Seewalds 35: Silence is Golden

[Meggo]

1 hour ago, Rachel333 said:

My mom was scolded by a stranger once for pushing my brother in a stroller. The woman said my brother was way too old to be in a stroller and should be walking. He was 18 months old.

 

Uhhhh - My son is five and up until sometime this past spring - I strollered him to school.  I only stopped because the NICE stroller I gave away and because now he likes to walk or ride in the bike trailer. (it's a seven minute walk for me - but for him... it's a LOT longer because we have to stop at every puddle, flower, bug and butterfly) 

I did get the side-eye (and a comment in his communication book) with his kindergarten teacher because ONE DAY I carried him to his classroom. I had never done drop off prior (he'd gone from daycare to school) and we were running late. So yes - I carried my (then just turned 5) kid. What's with the side eye lady??

(I have issues with this woman) 

 

[cascarones]

3 hours ago, Alisamer said:

Can perms do that? I really would love to wear the long soft curls/waves look.

https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/6-types-of-permed-hairstyles/#gref  The #11 partial digital perm is popular with my friends right now. It seems to be the go to transition for going off keratin straightening treatments in prep for pregnancy/ babies. Keratin smoothing also doesn't have to be bone straight, my stylist always did the last bit of setting and smoothing with a curling iron knowing I'm hopeless with one. I loved it, we used to drive to Mexico to get it done for a fun road trip even though it probably evened out in gas. I doubt Jinger goes across the border to get her hair done, but who knows she's in Laredo.

About the only hair tool I've found I can work with any amount of ease is the InStyler, no weird creases from the straightener, no puffy frizz from blow dry failure, very shiny and I can manage loose curls at the ends!

[karen77]

4 hours ago, justodd said:

I’m surprised that I’ve never really thought about this before, having lived through the opposite scenario my whole life. I’ve always had kind of a baby face, so people have always taken me for considerably younger, but I think my (lack of) height probably contributes to the situation. I mostly like it these days (being mistaken for mid twenties while in my early forties is kind of nice), but it does infuriate me how often it seems people don’t take me seriously. I’m a very plain spoken person who says what I mean and mean what I say, and it drives me up the wall every time someone insisists I *must* have meant something else because (whatever their craptastic reasoning may be). 

This is my problem too!!! IT does annoy me that sometimes people don't take you as seriously... 

[zee_four]

20 hours ago, Meggo said:

Uhhhh - My son is five and up until sometime this past spring - I strollered him to school.  I only stopped because the NICE stroller I gave away and because now he likes to walk or ride in the bike trailer. (it's a seven minute walk for me - but for him... it's a LOT longer because we have to stop at every puddle, flower, bug and butterfly) 

I did get the side-eye (and a comment in his communication book) with his kindergarten teacher because ONE DAY I carried him to his classroom. I had never done drop off prior (he'd gone from daycare to school) and we were running late. So yes - I carried my (then just turned 5) kid. What's with the side eye lady??

(I have issues with this woman) 

 

You must be strong! I'd hurt my back if I tried to carry my son who just turned 5 at the beginning of September. Both me and his dad are pretty tall though and so is he. I'd give those people the side eye back, no one should judge you for that!

[ati_escapee]

4 minutes ago, zee_four said:

You must be strong! I'd hurt my back if I tried to carry my son who just turned 5 at the beginning of September. Both me and his dad are pretty tall though and so is he. I'd give those people the side eye back, no one should judge you for that!

I carry my 5 year old sometimes. I'm fairly small so his legs dangle past my knees. Not as much lately but up until a few months ago, I carried him all the time. He's the baby though. When my oldest was 5 I had a 2-year-old and a newborn so I definitely didn't carry him around.

I've had some looks for carrying him or pushing him in a stroller sometimes. I just don't care. He walks most of the time but kids get tired. People pick the weirdest things to be judgy about.

[cascarones]

Kids get tired, they want to be carried. My niece is in kinder and she'll ask, it's a comforting thing for littles. Heck, I got carried last night, mopped myself into a corner like a tired idiot and wanted limited footprints.

Sometimes I think there's this weird dichotomy with no middle ground, parents are babying/doing everything or forcing their children to be mini-adults too soon. There is so much criticism aimed at parents, maybe it's just more obvious with the internet, but goodness I'm not looking forward to that part of it. Being a celebrity parent, or a parent whose social media brand is built on it has got to be exhausting.

[zee_four]

1 hour ago, ati_escapee said:

I carry my 5 year old sometimes. I'm fairly small so his legs dangle past my knees. Not as much lately but up until a few months ago, I carried him all the time. He's the baby though. When my oldest was 5 I had a 2-year-old and a newborn so I definitely didn't carry him around.

I've had some looks for carrying him or pushing him in a stroller sometimes. I just don't care. He walks most of the time but kids get tired. People pick the weirdest things to be judgy about.

That's so sweet. My son has always looked a little older because he's tall. Not as tall as I was at his age, I remember being maybe 4 or so and playing in a fast food restaurant ball pit/playground area  I was SEVERELY shy, could never talk to strangers, would cry if my mom made me talk in the phone, etc. A woman came up to me screaming about how I was too old to okay and to get out of the ball out because her precious snowflake could be hurt. I was so upset I had a meltdown and my mom came over. Turns out precious snowflake was actually older than  I was. The lady didn't apologize of course and I was too traumatized to play in a restaurant playground ever again.

Anyway my son still lives full time with his grandparents for the time being. They're getting older so they stopped carrying him when he was pretty young, shortly after he went to live with then when he was about 3. He idolizes his older cousins (unfortunately my ex sister in law spoils them so bad their behavior is out of control) and it adamant about being treated like a "big kid".

Last time they were in town we went to the river and played there all day. He was pretty tuckered out. I carried him the last little bit to the car.

[Meggo]

2 hours ago, zee_four said:

You must be strong! I'd hurt my back if I tried to carry my son who just turned 5 at the beginning of September. Both me and his dad are pretty tall though and so is he. I'd give those people the side eye back, no one should judge you for that!

Well he's a petite little guy - I think he's probably about 45 lbs and in the 15th percentile for height so - he's kind of wee. 

But even this morning - he was fussing as I was talking to his teacher and so I picked him up. And he snuggled in and gave me a big hug. Which was nice. We've been struggling with his behavior at school so anytime I can find a way to show them he isn't the monster they think he is - I go for it. 

 

[Shadoewolf]

I still carry my 10 year old, 70lb son upstairs to his room when he falls asleep on the couch. Mind you his head comes just under my nose. But good solid sleep is such a rarity for him that I'll deal with the aftermath for the few times it happens. 

[Glasgowghirl]

My sister was big for her age, when my brother was starting school she was taller than a girl in his class. The age gap between my brother and sister is 4 years, a woman shouted at my mum for still having her in a push chair when she should have been starting school. She apologised when discovering my sister was 18 months old.  

[SassyPants]

1 hour ago, Glasgowghirl said:

My sister was big for her age, when my brother was starting school she was taller than a girl in his class. The age gap between my brother and sister is 4 years, a woman shouted at my mum for still having her in a push chair when she should have been starting school. She apologised when discovering my sister was 18 months old.  

When my daughter was in the 4th grade the students in her class were assigned kindergarten "buddies". My son was in the Kindergarten class. The kindergartener assigned to my daughter was taller than my daughter. Both of her parents were over 6 feet tall. Oh, and the this little girl's nickname was "Teeny". LOL!

[Four is Enough]

And the moral of the story is..... people should mind their own business.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

11 minutes ago, Four is Enough said:

And the moral of the story is..... people should mind their own business.

Such a simple solution that would solve so many problems in the world.  Too bad humans are incapable of implementing it.

[Carm_88]

Spurgeon with Willow who is Jana's dog

Spoiler

 

Jana, Jessa, Spurgeon, and Henry went shopping for pumpkins and mums!

[Someone Out There]

13 hours ago, Carm_88 said:

Spurgeon with Willow who is Jana's dog

  Hide contents

 

Jana, Jessa, Spurgeon, and Henry went shopping for pumpkins and mums!

Should I point out here that in some countries 'mum' = 'mother'?  I read that in a completely different way from what was intended and I was wondering how 5 mothers were fitting in the car and why they weren't counted amongst the adults...

Then I remembered a previous conversation on here about them being giant flower ribbon things or something (I can remember they were used in the context of Homecomeing or some such).

[QuiverFullofBooks]

1 hour ago, Someone Out There said:

Should I point out here that in some countries 'mum' = 'mother'?  I read that in a completely different way from what was intended and I was wondering how 5 mothers were fitting in the car and why they weren't counted amongst the adults...

Then I remembered a previous conversation on here about them being giant flower ribbon things or something (I can remember they were used in the context of Homecomeing or some such).

They’re flowers. It’s short for chrysanthemums. The “giant flower ribbon things” are fall corsages made of mums for homecoming dances in Texas (I’ve never seen one myself).

[ihaveanexamintwodays]

In the season finale (up online now so I watched....i love all weddings haha) Ben mentions how a formal tea is very Jane Austen esque.... do I dare have hope that the Seewald children will be allowed to read *real literature*? O.o

[Four is Enough]

Here you go... a Texas homecoming mum. It's a little out of hand... but everything's bigger in Texas...

[QuiverFullofBooks]

@Four is Enough Thanks, and also, WTF? So no flowers, but there is a teddy bear, and apparently tinsel, and it goes all the way to the floor, and you wear them with casual clothes, and guys get them too?

[CarrotCake]

I was also so confused by the mum thing. How is a mum not an adult?

Good to see here that it was not just me.

 

[HereticHick]

50 minutes ago, CarrotCake said:

I was also so confused by the mum thing. How is a mum not an adult?

Good to see here that it was not just me.

 

"Mums" are a very common early Autumn potted flower in the United States. I have some pots of mum on my front porch right now.

(originally denoting the corn marigold): from Latin, from Greek khrusanthemon, from khrusos ‘gold’ + anthemon ‘flower.’

 

They are native to Asia; the Imperial Seal of the Japanese Royal Family is a Chrysanthemum

[CarrotCake]

1 minute ago, HereticHick said:

"Mums" are a very common early Autumn potted flower in the United States. I have some pots of mum on my front porch right now.

(originally denoting the corn marigold): from Latin, from Greek khrusanthemon, from khrusos ‘gold’ + anthemon ‘flower.’

 

They are native to Asia; the Imperial Seal of the Japanese Royal Family is a Chrysanthemum

They are also very common here this time of the year but we call them 'chrysant'

[Four is Enough]

2 hours ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

@Four is Enough Thanks, and also, WTF? So no flowers, but there is a teddy bear, and apparently tinsel, and it goes all the way to the floor, and you wear them with casual clothes, and guys get them too?

I had this explained to me by friends in Texas, so I may be wrong, but originally, it apparently started out as just wearing crysanthemums the week of homecoming in  the high schools. Then..... well.... embellishments happened, and ribbons were added in school colors, and MAYBE some little trinkets,  and ribbons got longer and more prolific, and then embellishments got larger, until you have the item covering the female. 

The male's adornments are apparently called garters. I thought garters went around socks, myself... But it sure is entertaining!

And FTR I had mums of the crysanthemum kind at both my wedding receptions, as I was married in October. Twice.

[cascarones]

Went to HS in Texas, it's bananas. Usually your date (or his mother) makes the extra massive one with bears/football numbers and you make him a garter (mini mum with ribbons that he wears on his bicep) the Friday before the dance. You also exchange mums with friends, regular sized but still with ribbons, bells, trinkets. You might even have a mum making night of craft madness. Some people make ring mums, some make lei mums, but everyone (literally everyone including teachers and anti-social/ emo/goth kids) walks around covered in mass amounts of fake flowers, ribbons and bells, they get pinned to backpacks, you make spares in case someone makes you one that you didn't make one for. It's.....something and nothing gets done on homecoming day other than mum petting and pie eating contests.

You only wear your date's to the homecoming game and at my HS football players mom's had them too.

Like most girls I had a mum wall in my bedroom where they all lived pinned to ribbons. Similar to below, except mine ran on ribbons.

Spoiler

ETA: The madness starts at the pep rallies, our was officially Friday morning, but there was always a Thursday night beater car smash and bonfire. High school football and traditions really, truly are a huge thing there.

[TatertotAsserole]

@ihaveanexamintwodays

When Ben mentioned Jane Austen, I did a double take. I'm a total Janeite. Also, I'm a screenwriter and my current project is modernizing Sense and Sensibility into a modern rom-com.  I'm unfortunately aware that Austen has a strange following among arc-conservatives/white supremacists (see this NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/books/jane-austen-alt-right.html)  I hope that any child the Seewalds have will be able to read Austen, though. There's actually a lot of subversive material in there.