To find small children slightly repulsive

I'm not at all confident with babies and they sense it I think. I dread being handed one to hold I'm afraid. They always start screaming and doing that weird squirming and striving thing ( don't know how else to describe it) with their limbs.

I always hope the nappy is strapped on firmly. I know it's awful to say but it does feel slightly repellent to me.

I love puppies and kittens and have no issues with them at all, but would have been a terrible mother!

The prevalence of misophonia on Mumsnet is astounding. I know of exactly 1 person in real life who has it. Self-diagnosed and it comes and goes depending on the day.

I find it quite pathetic when adults struggle to cope with seeing normal bodily functions.

Humans are animals, we shit, piss, dribble and smell. The food smeared all over that childs face is no different from the food you swallow, the shit on their arse is the same shit on mine. Some smells can be unpleasant but as an adult I've learnt to deal with unpleasant things.

Are you looking for validation of your intolerance or making some profound point missed by the rest of us that children can be messy and do some unhygienic things.
Children aren't vile. If you are not their parent you can excuse yourself from their company. Plenty of adults are as messy and unhygienic and plenty will and do need help with bodily functions at different stages. Highly likely you will too, OP.

Children can have utterly delightful personalities and still make all sorts of revolting noises while eating.

I'm with you OP. I hated meal times when mine were little.

If I was watching a stranger’s child eat like this I’d be wanting to puke. But I’d hope a grandchild I could tolerate, like I did my own.

I do think that by four, it's reasonable to expect a child to have reasonable table manners and not make unpleasant noises whilst eating and drinking.

It's not that they are unwashed it's a bit like a dog, everybody knows when you have one and can tell when they come to your house before they ever see it hear the dog. Sometimes you can smell it on people's clothes like a sickly kinda funk. I suppose you go nose blind to it after a while.

Adults can be worse imo maybe she feels the same?

Children can display irritating mannerisms, so we help them to do better. I hate sloppy eating, dirty faces etc icky, but find you saying children are repulsive, more repulsive than what you describe.

@Anotherparkingthread where are you finding these children that stink 😢? I think you should refer them for additional support or just choose cleaner company. Crikey 😬

I agree with you

It's not necessarily generational. We seem to have extremely low expectations of children and then wonder why they don't suddenly start behaving well.
A 3-4 year old is more than capable of sitting at a table, ( yes i do know some don't have tables, even more reason to work on it!)using a childs knife, fork and spoon, and eating with their mouth closed. Cut up difficult foods for them to manage and learn. Not talking with food in mouth. Remove if they play around until they are ready to eat properly. They stay in seat until everyone has finished. With the exception of disability it should be taught before school age.

I remember having to run to the loos to be sick at around 8 years old (50 yrs ago) when I had to sit opposite a boy who ate in a revolting way. I refused to sit opposite him again and was vocal as to why!

Adults are worse - many smelling of urine, faeces, stale alcohol, cigarettes. I found that more offensive to my senses than a young child eating and still learning the ropes.

I used to find it unpleasant when there was a child whose parent never wiped their nose so there was always thick snot.

I have misophonia and a 22 old , I love hearing him eat, even noisily, because most of the time he won't eat all, so I'm just thankful if he's eating!

some of these responses 😂 kids can be a bit gross but they are still learning (though the only thing that really gives me the heebies is bogies though that’s on adults and children I don’t know why but it’s just a 🤢 for me). Think of where your mouth has been and I’m sure she will seem a lot less gross 😂😂

should have stuck to the normal “I hate dogs they are everywhere and it’s ruining my life” or “my husband was at tesco for 3 minutes longer than usual this week, he’s having an affair isn’t he” OP and you would have had all the support MN has to offer 😂

You're all right OP. To me, your post came across as ' is it only me?' Perfectly reasonable thing to chat about, imo.

I just used to think that it was very funny when a good portion of my toddlers' food went around their faces, into their hair, on to the floor - although I quickly learned to have something under their high chairs when they were eating. My main concern at feeding time was to make sure that they actually got enough food into their tummies, so I often made a bit extra than I normally would give a toddler to eat, to make up for the short fall!

I now find my Grandchildrens eating habits just as much fun as my children's was, actually probably more so really, as I don't have to clean up their mess :) By the way, all of my adult children are now fine with their eating habits.

However, I can't stand the sound of my husband eating, he is so damned noisy, which is probably because he doesn't close his mouth when he eats, and he slurps, burps, and passes wind... :( I try and have the TV on when it is just the two of eating - which is most of the time.

Unfortunately, I am now the old lady that so many of you are worried about turning into! I am very disabled, and that same husband that I talked about above, is my sole carer (he is even older than me, but still just about copes with me at the monent). He has to wipe my bum for me, empty my commode, shop, prepare and cook nearly all of our meals, I really am dependant on him for nearly everything. Luckily I don't dribble yet, but I quite often have coughing fits because a little food has gone down the wrong way, and whenever I am physically sick, he is the one that has to deal with it.

But I am in no hurry to have that pillow put over my face, the one that a pp claimed they would want if they were a "moist gran", but I suppose my poor husband might privately wish he could do the honours with it....🤭

Being a dickhead is not a diagnosable disorder.
Can't stand the noise a child makes eating = dickhead.
Can't tell children apart from other children = dickhead.

YANBU. I hate watching kids eat, it's gross.

But you posted a blanket statement about young children being repulsive🤔