internalize it as it’s something they’ve done wrong (even when it has nothing to do with them). Having a prepared answer may be helpful here – some things you could say: “My heart is hurting for families who have family members who have been hurt by the floods” “I’m crying because something terrible has happened and it’s making me feel sad” “Thank you for noticing how I feel. When I feel sad and you notice a hug from you makes me feel better. It’s not your fault i’m sad.” If you have an older child who wants details about what happened, trust your gut on how and when to give information. Give bite-sized, honest and simple statements. “The river has flooded and people have died” “Families are searching for people who they love and can’t find” **If your child starts to get sad/scared/upset that’s normal-**offer hugs, love and remind them they are safe. If your child changes the subject, that’s also normal. Insight that it’s not a good time. Validate how they are feeling. “I see you’re done talking about it and that’s perfectly okay. Let me know when you want to talk about it again or if you have any questions.” When you’re done talking consider action together. Draw pictures of how you’re feeling, find items to donate, talk about what you do when you’re sad. Above all just remember: You make your child feel safe. Sadness, fear and worry are completely bearable when your child has you to feel this with.️

Pretty sure i'm addicted. How do I stop? Everything I buy we use (for the most part) but it is still just stuff we don't NEED. I'm spending way too much for the convenience and I've noticed the quality of items has gone down and I'm terrible with returns. I need to drastically cut back but I also work full time so need the convenience???? Anyone else????

Is this an option for women past child bearing years that don’t want to have a period anymore? Risks, recovery, experiences? What are the other options for those of us who just don’t want a period!