Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Modeling a happy marriage. Both DH and I grew up with unhappily married parents (his never divorced, mine did several times without finding happier marriages along the way). A happy marriage is the best foundation for a happy life.

Eh, I don't agree with the bolded. Health insurance, having enough food, having a safe place to sleep, access to education - those are all more important and necessary in order to have a happy life. Your statement implies (probably unintentionally) that children raised by single parents can't grow up to have happy lives, and I'm sure you can agree that's not true.

You're confused. I'm saying that my children, AS SPOUSES, will have the best chance at a happy life if they are happily married.

Life is long and you get many chances if you work for it and have a safety net. DH was not particularly a star performer in school or in his early career. Now he is.

Anonymous wrote:Life is not a competition. We are working to ensure we create good people who contribute to society.

+1. If you think that life is a competition, and you are winning, everyone else thinks you are an a**hole.

what is it with the pushy moms on here lately.

I gave my child a good education, a stable home with family dinners five days a week, white skin, and a penis. If that’s not enough, that’s on him.

Anonymous wrote:Life is not a competition. We are working to ensure we create good people who contribute to society.

Life is absolutely a competition though. Nearly everything worth having is competitive to obtain.

I taught her how to avoid people like OP.

Enabling opportunities for them to try/explore different interests whether its sports, life skills (art, cooking, glass blowing), social organizations (scouts, cultural), etc.

I book experiences and trips throughout the year instead of buying stuff. We visit farms during the different seasons to pick our own food. During our summer vacation this year we will go rafting, hiking, and visit local museums. We go skiing every year in different places.

I encourage them to volunteer for causes important to them, emphasize working hard and doing well in school and get extra help if they need it, learning life skills (communicating, getting a job, doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, yard work, paying bills), guide them in learning what it means to a "good" friend/sibling/spouse/child/employee/human.

As the mom of adult kids, I'm embarrassed for you, OP. Your child is still a baby. Are you seriously talking about excelling in Kindergarten? Because that's just fukced up. Trust your kids to find their own path. Of course you provide guidance and resources along with way. But your definition of "successful" might not (is likely not) the same as theirs will be. Allow them to become who they were meant to be and not who you want them to be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll go first. We spent $30k for my son to attend a private Kindergarten that helped him excel during the first Covid year.

We also bought a home at the top of our price range to ensure he is in the best public school district for elementary school.

Your turn! It doesn’t have to be education related.

Wow! Excelling in kindergarten! Now that’s something to brag about.

When public schools were closed, he learned to read.

Whoa! Something no other child has ever learned to do! *clap clap*

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Modeling a happy marriage. Both DH and I grew up with unhappily married parents (his never divorced, mine did several times without finding happier marriages along the way). A happy marriage is the best foundation for a happy life.

Eh, I don't agree with the bolded. Health insurance, having enough food, having a safe place to sleep, access to education - those are all more important and necessary in order to have a happy life. Your statement implies (probably unintentionally) that children raised by single parents can't grow up to have happy lives, and I'm sure you can agree that's not true.

Dp. Of course kids of single parents are happy and successful. The question was what do you do to give your kid the best chances at success. Pp and I both apparently agree that being raised in a home with two parents who love each other will contribute to the child's happiness and success in life. Having grown up in a house with infidelity, disappearing and reappearing father and general chaos and dysfunction led me to believe that parents should be loving, faithful and happy to raise kids well. Dh grew up with horrible fighting between his parents. Being faithful, loving each other and sticking together through challenges is a choice..and one which isn't always easy to do.

The OP, mother to one seven year old, has it all figured out.

have fun, be happy, don't worry about money, what others have etc, your happiness will drive your success. which is not determined by private schools, fancy hoses or cars.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll go first. We spent $30k for my son to attend a private Kindergarten that helped him excel during the first Covid year.

We also bought a home at the top of our price range to ensure he is in the best public school district for elementary school.

Your turn! It doesn’t have to be education related.

Wow! Excelling in kindergarten! Now that’s something to brag about.

My oldest has special needs. We have stayed on in this country, visa after visa (and now green card) to give him the best chance at a professional launch. Our home country would not have offered him the services and accommodation he needed in school, and doesn't even have the medications he needs to take!!! It's been years of visa applications, lawyer fees, uncertainty surrounding whether we can stay or leave, stress and marital tension, so that our son has opportunities.