Sparkling Adventures in Child Neglect: Whee! Polyamory

[BravaAmica]

Well maybe. I revisited that Callista post recently while I was reading the Aicha post among other things. Do you really think she'd scrub/change that kind of thing?

She often scrubs/rewrites blog posts.

[August]

She often scrubs/rewrites blog posts.

There is no evidence of that whatsoever. I went back over everything with the wayback machine and couldn't find anything.

This harping on a four year old deciding she wants to be called by one version of her name is strange. My kids have definite opinions on their nicknames vs full names, luckily I get a free pass to call them whatever.

[chaotic life]

Actually, I know at least one person here has saved her blog in the past to verify that yes she DOES scrub, remove, edit her posts as she goes. I've personally read things on her blog in the last 1.5 years that are completely GONE now. That was how I realized what she was doing, going back to find something later and it's just GONE, like it never existed. She's also altered posts she leaves up.

[So Many Lies]

I only meant would she change something as minor as a reference to cali-mae.

I do think though that she has taken down some David related posts but that is probably prudent.

[So Many Lies]

As for the name thing, well, I can accept a bit of name discussion but it just seems like a thing with them. Seems related to Lauren's search for identity.

I wouldn't wholeheartedly embrace a young child's decision to be called something else. I might play along a bit but I wouldn't take it on board as much as the Lana thing. I don't really see anything wrong with it but it's just a phase, so why make it out to be a dramatic turning point? Maybe she is trying to be respectful of the child's choices but to me I think playing it down might be best. I wouldn't want to encourage constant flux.

[So Many Lies]

She's back! But not for long and she's embracing The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle. The house she's at looks divine.

[August]

Actually, I know at least one person here has saved her blog in the past to verify that yes she DOES scrub, remove, edit her posts as she goes. I've personally read things on her blog in the last 1.5 years that are completely GONE now. That was how I realized what she was doing, going back to find something later and it's just GONE, like it never existed. She's also altered posts she leaves up.

But chaotic, they've never posted any evidence.

You may think you remember seeing something which is now gone, but it's pretty easy to either confuse something said on here with something read there, or not be able to pinpoint the exact post it was on, and thus not be able to find it. The only thing I found where the swayback version conflicted with the real one was when someone asked to have their pic taken down. And she hadn't even removed the furious comment, just the picture.

[happy atheist]

Back in February I made a backup of her whole site, so I can make comparisons if anyone thinks anything has changed since then. And can direct me to a particular post. I'm not about to sit here combing through the whole damn thing, looking for differences.

[Lissa1481]

Several people have commented about Delany wanted to be called Lana, and I don't really see an issue with it. I grew up with a Delaney who went by both Lana (we pronounced it "Lay-nah") and Laney at different times. It's an acceptable nickname. But even pronouncing it as "lah-nah" isn't that far off.

That last post she wrote drove me nuts. "the girls are loving the domesticity of a larger space all our own. They’re enjoying the novelty of making toast and sitting at a dining table and learning how to stack the dishwasher and make the beds. " Well, of course they are! Doesn't that tell you they want to be in a stable home? Sitting at a table to eat, making a bed, these are things that a large portion of the world do every day, and in Australia, those things are NORMAL. I wish she'd park the bus and take them home.

[Vex]

So, Vex, since you seem to be something of an expert: How trainable are rats? Will they learn their names? Will they come when called? Can they follow commands?

Do they have to have appropriate things to chew on to keep their teeth under control?

I don't see myself ever getting a pet rat, but I'm suddenly curious about them.

I'm sorry for not seeing your post before!

It really depends on the rat's background and personality and if you have them with other rats.

You should always get rats from a good breeder. If you do, they should be healthy and very sociable. Sociable rats are easily trained. Rats will learn routines and names very quickly. You'll find when you walk past the cage they'll leap up on the bars and beg for attention, that they'll come over and wait by the food bowl at dinner time. 99% of rats will never respond to their name the way a dog would, but if you start early you can absolutely teach them their names. It might not DO anything but they'll definitely know them.

My little guy is very smart and he knows his name. If I call him he'll often come running up to me. It's definitely his name he's responding to, because he doesn't do it if I use other words.

Rats can be trick trained, but like with birds it's best to teach them things based on behaviours they're already inclined to perform. I had one rat who was a total cheese snob and if you put 5 pieces of different cheese in front of him he would pick them out in order of preference every single time. Rats can be easily taught to ride on your shoulders, or to climb up your leg. They're not domesticated animals though, and even though they're very intelligent they're like cats in that they won't learn unless they want to. Of course, they can always be bribed with bacon...

They're also easier to train when you have them on their own. Rats are extremely social animals so unless you can spend literally hours every day with a rat (which is what I do with mine) it will need a companion. However, I find it's extremely advantageous to keep them separate for the first 6 weeks or so. That lets you bond with them individually and they tend to be more responsive and affectionate when I do that. I've raised rats separately and together and the ones raised separately always bond with each other but remain bonded with me, whereas it's harder to tame and bond with rats when they have rattie company all the time.

That's just my experience. I've kept rats for 14 years and I wouldn't say I'm an expert at all, but I've got a lot of experience with them. Rats are absolutely my favourite animal and I can't recommend them highly enough as pets.

The only real negative are potential health issues (primarily mycoplasmosis and tumors) and their short lifespan. Right now my little boy is only 9 months old and suffering from scarily advanced myco. His respiratory condition means I can't risk putting him under anesthesia to get him desexed, and the hormones are making him aggressive when he gets very worked up during play. It's not uncommon for male rats to get aggressive starting at around 6 months (when their big boy hormones kick in), and if you take them to a vet who is experienced with desexing rats it's usually extremely easy to stop the aggression completely.

I know you're not really thinking about getting a rat, but it would be irresponsible to extoll their virtues and not mention the negatives too.

[lilith]

Interesting post from Lauren after a long silence:

[bionicmlle]

Interesting changes to the birthday "interview" questions.... And interesting that Lana's favorite toys include scissors. Indeed, little Lana!

Oh, and HI, Lauren! :nenner:

[lilith]

"In May, while we were living in Bali, the girls were swimming in the pool when a man .....".

I love how she describes it as "living" in Bali. Wouldn't want anyone to think for a moment that she was so bourgeois and inauthentic as to be a tourist!

[ILoveJellybeans]

Does she not realise that scissors are not toys. And certainly not appropriate toys for a pre-schooler.

[lilith]

Does she not realise that scissors are not toys. And certainly not appropriate toys for a pre-schooler.

You can get special safety scissors that ARE appropriate toys for preschoolers. But she doesn't bother with that and leaves Lana playing with a dangerous tool.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Yeah, those kiddie scissors are okay-they barely cut anything, but not proper adult scissors that she could poke her eye out with.

[happy atheist]

That poor child's hair!

I'm glad she left out the questions about David this time.

[freejugar]

“When you went away, two weeks was too long,†Aisha said, soon after we had moved into the house. “But this time, two weeks will be way too short!â€

:cry:

[Miggy]

I don't follow Lauren too closely but I read Lana's birthday and, following the links, read her previous birthday interviews and those of the other girls. Two things really stood out; (1) you can see Lauren's descent from slightly alternate to way out there through the older girls comments (2) the answer to "What does David do all day?" varies between the girls but the answer to "What does Lauren do all day?" is always "Uses her computer." As Lauren is with her kids most of the time and claims she tries to give them lots if exciting experiences, it is really sad that they see her as someone who spends all her time on the computer.

I cry for these girls and I promise, should her travels bring her to my region, to immediately contact DoCS.

[Aurora rising]

Yeah, those kiddie scissors are okay-they barely cut anything, but not proper adult scissors that she could poke her eye out with.

The whole answer is creepy - a scissor is no toy, neither are animals. And a stingray...?? WT....???? :pink-shock:

[freethemall]

Wow, I just looked through this blog for the first time. This is a very different family than the others we read about, since it seems their practices are not rooted in any fundamentalist religious beliefs? I myself have been among hippies and world wanderers and have seen people a little too out there, but this woman is beyond extreme in her selfishness and child neglect. I can't believe she leaves her children alone for long periods of time in the company of strangers, I saw one quote from one of her daughters saying how 2 weeks was too long. Sad.

Why does Lauren always wear red?

[DarkAnts]

Wow, I just looked through this blog for the first time. This is a very different family than the others we read about, since it seems their practices are not rooted in any fundamentalist religious beliefs? I myself have been among hippies and world wanderers and have seen people a little too out there, but this woman is beyond extreme in her selfishness and child neglect. I can't believe she leaves her children alone for long periods of time in the company of strangers, I saw one quote from one of her daughters saying how 2 weeks was too long. Sad.

Why does Lauren always wear red?

Lauren is an ex fundie. She takes what ever lifestyle she is in and practices it to the extreme.

I dont know why Lauren always wears red. It could be because she is a :special-flake:

[lilith]

Lauren is an ex fundie. She takes what ever lifestyle she is in and practices it to the extreme.

I dont know why Lauren always wears red. It could be because she is a :special-flake:

It's to show us all how authentic she is, just like her dreads.

She stole the idea from a blogger called Majik Faerie who wears all green.

[thoughtful]

It's to show us all how authentic she is, just like her dreads.

She stole the idea from a blogger called Majik Faerie who wears all green.

Yep.

For the most part, Freethemall, you will find that the answer to any question that starts with "Why does Lauren" can be answered either by a sentence that starts "She stole the idea from" or the full sentence "Who the fuck knows?"

She seems to keep searching for whatever makes her "authentic," whatever that means, when she isn't claiming she has already found it and is the ultimate expert at authenticity.

Meantime, she gives her children a truly shitty life. :(

[happy atheist]

I recall her saying she chose red because redheads aren't supposed to wear that color, and so by wearing it she's defying social norms. Or something. And since she's Lauren, she can't just add a few red t-shirts to her wardrobe like a normal person, and wear them when she feels like it. She has to take to the extreme and wear all red all the time. When Elijah was still alive, she posted about shopping for red baby clothes, too.