Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, ABay said:

It's possible I missed a post, but has anyone heard from @AgentRXS lately?

Doing well!

[Nicmar]

On 1/19/2021 at 2:11 PM, PRgal said:

If you've seen my dad's congee, you'd know why I don't like rice.  And East Asian style rice sticks together and grosses me out.  Also, I like higher fibre foods (so I'll eat oats, some whole grains, ancient grains, etc... in smallish-medium amounts)

I have seen Congee and I don't like the way it looks.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

The vet I take my boys to told me once that a customer brought in a sick yet curable dog to be euthanized. My vet said he'd do it, sent the person on his garbagy way, and the dog lives there to this day.

I had a similar experience when I was a vet tech. Lizzie was a the sweetest little Westie you ever saw. She developed a condition that she would need daily medication for. Her owners had her put to sleep. I wasn't there that day or I would have taken her. I quit the next day.

[supposebly]

I think the cilantro tasting like soap thing is genetic. Like when some people can't stand brussels sprouts and others love them.

Wine, I think it's just like those acquired tastes. Like coffee. If you never got into it, chances are that's not going to change later in life.

[GHScorpiosRule]

That’s so weird about cilantro. Cilantro has been part of my diet all my life. We (Indians) use it in almost everything! I love it. One of my favorite things is making cilantro/green chilies chutney!

[Quof]

I never drank anything in my youth - growing up with a violent, raging alcoholic will put you off it.  In my thirties, I dated someone in the beverage alcohol business, so most of our social activities involved booze.  It took a long time to overcome my abject aversion to the stuff.   I can't stand beer, and we learned I like only expensive red wine.  And I like the cocktails that you can't tell contain alcohol.  

[PRgal]

5 hours ago, Nicmar said:

I have seen Congee and I don't like the way it looks.

👍 I’ll eat some forms of porridge, but only if it’s nice and thick.  My dad’s congee isn’t thick.  

[ParadoxLost]

There are so many light switches in this house.  It is maddening.

[MargeGunderson]

Construction on my street while I’m working from home. The gas lines are being replaced and it is going to be a mess for some time. It’s a real pain to leave my house - yesterday my driveway was blocked. Also, they start at around 7am. And all of the noisy trucks and backhoes are freaking my cats out. (I am super grumpy this morning, can you tell?)

[Mindthinkr]

First I’d like to qualify something before I begin my peeve. I enjoy my friends. I’ve had many for dozens of years and we have stood with each other through the good and difficult times. My peeve is long, long phone calls. I’m grateful that I’m getting more than a sentence of text or so, but I’m talking about calls that last well over an hour. Up to 3. I keep busy even during these isolation times. Sometimes when I get one of these calls I cringe because I miss the end of a movie that I’m watching, need to turn the stove off and stop cooking, put down the book during its most exciting part, try to wash my hands while holding the phone between my ear and shoulder (because I was gardening) or stop feeding the cats. The latter leads to loud screaming in the background. Speakerphone gives the other person echoes so that isn’t always an option. I’m good with a catch up, and do care about what they have to say, but can they do it in under 2 hours? One friend blew me away last week. I’ve been friends with him for over 50 years. He calls and I listen..and listen. Finally after 45 minutes of listening to the details of an antique Hasselblad camera I interrupted and said “Um (insert his name), are you even going to ask me how I am?”  He stated he was sorry, but I think that it’s hard for people these days to find someone to interact with and just talk. So much loneliness. Just keep it to a hour please. 

[peacheslatour]

5 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Construction on my street while I’m working from home. The gas lines are being replaced and it is going to be a mess for some time. It’s a real pain to leave my house - yesterday my driveway was blocked. Also, they start at around 7am. And all of the noisy trucks and backhoes are freaking my cats out. (I am super grumpy this morning, can you tell?)

We had that when they were building new houses across the street from us. It really is the worst.

[Nicmar]

16 hours ago, PRgal said:

👍 I’ll eat some forms of porridge, but only if it’s nice and thick.  My dad’s congee isn’t thick.  

There's a girl in my office who likes to eat her oatmeal soupy. It grosses me out, thank goodness we have walls so I don't have to look at her eat it

[isalicat]

6 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

First I’d like to qualify something before I begin my peeve. I enjoy my friends. I’ve had many for dozens of years and we have stood with each other through the good and difficult times. My peeve is long, long phone calls. I’m grateful that I’m getting more than a sentence of text or so, but I’m talking about calls that last well over an hour. Up to 3. I keep busy even during these isolation times. Sometimes when I get one of these calls I cringe because I miss the end of a movie that I’m watching, need to turn the stove off and stop cooking, put down the book during its most exciting part, try to wash my hands while holding the phone between my ear and shoulder (because I was gardening) or stop feeding the cats. The latter leads to loud screaming in the background. Speakerphone gives the other person echoes so that isn’t always an option. I’m good with a catch up, and do care about what they have to say, but can they do it in under 2 hours? One friend blew me away last week. I’ve been friends with him for over 50 years. He calls and I listen..and listen. Finally after 45 minutes of listening to the details of an antique Hasselblad camera I interrupted and said “Um (insert his name), are you even going to ask me how I am?”  He stated he was sorry, but I think that it’s hard for people these days to find someone to interact with and just talk. So much loneliness. Just keep it to a hour please. 

Just a suggestion: Either don't answer the phone (let it go to voicemail) if you are watching a movie or doing something else (especially feeding the cats!) or answer and arrange to talk at a different time. Just because they are good friends doesn't mean you have to talk to them on *their* schedule and not a mutually agreed upon time that is good for you both, right? I have a very good friend that finds it impossible to end a call, so our calls also stretch out and out...and when I say "well, let me let you go now" he says something like "and just one more thing before we hang up" and on it goes. So if I am doing something time sensitive when he calls, I just don't answer! And I know its because most everyone I know is living alone and not seeing anyone much...but my life is way too short to be available 24/7 for anyone unless its an emergency.

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Just a suggestion: Either don't answer the phone (let it go to voicemail) if you are watching a movie or doing something else (especially feeding the cats!) or answer and arrange to talk at a different time. Just because they are good friends doesn't mean you have to talk to them on *their* schedule and not a mutually agreed upon time that is good for you both, right? I have a very good friend that finds it impossible to end a call, so our calls also stretch out and out...and when I say "well, let me let you go now" he says something like "and just one more thing before we hang up" and on it goes. So if I am doing something time sensitive when he calls, I just don't answer! And I know its because most everyone I know is living alone and not seeing anyone much...but my life is way too short to be available 24/7 for anyone unless its an emergency.

This. You have a phone for your convenience. Not everybody else's

[Quof]

I hardly ever answer my phone when it rings.  Oh, it hardly ever does, most of my social communication is text or email, or in person.  Businesses that need to reach me - stores for curbside pickup, my dentist, etc - call my cell and I answer when I recognize the number.  When my landline rings, it is my mother, or spammers. Whether I answer depends on whether I am in the mood to deal with either of those things.  If I am in the right mood, I can waste many minutes of a spammer's time, just for my own amusement. 

[Bastet]

47 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Just a suggestion: Either don't answer the phone (let it go to voicemail) if you are watching a movie or doing something else (especially feeding the cats!) or answer and arrange to talk at a different time. Just because they are good friends doesn't mean you have to talk to them on *their* schedule and not a mutually agreed upon time that is good for you both, right?

Exactly.  If someone calls me when I'm busy, I just let them leave a message or, if it's someone who doesn't normally call, I answer to make sure it's not anything important, and then say I'm in the middle of something and need to call back when we both have time to chat.

One of my best friends and I do a weekly call, and we always wind up talking for a couple of hours.  So at the end of each call, we choose a date and time for the next week's call.

[peacheslatour]

My parents used to call their answering machine "George". If someone called while we were having dinner, for example, they'd say "Let George answer it."

[RealHousewife]

On 1/19/2021 at 5:12 PM, icemiser69 said:

Dietary changes for me aren't that simple.

On occasion I have anxiety attacks, and I know that sugar and caffeine make them much worse, even though I am anxious most of the time.  Dairy products (aged cheese) among other foods trigger my migraines much more often.  Regardless, I do have migraine headaches several times a week.

It doesn't help that I am a chronically negative person and have been all of my life, and yet I don't have the slightest clue how I became that way.  I don't know if there are any optimistic forums around here or not.   I don't think being inundated with so much negativity is helping any, and as I have said before there is a lot of negativity online.

 

Have you tried reading books or watching YouTube videos about positive thinking and law of attraction? I used to be negative too. I'm not as good at being positive as I should be, but I'm no longer a negative person. I know some folks find these teachings and beliefs kooky silliness, but they changed my life, maybe even saved my life. I was extremely depressed. Religion didn't help me. Therapy didn't help me at that time (though I do believe in it so long as you find the right therapist). I didn't want to take antidepressants either. Understanding being positive beyond the basic, dismissive way some people push transformed me. 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

And you can't get there if you give up. 

Truer words were never spoken. (typed?)

[RealHousewife]

2 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Thank you and everyone else above for all your suggestions.  They are very much appreciated.

I have tried and am trying many things.

I understand what you are saying.  IMO, I don't think it matters how you get to your happy place, as long as you get to your happy place.  Not everyone who travels the same path will get there.  Sometimes the "baggage" people carry won't allow it.   And everyone's "baggage" is different.  If one path doesn't work, try another.   Some people travel a path and find their happy place, others who travel the same or a similar path won't.  "Baggage" or not, we aren't all "wired" the same.  Some need to find their own way, their own route.  Some never get there.  It is a process.   And you can't get there if you give up.  And as always (and I really have a real difficult time with this) you can't move forward if you are always looking backward.   The past isn't going to change, all you can do is learn from it.

It is awesome that you are no longer a negative person.  That is truly awesome. 

No problem, just wish I could come up with the right suggestion for you.

It's great that you're open to trying different things and don't give up! I totally get what you're saying and agree. I hope you find what works for you, because I get that we don't all have the same path. If the Bible or something that didn't work for me helps another person, I'm 100% for it.

[Hangin Out]

On 1/18/2021 at 5:18 PM, Growsonwalls said:

I'm really sick of food shaming too. I feel like it began with Gwyneth Paltrow and her website. All of a sudden eating healthy was no longer enough. You also had to eat "trendy" -- detox, juices, keto, gluten-free, macrobiotic, plant-based, blah blah blah. I think I've lost track of all the food wellness fads.

My Father ate bacon & eggs everyday, butter, meat with fat on it, sour cream .. smoked Camels, etc.  He died at 95 when he fell and hit his head.  All these people that preach and write books make me sick.  They are making money.  Gwyneth is probably eating cheeseburgers, drinking and smoking on the sly.

[Browncoat]

Lighthearted, petty pet peeve -- when all the radio stations I cycle through on my 45-minute commute go to commercials at the same time.  And those commercial breaks are loooooooong!

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Lighthearted, petty pet peeve -- when all the radio stations I cycle through on my 45-minute commute go to commercials at the same time.  And those commercial breaks are loooooooong!

YES! I hate this, too. 

[WinnieWinkle]

My radio related pet peeve is I enjoy our local "oldies" station a lot but every day,  every single day, they play Seasons in the Sun.  I've always loathed that song and it is not growing on me.  At all.  I totally get the idea that the stations have to play a certain percentage of Canadian music but c'mon people surely there are enough Canadian artists out there so we don't need to hear Seasons in the Sun (the true Debbie Downer of songs) every single day?

[Quof]

Could be worse, you could have to listen to Sarah McLachlan sing about how she will remember you....

[Callietwo]

My music pet peeve is that I pay good money for SirrusXM, I don't think they should be running so many dang commercials. 

One reason I keep my pandora account:  for 4.23 a month, I can listen to all the commercial free music I like and after almost a decade, I've pretty much eliminated all the songs I hate and only hear what I like.  And I can listen to "Secret Garden Radio" at night when I'm trying to sleep without some commercial blaring & waking me up.  

[Moose135]

3 hours ago, Callietwo said:

My music pet peeve is that I pay good money for SirrusXM, I don't think they should be running so many dang commercials. 

What are you listening to? I don't get any commercials on music channels on SiriusXM.

[Callietwo]

16 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

What are you listening to? I don't get any commercials on music channels on SiriusXM.

I listen mostly to sports talk radio:  NFL radio, Fox Sports, ESPN, ESPN xtra, Mad Dog Sports, Barstool Sports.  For music channels, I have  Dave Matthews Radio, Pearl Jam, Real Jazz, Pop Rocks, Lithium, The Coffee Blend and the Pulse with the remainder of my 18 presets being local regular broadcast channels.  

I get commercials for Tommy John underwear, The General life insurance policies,  brain support type supplements like neuriva and focus factor, the men's shirt line called UntuckIt.   Add in all the former athletes hawking their shit and the ads for their other channels just off the top of my head.  

I know sports radio isn't really geared to someone like me (61 y/o  woman) but I'm not a total anomaly either.  

I also have a vehicle with a large display that also scrolls the name of and the 1-800 numbers associated with these ads. 

Thank goodness for steering wheel controls.  

 

[JTMacc99]

12 hours ago, Quof said:

Could be worse, you could have to listen to Sarah McLachlan sing about how she will remember you....

That freaking song… 

[emma675]

14 hours ago, Callietwo said:

My music pet peeve is that I pay good money for SirrusXM, I don't think they should be running so many dang commercials. 

That's why I gave up SiriusXM. If I'm paying to listen, I shouldn't be forced to listen to commercials. I can get that with free radio.

And good lord will they annoy you for months after you cancel the service. I got more snail mail from SiriusXM than I've gotten from any other company ever in the year after I quit. It's been two years and I will still get one from time to time. 

[theredhead77]

I had Sirius for a year and just cancelled it. Their lowest rate which you can get if you're persistent is $4.99/mo or $70ish for a year.

[Quof]

I have been on hold with Amazon for 36 minutes.   I have resolved the problem, after must digging on my part to find another way to contact them, but because I am so pissed off I am going to remain on hold until someone actually picks up, just to see how long it takes them.

[GHScorpiosRule]

22 minutes ago, Quof said:

I have been on hold with Amazon for 36 minutes.   I have resolved the problem, after must digging on my part to find another way to contact them, but because I am so pissed off I am going to remain on hold until someone actually picks up, just to see how long it takes them.

Wow.

I always go to their website until I get to the option to get them to call me!

[SoMuchTV]

Pet peeve now is calling someone a "Karen".  Just in the last few minutes I've read multiple posts doing that.  I'm not actually named Karen but I well could have been.  I know other names have taken on unfavorable characteristics (Chatty Cathy, Gladys Kravitz...) but those are very specific and I don't feel like they would bother all Cathys or Gladyses the way "Karen" would.  Isn't it time to retire it?

Or maybe fair's fair, and that's how men with a common nickname for Richard feel all the time, and actual Karens just need to get used to it.

 

[JTMacc99]

15 hours ago, Callietwo said:

I listen mostly to sports talk radio:  NFL radio, Fox Sports, ESPN, ESPN xtra, Mad Dog Sports, Barstool Sports.  For music channels, I have  Dave Matthews Radio, Pearl Jam, Real Jazz, Pop Rocks, Lithium, The Coffee Blend and the Pulse with the remainder of my 18 presets being local regular broadcast channels.  

I get commercials for Tommy John underwear, The General life insurance policies,  brain support type supplements like neuriva and focus factor, the men's shirt line called UntuckIt.   Add in all the former athletes hawking their shit and the ads for their other channels just off the top of my head.  

Since I got sent to work from home in mid-November, when I'm not listening to music (mostly Spotify) I have Sirius NFL Radio on as background noise all the time. Love the hosts, love that it's national as opposed to listening to the local NYC sports talk stations, and I find football to be by far the most interesting sport to dissect in excruciating detail.

But wow, I'm with you when it comes to hearing the same commercials over and over again. I don't mind the Progressive ads; they're usually clever and they mix them up.  I kind of love the one where the self proclaimed world's number one sales trainer spouts off a whole bunch of stats to prove his point. I'm neutral on most of the others like TJ underwear, Dell, Quickbooks, Untuckit, and so on.

On the other hand, the guy who says Navage (Nasal Irrigation system) as Navaaaaageee needs to shut the hell up. And lord help me, if I ever run into the person who came up with that Kars for Kids jingle, I'm going to figure out a way to rig his or her phone to play Mambo #5 every time it gets a text or phone call for eternity.

[JTMacc99]

20 hours ago, Callietwo said:

My music pet peeve is that I pay good money for SiriusXM, I don't think they should be running so many dang commercials. 

One reason I keep my pandora account:  for 4.23 a month, I can listen to all the commercial free music I like and after almost a decade, I've pretty much eliminated all the songs I hate and only hear what I like.  And I can listen to "Secret Garden Radio" at night when I'm trying to sleep without some commercial blaring & waking me up.  

So I got curious and looked up how these companies make their money (which was easy, as SiriusXM and Pandora are part of the same company, so I only had to look at one 10-K.)

SiriusXM only generates a little more than 3% of it's total revenue from Advertising. Given the number of commercials I hear, I would have thought it would be more. They need to charge more for ads. The vast majority of their revenue comes from subscriptions.

Pandora, on the other hand, is 30% subscriptions and 70% advertising.  And I agree with you, it's a good thing to pay for Pandora or Spotify.

 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Pet peeve now is calling someone a "Karen". 

I miss when everyone got their situation-specific nickname, like Permit Patty and Barbecue Becky.  And can we please get back to calling out the Jogger Joes of the world, too, instead of just women?

[peacheslatour]

32 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I miss when everyone got their situation-specific nickname, like Permit Patty and Barbecue Becky.  And can we please get back to calling out the Jogger Joes of the world, too, instead of just women?

Hear! Hear!

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I miss when everyone got their situation-specific nickname, like Permit Patty and Barbecue Becky.  And can we please get back to calling out the Jogger Joes of the world, too, instead of just women?

Oh, man, I don’t remember Jogger Joe.  I’m a little afraid to google it at this point. 

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Pet peeve now is calling someone a "Karen".  Just in the last few minutes I've read multiple posts doing that.  I'm not actually named Karen but I well could have been.  I know other names have taken on unfavorable characteristics (Chatty Cathy, Gladys Kravitz...) but those are very specific and I don't feel like they would bother all Cathys or Gladyses the way "Karen" would.  Isn't it time to retire it?

Or maybe fair's fair, and that's how men with a common nickname for Richard feel all the time, and actual Karens just need to get used to it.

 

Funny thing:  There were four Karens in my grade in high school and I'm 41.  Three out of four were Asian, as were 5/6 of the Jennifer/Jenny/Jens.  The Katherine variants were all white (might have been five in my grade), as were the Sarahs.  I went to a girls-only school.

[SoMuchTV]

16 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Funny thing:  There were four Karens in my grade in high school and I'm 41.  Three out of four were Asian, as were 5/6 of the Jennifer/Jenny/Jens.  The Katherine variants were all white (might have been five in my grade), as were the Sarahs.  I went to a girls-only school.

Lol. You’re about halfway between my age and my daughters’ ages, but Jenna/Emily/Lauren/Sara/ Rachel (and spelling variants) would have covered at least half their classmates, I think. Not a Karen to be seen, though, among the cohort born 25-30 years ago. 

[Brookside]

"Whelp." 

This needs to go away.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Brookside

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, Brookside said:

"Whelp." 

This needs to go away.

Let me add, "right?" used at the end of a sentence. Makes me grind my teeth.

[Browncoat]

12 hours ago, Brookside said:

"Whelp." 

This needs to go away.

Agreed, except in cases where a dog is having puppies.  🙂 

[RealHousewife]

Okay, hopefully I don't tick off any moms on here. I'll preface this by saying I was raised by a stay at home mom. I'd be open to being one myself depending on the circumstances. I know there are many people who seem to think raising kids and homemaking just sort of get themselves done. That's not cool, and I'm a feminist who thinks women can decide what's best for themselves and their families. There are many hardworking, intelligent, all-around lovely stay at home moms out there. My rant is NOT about them. I don't even judge childfree housewives. So long as you are nice person not hurting anyone, you do you. This is also not about stay at home moms who were pushed into staying home. 

My pet peeve-stay at home moms who brag all the time about how great they are, complain all the time about how busy they are, and also have this superiority complex to working moms, that they work harder at home and that they care about their kids more than women who work outside the home. (I'm not talking about the typical mom venting, because again, I know moms ARE busy, especially moms of multiple kids and/or little ones, and especially mothers of special needs children.) Rather than seeing themselves as fortunate to experience motherhood, have a family, and the means to stay at home, these SAHM moms want to complain and act like what they're doing is the most difficult work ever, that they're goddesses and no other woman has ever done it before. They act like they had kids in the first place because they were just so selfless and thought the world must be a better place with their kids in it. They often judge the childless as immature and selfish, never mind the fact oftentimes the childfree are actually more responsible, sometimes childfree not by choice, but due to fertility issues, etc. Then they act like women who go to an office have an all-day break where they relax at a computer or something. Sure, there are typically no babies, and jobs vary. I've worked both high and low stress jobs. My current one is low stress, but I know I'm lucky. Most employers want to get as much out of you as they can. So while you're not on-call for children, you do still usually have bosses, coworkers who can be competitive and all-around difficult, emails, phone calls, customers/clients, deadlines, meetings, quotas, superiors who are never happy no matter how high your production is, performance evaluations, sometimes learning something new every day, maybe even traveling, and so on. Unless you are a slacker, you do not typically chill. As a working mother, you'd have to juggle your children's appointments, events, quality time with them, as well as household work ALONG with an average of a 40+ hour work week. There is no bed nearby for mommy-baby nap time. You can't work in PJ's. You cannot cook or clean during the day. You're only fired from being mommy if you mess up pretty badly, but you can easily be fired at many jobs. Also, there are a lot of working moms who solely have jobs out of necessity so it's especially hurtful to them when they're judged for not being at home. Again, this is not SAHM moms in general, but I've known many like this. Who hasn't heard that being a mother itself is the hardest job on the planet? Difficult, yes. Hardest job? I don't think so. And especially not when you don't have the grind of a full-time job on top of it. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

23 hours ago, Bastet said:

I miss when everyone got their situation-specific nickname, like Permit Patty and Barbecue Becky.  And can we please get back to calling out the Jogger Joes of the world, too, instead of just women?

You mean like dickhead and miserable prick...or is that just in my head?

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

You mean like dickhead and miserable prick...or is that just in my head?

I've always been partial to rat bastard.

[WinnieWinkle]

42 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

My pet peeve-stay at home moms who brag all the time about how great they are, complain all the time about how busy they are, and also have this superiority complex to working moms, that they work harder at home and that they care about their kids more than women who work outside the home. (I'm not talking about the typical mom venting, because again, I know moms ARE busy, especially moms of multiple kids and/or little ones, and especially mothers of special needs children.) Rather than seeing themselves as fortunate to experience motherhood, have a family, and the means to stay at home, these SAHM moms want to complain and act like what they're doing is the most difficult work ever, that they're goddesses and no other woman has ever done it before. They act like they had kids in the first place because they were just so selfless and thought the world must be a better place with their kids in it.

What I've been getting peeved at for years - and it's way worse now in the pandemic times - are the Moms (and yes IME it's always Moms) who stay home and also homeschool.  The gloating when schools went virtual and suddenly parents HAD to essentially homechool was really hard to take!  Stay home, don't stay home if you're lucky enough to be in a position to choose then appreciate that don't make it a superiority contest!  The SAHM homeschooling Mom I know that really pushes my buttons is the one who constantly complains about how hard up they are because she chose to stay home but manages to always twist that into  a humblebrag about how no matter how much she has to suffer it's all for the kids. As opposed to every other parent on the planet who makes choices despite the kids I guess.  Ugh.  

[BookWoman56]

10 hours ago, WinnieWinkle said:

What I've been getting peeved at for years - and it's way worse now in the pandemic times - are the Moms (and yes IME it's always Moms) who stay home and also homeschool.  The gloating when schools went virtual and suddenly parents HAD to essentially homechool was really hard to take!  Stay home, don't stay home if you're lucky enough to be in a position to choose then appreciate that don't make it a superiority contest!  The SAHM homeschooling Mom I know that really pushes my buttons is the one who constantly complains about how hard up they are because she chose to stay home but manages to always twist that into  a humblebrag about how no matter how much she has to suffer it's all for the kids. As opposed to every other parent on the planet who makes choices despite the kids I guess.  Ugh.  

I have to wonder what that mom will whine about when the kids grow up and leave home. Being a full-time SAHM or SAHD can be a huge challenge, if the person is committed to being a good parent. Being a child-free person who is in the workplace can also be a major challenge. Being a parent who has paid employment isn’t easy either. But what I am tired of is the smug self-righteousness  that so many people exhibit when they act as if their specific choice is somehow morally superior to choices others have made. Why is it so difficult to understand that people make these decisions based on their situations and needs/preferences? It’s not a “one size fits all” decision regarding how you manage your life. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by BookWoman56

[MargeGunderson]

11 minutes ago, BookWoman56 said:

I have to wonder what that mom will whine about when the kids grow up and leave home. Being a full-time SAHM or SAHD can be a huge challenge, if the person is committed to being a good parent. Being a child-free person who is in the workplace can also be a major challenge. Being a parent who has paid employment isn’t easy either. But what I am tired of is the smug self-righteousness  that so many people exhibit when they act as if their specific choice is somehow morally superior than choices others have made. Why is it so difficult to understand that people make these decisions based on their situations and needs/preferences? It’s not a “one size fits all” decision regarding how you manage your life. 

My guess (based on some personal experience) is that the kids don’t call enough and don’t make the life choices the mom thinks they should. This of course is a highly anecdotal evidence 😉