a place to vent

Motherhood is a blast, except for the never-ending piles of laundry, bickering siblings, and constant input from strangers on the street. While you can't always air your frustrations out loud at home, sharing them with fellow moms who are likely experiencing the same thing will make it all a bit more bearable.

Whether it's dealing with a pesky pet now that you're pregnant or handling differences in parenting styles within your family, the A Place to Vent group in the LilSugar Community is filled with like-minded moms who just need to let off a lil steam. Posting is anonymous, so you can start ranting now without anyone ever knowing it was you!

Trying to conceive isn't always about fun in the bedroom. This post was submitted by an Anonymous reader in the A Place to Vent group.

As I was taking my morning pee today, scared to finish because I would have to check to see if my period had arrived, my eyes wandered around the room and finally settled on the trash. And I had a sad realization that my whole month could literally be summed up just by looking in my garbage.

It's day 33 of my cycle, it's my fourth month of TTC since having a miscarriage and about five years since first making the decision that I wanted to be a mom. My breasts are huge and sore, I can say that I'm two days late since my cycle hasn't been more than 31 days in ages (even though I know it doesn't make it true). And somehow after months and months of disappointment I am sitting on this toilet and I still have hope!

Delaying the inevitable wipe, I pick up my trash and pick up my latest negative pregnancy test to investigate. I have to make sure that I read it properly yesterday morning and that somehow I didn't miss that elusive second line. I didn't take a test this morning because I am playing the "if my period isn't here by the time I leave work today, I am buying a digital test because these cheap dollar store tests I have are probably defective" game. That should ensure a positive.

As I'm sitting there I'm thinking over the last month, so beautifully depicted in my garbage, (And yes, I'm gross. I haven't changed the garbage in about a month, what can I say, the can is huge.) here's what I've found.

To see what this reader found, click here. Let it all out in our anonymous A Place to Vent group over in the LilSugar Community.

Is all fair in love and on the playground? This post was submitted by an Anonymous reader in the A Place to Vent group.

Yesterday, I received a call from another mom that I had recently met on the playground. Our pre-school-aged kids found each other through a pick-up game of baseball over the Summer and had been playing together almost every day. According to the mom, yesterday's game was no different than previous ones. My son's yellow wiffle ball bat was used by all of the kids as they took their turns at bat, and the mothers and caretakers took turns serving as pitchers. As the game wound down, an older child picked up the bat and whacked her son on the forehead (I'm still not sure if it was an accident or on purpose), resulting in gushing blood and ultimately five stitches to the head. She obviously was very upset (as we all would be if we had just taken our child to the hospital), but she also insinuated that I was to blame for this because it was our bat that was used and that my son's nanny should have been "paying more attention so this wouldn't have happened."

I checked our bat, it was fine. No cuts in the plastic, no jagged edges, etc. I spoke to my son and his nanny and learned that he was "in the outfield" when the incident occurred and by the time they realized what had happened, the boy's mother had already scooped him up and run out of the park. Am I at fault here?

Let it all out in our anonymous A Place to Vent group over in the LilSugar Community.

This post was submitted by an anonymous member in our A Place to Vent group.

I can't stand my sister-in-law's parenting style. There. I said it. She's an amazing woman — smart, fun and a joy to be around — but her parenting skills are old school to say the least. She was raised in a very traditional family and hasn't updated her tactics. She spanks her kids (something my husband and I don't do), she lets her twin 6-year-old boys watch as much TV as they want, lets them eat whatever they want and defaults to the laziest route when it comes to instilling any discipline or rule for her kids. It's not that my husband and I are without struggle in the parenting department, but her "let let them do what they want so they are quiet" attitude makes it hard for me to let my children play with hers — or even consider leaving my children with her. I understand it is hard to parent twins and not everyone wants to raise their children the way I do, but there has to be a common ground. Anyone have any suggestions for broaching the subject with her without coming off as "holier than thou"?

Overwhelmed by a fussy eater, crying baby, fighting tots, overbearing in-laws and competitive parents? Start venting in our anonymous group, A Place to Vent and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight.

This post was submitted by an anonymous member in our A Place to Vent group.

Recently my two-year-old daughter won't eat anything that is not crunchy. I have tried vegetables that are not uber cooked, in hopes that they would still be crunchy enough but she just won't eat. All she wants is graham crackers, gold fish, cereal (with no milk), chips and anything else that crunches. I have tried to give her other food but she won't eat all day. I don't want her to go to bed hungry, so I eventually give her something that she will actually eat, i.e. crunchy food. The doctor has said she will grow out of texture issues but I am starting to worry about her nutrition. Has anyone else had this problem? Were you able to slowly introduce other food? Please help!

Overwhelmed by a fussy eater, crying baby, fighting tots, overbearing in-laws and competitive parents? Start venting in our anonymous group, A Place to Vent and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight.

This post was submitted by an anonymous member in our A Place to Vent group.

I love and adore my mother and she is my greatest ally as a mom, but whenever I share my experiences about parenting she over personalizes and identifies with them. She is a fantastic mother and a serious contender for the world's greatest grandma award, but she can't listen to my conundrums without reminding me (in exhausting and antiquated detail) what it was like when she was a mother to two little children. I'll call her scared about my son's fever and she'll go on about the time my brother had pneumonia and was hospitalized, or I'll tell her how I feel when my husband crosses my rules with the kids and she'll launch into stories about my dad. There's no doubt I require and appreciate her stories, knowledge and support, but I've told her numerous times I need her advice in the moment for my current situation. I need guidance for my life and yes, I want to learn from her experience, but I can't help but get frustrated when she over-identifies with my concerns instead of helping me with the problem at hand. How do I help her take off the mommy cap and put on the grandma cap where she can live in the moment with me and my family (and not seem completely insensitive)?

Overwhelmed by a crying baby, difficult parenting quandary, overbearing in-laws and competitive parents? Join our A Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar Community and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight. You can even post sensitive questions anonymously!

This question was submitted from an anonymous member in our A Place to Vent group.

Tell me why do some of my family members hound me about having another child? I feel fine with the one child I already have and feel there is no need for another one. To me raising a child is a very hard thing to do and I'm not built for more than one child of my own. They tell me that my daughter needs a sister or brother, but her father has eight other children and if
she needs a sister or brother she can use one of them. I just want them to leave me alone and if they want 100 babies go head I'm fine with the one I have. Now am I wrong for being fine with just having one child?

Overwhelmed by a crying baby, difficult parenting quandary, overbearing in-laws and competitive parents? Join our A Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar Community and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight. You can even post sensitive questions anonymously!

This question was submitted from an anonymous member in our A Place to Vent group.

My kids are great but never sleep! Since they don't sleep it often makes for cranky kids! They are young, so I want to help them develop better sleeping habits. Any body have any tips?

Overwhelmed by a crying baby, difficult parenting quandary, overbearing in-laws and competitive parents? Join our A Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar Community and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight. You can even post sensitive questions anonymously!

This question was submitted from an anonymous member in our Place to Vent in our LilSugar Community. Feel free to add your advice in the comments!

In the past few years my closest friends and younger sister have all gotten married and started having children. I am excited for them all and thrilled to be starting my life with my loving husband, but I don't feel an urgency to have children just yet. I adore my niece and kids in general and know my time will come and it is important for me to make choices for my life, but somehow, my sister and friends think there is something wrong with me. They are constantly making note of "how fun it would be" if I got pregnant now so our children would be close in age. It's a sweet thought, but pretty presumptuous (I think!). How do I tell them I don't feel ready for children without sounding insecure?

Overwhelmed by a crying baby, difficult parenting quandary, overbearing in-laws and competitive parents? Join our Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar community and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight. You can even post sensitive questions anonymously!