We do blame Israel. In the mean time, this piece of technology is actively saving the lives of innocent people. Of all the weird things to be upset about, the one that’s explicitly defensive maybe the weirdest.

Sounds like you’re doing alright. I’d say keep doing as you’re doing. Don’t change anything unless asked - make this whole thing seem completely normal. Just be attentive and listen to your child. You probably won’t understand, at least not fully, a lot of what they’re going through. No matter how hard you try, unless you experience it yourself, it’s pretty much impossible, like seeing a new color. Be open to that fact, that things are quite simply fundamentally different from their perspective.

Be a safe space. It sounds like you already are. Keep doing that. No matter the situation the two of you are involved in, your priority is their livelihood. Safety, autonomy, backup, whatever they need in order to provide that.

They were comfortable enough with you to tell you, and ahead of two others who might have a similar “right” to know. Your response was to provide the support you immediately could, and seek assistance otherwise. Keep doing what you’re doing, bud.

… I hope one day I have a trans kid. I always wanted to be transparent.

I have no opinion on eating the tail of the shrimp with the rest of it. The concept of ordering or cooking shrimp, eating the flesh, and then giving someone else the tail is absolutely INSANE to me. It sounds like a bit from a sitcom.

This feels like a bit of an overreaction. There’s no identifying information, this is a small corner of the Internet, and they’re here looking for advice on how to be better able to support the kid.

I’d say if I was the kid and I ran across this post, if anything it’d make me feel like my parent is taking a ton of effort to understand and support me.

Mate I’d be worried if you were anything but disgruntled. Companies are shit, layoffs are shit, feeling like shit after being through shit is pretty normal.

Ahh, relative privation. We’re not allowed to work on anything until we all collectively agree what the worst thing is, and then we’re only allowed to work on that thing. As it should be.

How did you do that??

Why are people like this? Shit life syndrome. What do we do with them? Offer them compassion and support.

Define useful.

Will any martial art make it a good idea to engage in a street fight, ever? Will any martial art prevent you from getting shot, stabbed, or ganged up on and beaten? No. Your best bet is situational awareness and a keen sense of GTFO.

However, martial arts are physical activities. They involve precise movements, and allow you a safe space to build conditioning. All of that means that, even if the techniques of the specific art you practice are fundamentally useless in the situation, you’re going to be just better able to use your body effectively. Hopefully to run.

I’d say the biggest thing a martial art has over a traditional sport is conditioning yourself to take a proper hit. Beyond any technique, the first hit is usually the deciding hit in a street fight. Knowing what it’s like to be hit, and being able to not immediately crumble, go further than any technique.

What, was it blowing a whistle?