Parenting And Education Stories

Hi, it's me again, X, here with another vent.

I've been boggled by the news lately about this universal Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) that's becoming a worldwide standard. In the Philippines, the Senate is now discussing the Anti-Teenage Pregnancy Bill, which suggests that CSE would be taught to students. What's more concerning is the claim that they're considering teaching masturbation to children as young as 0-4 years old.

I mean, maybe it's just me, but I grew up preserving traditions and religion, and for me, isn't this just so wrong to do? I understand the importance of educating the youth, but introducing such topics at such a tender age feels inappropriate.

Moreover, I believe that to prevent children from engaging in sexual activities at a very young age, we should limit their exposure to such topics in the first place. Teaching them about masturbation and the pleasures of sex seems counterproductive. Instead of reducing teenage pregnancies, this might encourage them to experiment more.

Why not implement laws that hold parents accountable for their children's actions? Providing explicit knowledge and exposure to children seems like we're tolerating, if not encouraging, them to engage in such activities. If they were more aware of the consequences, perhaps they would think twice before acting.

Again, this is just me. I'm not into politics; I'm just thinking of humane ways to deal with these kinds of topics.

I fight with my mom and when she wanna makes up i just freeze and cant talk. I give the toxic silent treatment

My child has being struggling with mental issues for a while now: first it was eating disorders, following depression, anxiety and now also OCD with Germ phobia. With the right help we were able to cope with anorexia and anxiety but no matter how many times they changed her medications (kind or dosage) nothing is helping her with depression and her OCD got so bad that she barely lives a normal life (but fortunately she was able to get to the last year of college this year). When she is with others she puts on an act, you can tell something is off but not as bad as when she is home. Sometime it is so frustrating that I would like to cry, or scream or just get the door and escape. Believe me, I know it is harder for her but seeing your child living like that makes a parent heart ache. I am continuously worried about her future and it breaks my heart seeing that she is not able to live her life at her fullest when other people that would don't have the luck to do it. At times I feel so guilty of not being able to help her and mad at all the specialists she got to see during these years that didn't make her improve at all, actually I see she is getting worse. But than I realize I can't blame them totally because since she has been an adult I am not involved in her session at all and she lies a lot on what the reality is and being everything on video calls now, I think they can't really realize how bad the situation is.

I am tired, overwhelmed, disappointed, upset, sad...but I don't know what to do anymore to save my little Princess from herself.

its been a long time since i've realizd but i think i am fully admitting to my myself this just now that i've certainly become a failure. last time i was preparing for my exams with full enthusiasm and now that i am a 11th grader my whole life is fucking turned upside down. i ha dstarted on this ourney of preparing for an entrance exam for engineeering colleges but took the option of staying at my school which usualy doing the same thing as me (preparing for the same exam) dont do. i was confident in proving the people who toold me that staying in school won't get you your college. i was confident. because i had no one to tell me the right thing. no one to explain to me what i was setting myself up for. i was just a person with dreams who'd not thoroughly thought of the path that they'd be taking neither had they researched about this. they just took this path because it seemed cool and many people were doing it and also heard that there father's dream was to get the top college that you could get through this exam. i didnt know anything about it and just followed whatever others around me were doing. i didnt realize the seriousness of this thing. and dint give me best which i am still far from giving. i scores very well in ast year's exam that i told you about however i could do more on that too if i were just a little more serious. os now i have wasted my 2024 not studying in my school. when i look at the more serious kids around me theyre so fucking ahead of me i cant even imagine that id ever be at their level i just think i am done for and now i dont have the fucking motivation to do anything. i cant study. i just cant bring myself to do it i dont know why i just have gotten so good at procastinating and so good at just regretting things after i did the wronng stuff that i seem to not even care right now. i dont fucking know what to do and i just wanna die right now. also i couldnt bring myself to tell this to anyone despite having so many friends and pretty undertsanding parents but i just cant. and i dont know how this websiete works. i just wanna

My mother and I we don't have the easiest relationship. I mean the things are great until they are great. We can't seem to agree on anything. Plus she thinks I am naive and will get mistreated everywhere. I think she thinks I am stupid. She judges me for almost anything and everything, like how I talk, who I talk to, what I talk about. She judges the way I conduct myself, why I speak so much when I literally met my friend after 2 years. I don't know how to deal with this. I think I also I have severe mommy issues. I have a voice inside my head, mostly her voice that tells me that I am wrong, that i every step I take is wrong. So yeah that's my story. I want to change this narrative and I want to become a person of my own free of from all prejudices that my mother has set for me. I want to be free. What would you guys do if you would in a situation like this?

I'm a teenager. When It was quarantine, I've slowly gotten depression, anxiety, and all that stuff. One day, my mother didn't come home that night with my father since they both work 8 to 5. I was worried and asked where she was. My dad said she was staying somewhere else for the night, but my worries didn't die down. I later texted my mother asking where she was and she said that she was in the sidewalk and that she was going to sleep there. I was shocked and continued to text her until 12 AM. She told me to go to sleep, so I deleted out convo with her and cried to sleep. Later on that following week, I found out she was staying over her friend's house and slept over there, because she and my father got into an argument. Fast forward a couple weeks, our pitbull named Luna got out of her cage and got loose all over the outside of our house. We had gates so she couldn't leave easily. As my parents got home from work, we found out that she chewed on my mother's slippers that were outside. My father was irritated and when I was in my room, possibly playing my games or watching tiktok, I hear the throws of slippers my dad threw to Luna. Abusing her, I heard her pained howls but i turned a blind eye. I didnt wanna end up like her. That night, I also cried to sleep. One day, my mom was suspecting she had cancer. So she went on a checkup with my father. After a couple days, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was laying in my bed when my father came up to my bed and told me 'youre always on your phone. Decrease your screen time and at least care for your mother. Your mother had cancer now and she needs all the love and care." I interpreted this on how I understood what he said. When I heard that, I was horrible. I was helpless. I wanted to help my mother but didn't know how. Right when my father left the room, I burst into tears. Slowly breaking down. (My mom is fine and healthy now. She got her chemotherapy treatment done already, and does regular check ups.). In quarantine, I'm sure it was normal that some people like me got fat and all that. I was insecure of my fat body back then, and wanted to get skinny. But then one day, my father told me something before me and my mom we're about to go out. "You look pregnant" he says with a grin. If that were a joke, why didn't I laugh? After that day, I started to starve myself and started only eating 1 meal a day. It was a couple months, after my mom found out since I was throwing up due to not eating properly. I'm well off now, at least better than before. Back to quarantine, I had this trio I was part of since elementary. But when it was quarantine, things started to change. One day we started to fight all afternoon, and let's call one of them Anna, and the other Rachel. Rachel avoided the arguments, usually the peace maker or just agreeing to some statements one did to another. Anna and I were the ones fighting. She was always with her other friends, and I was thinking that she was replacing me and rachel with her new trio. Every argument was over text because it was quarantine of course, but I mostly ended with sobbing to my plushies on my bed in the afternoon. Time passes, it's 2022. We went back to school with just me and rachel as friends. We broke ties with Anna after finding out the toxic friendship. In the first year of my freshman year of highschool, I was doing well. Enjoying being with the new classmates. I loved how joyful they were. Until one day, in second quarter. Our car's battery broke and my father was irritated and frustrated with all the money he had to spend. (We're well off also.) He was angry as well that we didn't seem to care and only cared about our own efficiency on the car. We didn't. My mother, the wife she is. She tries to help. Offering to contact the car brand company so they'll fix it. My father then broke out and said "if you thought of it, you pay for it! It's easy." I can hear the anger even if it was in text. I was in school while that happened. I was reading the texts in out family gc, holding back my tears. Afraid anyone will see. After my father sent a few more messages, my mother then broke as well. "Fix yourself, (father's name.)! We aren't the cause that car broke down, so don't blame us!' I can feel her frustration through the phone. After my father sent a few more text messages, my mother left. I thought they were going to go through a divorce. After two hours or so, my mom was added back by my big sister. My parents then deleted their messages, and my father texted me, "sorry about earlier, okay?" I ignored his message. After all this, I now have eczema, because of genes and possibly stress. I am now acidic, I cannot eat too much food that contains acids. Such as apples. I have mental problems, and I can barely understand myself. (I have not seeked a therapist for all this, as I have been hiding this from everyone. I am a minor and most probably need an adult to consult to a therapist.)

I should start by saying I have kids. I am extremely grateful for that. Tonight I’m just thinking about all the stuff I’ve sat on for 3+ years from my babies because I pictured myself so actively watching other peoples kids and raising them with my own. But no one asks me to babysit or brings their kids here. Just makes me sad. I have a bottle & sippy, snack cups, a high chair, a play chair, a bouncer, a play pen, a changing mattress, a bassinet, an extra car seat even. Literally “just in case” and there’s never an “in case” from the people in my circle. I’ve always been the “lady that’s good with kids” my entire adult life.. I worked with kids for years before changing careers. People used to ask me to babysit constantly before I had my own. It’s just weird being at this point and always picturing myself being the mom with all the kids at her house but all the kids are just mine. I know it’s probably something stupid to be sad about, but I can’t help it when I see the stuff in the back of the cabinet. I know people probably just assume I don't want more kids here on top of my 3. I have twins in preschool and my oldest is less than 2 years older… but I wish they would just ask anyway.

Tbh I’m not exactly sure why I’m doing this I guess because I don’t really have any other way to get it out . I’m a 20 year old man I’ve lived on my own for a few years with no support from family or friends. I got married when I was 19 to a woman I had been with for several years and at the time had a 9 month old son with. About 5 months into our marriage she told me she wanted a divorce and with the divorce she wasn’t just leaving me but our 1 year old son so for the last 6 months it’s just been me and him and I love him very much and wouldn’t have it any other way . But a lot of times I feel like I’m failing him as a father because I struggle so much financially his birthday was a few weeks ago and I wasn’t able to afford any gifts for him as well as now Christmas being two weeks away and I still can’t afford anything for him . I know that these things don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I try to tell myself he is fed and clothed an healthy and he has a nice place to live but as his father it’s hard for me to not give him things like Christmas gifts and birthday presents because I want him to have the world and experience the magic of the holidays . Its been a long year and I just wish I could give him a magical Christmas

!!VENT!!

sure.. haha its my first time talking or writing about my feelings :) but I'll try to explain it as clear as i can. so.. i dont know i feel so so sooooooo overwhelmed and stressed even in smallest things, but i keep procrastinating and it makes me hate myself more... i wanna do it but i just cant.. its like my mind acts on its own like copying the homework from answers and not doing it myself - i wanna do it, i do really! but... ugh.. i hate it.. and this is the first problem i guess..

and others are like, hmm maybe very very low self esteem?? haha i know it sounds pathetic but i cant even trust myself with simplest things.. for example lets say i did the dishes an hour ago, then my mom comes and tells me that i havent done it. And i'll automatically start rethinking about it, doubting myself and manipulating myself into thinking i really didnt do it... i know its just my lame fantasies and overthinking.. but it makes my life even more harder... generally we can say my memory, head, imagination and everything related with mind is a mess!! complete dark mess!! it feels so so soooo foggy that i cant even think properly sometimes....and other problem is that i dont even trust myself with my own freaking emotions or thoughts!!! i feel like my mind is manipulating me into thinking or just making up my emotions and opinions.... i dont even trust myself.... let alone others.... i dont even trust my parents fully.... and i feel bad for it... they've done nothing but love me and support me... spend dozen of money for my education and wants.... but what about me?... im a psychopath who even doubts her love for her family!!! i feel like im faking everything and im just a evil ungrateful heartless monster inside.. who dont deserve this much opportunities.. support... love.. and trust.... they rely on me while im also lost and trying to find myself through the darkness and fogginess of my mind... i feel so useless... talentless... like my friends and family would be better off without me causing them to worry about my crazy mental health, extreme mood swings minimum twice a day, my dark jokes that worry them instead of making them laugh.... and my teachers.. who trust me... believe that i could get into good uni and take 8,5 or 9 score from IELTS (yea, english isnt my first language) while im just a dumb mess that doesnt deserve all of these... i think ur getting bored or smth... i just dont know what to say or how to explain this.. this failure.. me... oh yea another thing :) haha my writing is messy too... anyways wish u patience dealing with me!!! XD

and also i feel like my mind is a monster... it is actually XD when i wanna improve myself, when i wanna get out of this mess... my mind dont let me... it wants to be depressed... suicidal... stressed all the time... telling me that i dont deserve to be happy when im also a burden to others... and a lot more... i dont even understand it myself

I always thought I’d be ready for this moment. I mean, isn’t that what parenting is all about? You raise your kids to be independent, to go out into the world and make their own lives. But now that it’s actually happened, I feel so... lost. The empty nest isn’t what I expected at all.

Last month, our youngest moved out to start college. The house feels so quiet now, almost like it’s holding its breath. For years, it was filled with laughter, noise, and the constant chaos of a busy family. Now, it’s just me and my husband, and we don’t really know what to do with ourselves. We used to joke about all the free time we’d have once the kids were gone, but the silence is... unsettling.

I find myself wandering into their rooms, staring at the posters on the walls, and wondering how time flew by so quickly. It feels like just yesterday I was helping them with homework, driving them to soccer practice, or staying up late to make sure they got home safe from a night out. Now, they’re off living their lives, and I’m stuck here trying to figure out what mine looks like without them in it every day.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m proud of them. So proud. They’re doing amazing things, and I know this is how it’s supposed to be. But I didn’t realize how much of my identity was tied up in being a mom. Now that they don’t need me the same way, I’m struggling to figure out who I am outside of that role.

Everyone keeps saying I should take this time to focus on myself, pick up hobbies, or travel. But it’s hard to start when your heart feels so heavy. Has anyone else gone through this? How do you adjust to life with an empty nest? I want to be happy for them, and I am, but I can’t shake this feeling of loneliness.

Being a mom is the most rewarding and terrifying thing I’ve ever done. My little girl is only two years old, but every single day, I find myself wondering: am I doing enough? How to be a good mother when it feels like there’s so much to figure out?

Some days, I feel like I’m nailing it. We play together, she laughs at my silly songs, and I can see how happy she is. But then there are moments when I feel like I’m completely failing. Like yesterday, when I lost my temper because she spilled juice on the carpet after I told her three times not to run around with her cup. She cried, and it broke my heart because all I could think about was, “What kind of mom yells at a two-year-old over juice?”

I read parenting blogs and watch videos on how to raise happy, confident kids, but it’s overwhelming. There’s so much advice out there, and half of it feels contradictory. Be strict, but not too strict. Let them explore, but set boundaries. Make healthy meals, but don’t stress if they eat nuggets and fries once in a while. I’m trying to do it all, but is that even possible?

I see other moms who seem to have it all together—perfectly dressed kids, Pinterest-worthy lunches, and spotless homes. Meanwhile, I’m just proud if I can get her to daycare on time with matching socks. Sometimes, I wonder if they’re struggling too and just hiding it better.

I love my daughter more than anything, and I want her to grow up feeling loved, supported, and safe. But how do I know if I’m doing it right? Is there some magic formula on how to be a good mother, or is it just about showing up every day and doing your best?

If anyone has advice or has felt this way too, I’d love to hear it. I’m trying so hard, but some days it feels like I’m just fumbling through.

Today, my daughter, who is 7 §yes, seven!), was wearing a sleeveless top to school, which is perfectly within the dress code guidelines, and she's dressed similarly on many occasions without any issues. However, a substitute teacher took offense, claiming the attire was inappropriate, and urged me to bring another shirt for her. Coincidentally, I was already heading out to a hockey game, where I play as the goalie for a local team, and you know, goalies are quite essential – we really can't afford to be late or miss a game last minute.

I found the substitute’s call quite infuriating as it insinuated my daughter’s outfit was indecent. I explained to her that the top was perfectly acceptable and highlighted my inability to assist given my commitment to the game. I definitely did not appreciate her stepping over the line.

The substitute teacher threatened that she would have to send my daughter home and insisted that either my husband or I should come to pick her up. I couldn't help but laugh, explaining the situation: my husband was working from home, and since I had the car for my hockey game, he couldn’t pick her up either. As a solution, the substitute made my daughter wear her blazer for the entire day. Now, she’s gone as far as to complain to the principal about the incident. My husband feels I should have complied by bringing another shirt and perhaps addressed or contested the issue with the school board or the principal later on.

Do you think I mishandled the situation?

Interesting to consider, what would happen if this incident unfolded not in everyday life but on a reality TV show? Surely, the dramatization of the scenario would amplify. Cameras would capture every detail of the tense conversations, and the audience could decide right then whose side they're on – the flustered hockey-playing parent or the steadfast substitute teacher. The resolution might even involve a dramatic public vote or a mediated session on what truly defines 'appropriate' school wear. Reality TV has a knack for turning simple disputes into captivating spectacles, after all!

Might be big.

I feel quite numb and sad most of the time. Been this way for a few years. I've lost interest in everything that I used to enjoy. I feel like a burden on my family. Im just a mere waste of space and resources. Im worthless. I feel lonely and distanced from everyone. Feels like the only time my dad talks to me is when its about education or school. Neither of my parents seem interested when I want to share something. I'm not good at socializing. My class is mostly guys (and I'm a girl who prefers hanging around with girls), and i don't like them. Theyre disgusting and weird. All of them have sh!t talked about me at some point too. They have no reason to talk about me so much, but they do as one of their friends is my cousin. There are only 4 girls including me. I'm friends with girl A. I've also known girl K for a while, but I'm not close with her. I don't even know if she considers me a friend. A and K used to be best friends. K had another best friend, who left the school recently. This year K and A started hanging out a lot more again and sitting together, leaving me alone a little. Girl N is new, and good friends with K. I couldn't be close with her either, and it feels awkward. Theyre not mean to me, yes I have been talked behind my back by K before, but we were very young and little kids back then so I don't grudge over it. I know its selfish of me to feel jealous, I have no right to feel that way. A has her own life and right to hang out with others. But I still just feel a little sad when she's with others instead. My class is mostly guys, and i don't like them. Theyre disgusting and weird. All of them have shit talked about me at some point too. They have no reason to talk about me so much, but they do as one of their friends is my cousin. the guys are worse than me, and they don't get told anything. Even my cousin isn't given as many headaches. My friend also has a similar attendance situation, sometimes worse. But she's never been called an irregular student. I've been doing worse in school lately. The grading system sucks too. I feel too unmotivated. I also have a lot of assignments and projects to do, impacting my sleep schedule. Sometimes its hard to sleep. I don't want to wake up in the morning, and I just really don't want to go to school these days. But I don't have a choice so I suck it up. I don't like my tutor either. He's not bad, just not for me. My parents gve me my cousins tutor and I have to study with him now. I don't like having to study along with my cousin, our study speed is different. I barely have time to do things anymore because of having a tutor. Ive never had anyone. I try to push it all to the back of my mind and deal with the present. Its monotonous. Ive been sucking it up for years. This year however, multiple people have been noticing that I apparently seem "sad". I suppose I'm slipping up and having a harder time masking my feelings. I've never wanted to live long. I've always intended to die by 18, after I finish school or before college. It wasn't such a big deal before, I was still young and a while away from those years, so it was a reasonable time. But now I'm closer to the years. I feel conflicted. I've been seeing a weird vision/dream lately too. Its a white room, with a black path. I've walked on it since birth. And now its reached its end. the path doesn't continue further. Im merely standing on the end of it now. I feel a little crazy saying this haha. I dont see a future for me. I dont want to live. I feel guilty thinking about it. My parents shouldnt spend money on my education, since I don't intend to have a future to put it to use. Im useless. I'll never be someone that can make them proud. There's no point of my life. I dont have a right to feel this way. Im ungrateful. I dont like how i look or who i am. I feel fat. I'm not overweight, but my stomach always looks bloated. It makes me feel insecure. My mom pointed it out a few times. My hair always looks frizzly. I feel unloved and unwanted. I feel lost. If I died,my parents wouldnt have to waste money on me anymore. They would have one less kid to worry about. They'd do better financially. They'd have a better life. I don't feel like they'd care much. they'd say I was lost to the devil. Im tired of living. I dont enjoy anything anymore. I don't want to study. I don't want to work. I dont want to play. I don't want to do anything. People call me emo or spoiled. It hurts. I don't ask my parents for anything. why am I considered spoiled? I try my best to be as low of a nuisance as possible. I try to help whenever I can. It's never enough. I'm trying my best. I really am. The constant comparison with my cousin also hurts. "He's a boy and he does so much around the house". I have a little brother. Sometimes it's like he doesn't love me. I get yelled at if I don't teach him his homework and stuff. If he does something wrong, I get punished. I also have religion pressured on me a lot. I'm tired. I've cried for a while. I feel sleepy now.

Sorry for all the writing. Ive never tried expressing my emotions in an online forum before. I feel like an attention seeker saying all this tbh. Sorry, thank you for reading! ♡

My husband and I have a sweet 7-year-old girl, Emily, who recently made friends with a pup she found wandering in our front yard. It was all fun and games until we discovered the little dog belonged to our neighbors. They initially thought Emily had taken the puppy away from their property, which caused a lot of upset. Subsequently, my husband imposed additional chores on her as punishment. Emily stood her ground, asserting that she hadn't stolen the puppy and refused to do the chores.

The situation took a turn for the better when our neighbors came over to apologize. It turns out, their own son had accidentally let the puppy escape while they were out for a walk because he removed its leash. That's how the puppy ended up in our yard.

When I got back from work that day, my husband briefed me on the apologies, but still insisted Emily should be reprimanded for not completing her chores. His view was that it was a matter of principle and she should obey her father regardless. I couldn't disagree more. To me, punishing her for an act she hadn't committed was completely unfair. I argued that teaching her to accept wrongdoing silently was not something I supported.

The disagreement escalated as my husband labeled me unreasonable. I was left wondering if my stance was indeed wrong.

If this confrontation were to unfold under the public gaze of a reality TV show, I can only imagine the heightened drama and varied opinions from viewers. Social media would likely be ablaze with debates on parenting styles and the fairness of imposing discipline. Would the audience side with fostering obedience or upholding justice? The dynamic would certainly be enticing to viewers who thrive on real-life conflicts and resolutions.

How would people react in a reality TV scenario?

As the youngest in my family, I've always had a unique spot, especially when it came to my name. Unlike my siblings whose names were chosen out of tradition to honor other family members, my parents took a bold step with me. They decided to break from tradition and named me Sunny after something they genuinely liked rather than adhering to familial expectations.

Growing up, my name was a symbol of my parents’ free spirit and desire to do things their way. However, when I hit around 10 years old, I noticed a change in their attitude. They started occasionally calling me by my middle name, which felt odd, and I expressed my preference for my given name, Sunny. By my teenage years, I could sense their growing regret over their choice, yet I remained attached to my name.

Last year, they mentioned how some teenagers opt to change their names before finishing high school, aiming for something that might sound more mature. This was apparently meant to avoid future costs related to updating official documents like diplomas. Their hints became more direct over time; they suggested alternatives like James, nicknamed Jamie, and even Luke, but none resonated with me.

In June, the discussions took a more serious turn when they proposed a legal name change. They expressed guilt over giving me a name that was meant originally as an act of defiance against their families. They worried it appeared too whimsical for a man stepping into adulthood. Despite their concerns, I defended my name, appreciating its cheerful and hopeful essence, but they couldn’t shake their regret. Just last week, they came to me with official papers and a few selected names, urging me to make a choice. I stood my ground, valuing my attachment to my name over their change of heart, even though they pressed me to consider the practicalities of my future.

Am I wrong for wanting to keep the name I've cherished all my life?

Imagine if this situation unfolded on a reality TV show, where private family dynamics are suddenly thrust under the glaring spotlight of public opinion. The intensity of family pressure versus personal identity would be magnified, possibly leading to a heated and emotional episode. Viewers might be split, with some empathizing with my desire to retain my individuality and others siding with my parents’ concerns about practicality and maturity. The drama, no doubt, would add another layer to the already challenging situation, making it not just a personal but a broadly judged spectacle.