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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I have no interests or hobbies or passion,

115 replies

ifeelquiteboring · 25/05/2024 18:15

Hi

I have name changed for this because I'm quite embarrassed but as the title says. I literally have 0.

I like to exercise, I'm a mum of 1 but I don't do much other than work be a mum and that is it.

My partner keeps calling me boring because I can't hold a conversation or bring many conversations to the table and asks me what I enjoy or what I find interesting.

I want to find new things find new loves find something that interests me but have no clue where to start.

Is anyone else like this or has anyone been in this position and pulled themselves out? Some how?

I know it's not an AIBU but I don't know where to put it! I feel like I have no substance Part from being good at my job and amazing at being a mother.

OP posts:
Caroparo52 · 26/05/2024 12:48

You are an amazing mother and keep the house and marriage together. That's a huge amount...
Could you put on the news or BBC iplayer current affairs (whilst multitasking) to get up to date on the news... that's a start

Pkompel · 26/05/2024 12:19

Don't care much about comments from your partner if there is no support to give you the space to try something new. Raising a child until they reach secondary school age is a job in itself and you have a day job too.
I am the primary earner in my family and spent all waking hours being a mum, planning long term finances, house chores, looking after parents and growing in my career. Now that my daughter is 13+ I have taken up Karate, archery and volunteering with girl guiding in the last 2 years. I feel fit, renewed and making new friendships too. Enjoy the early years of your little one...

KimberleyClark · 26/05/2024 12:16

I have developed a passion for history podcasts as well as podcasts about the supernatural and unexplained.

MattDamon · 26/05/2024 12:16

Second learning a language. Download Duolingo.

It's only a couple minutes a day but you'll feel like you're achieving something and it may spark further interests.

JohnofWessex · 26/05/2024 12:08

Join your local Model Railway or Model Engineering club

DanielGault · 26/05/2024 12:08

ThereAreNoSloesOnThere · 26/05/2024 12:00

I follow the Daily Connoisseur on youtube and she talks about this. I've been following her since her blog 18-ish years ago. I also LOVE food youtube vlogs.

Will look that up, thank you!

DanielGault · 26/05/2024 12:07

OttoandHoney · 26/05/2024 11:58

@DanielGault lol exactly why I don’t talk about it! It’s not so much that I would actually put it into practice but I find it interesting. How to carry yourself , being kind, well spoken etc etc. being feminine and classy means different things to different people.

You carry yourself however the hell you want fgs! Be a dick, don't be a dick, none of that has anything to do with feminism. Feminity is power. It's nothing to do with ridiculous preconceptions about how we should daintily behave ourselves!

OttoandHoney · 26/05/2024 12:04

@ThereAreNoSloesOnThere I follow that one too! Also Jamila Musayeva and the feminine universe to name 2 (but follow many more). Love food and health podcasts.

ThereAreNoSloesOnThere · 26/05/2024 12:00

OttoandHoney · 26/05/2024 11:58

@DanielGault lol exactly why I don’t talk about it! It’s not so much that I would actually put it into practice but I find it interesting. How to carry yourself , being kind, well spoken etc etc. being feminine and classy means different things to different people.

I follow the Daily Connoisseur on youtube and she talks about this. I've been following her since her blog 18-ish years ago. I also LOVE food youtube vlogs.

OttoandHoney · 26/05/2024 11:58

@DanielGault lol exactly why I don’t talk about it! It’s not so much that I would actually put it into practice but I find it interesting. How to carry yourself , being kind, well spoken etc etc. being feminine and classy means different things to different people.

DanielGault · 26/05/2024 11:46

OttoandHoney · 26/05/2024 11:43

I feel like I have no interests either! I do like health and wellness and obsessed with learning about elegance/ femininity which I do on YouTube via following a few people who practice this and give tips. I’m also gender critical and read up in the trans debate and how it impacts women. I feel like both of these interests are either boring or controversial to some people so nobody knows about them. Could you get a pet? When I had Guinea pigs I spent ages reading up on them joined forums etc on how to look after them.

Learn about elegance and femininity? WTAF? NEWSFLASH - you don't learn your femininity, you ARE your femininity!

OttoandHoney · 26/05/2024 11:43

I feel like I have no interests either! I do like health and wellness and obsessed with learning about elegance/ femininity which I do on YouTube via following a few people who practice this and give tips. I’m also gender critical and read up in the trans debate and how it impacts women. I feel like both of these interests are either boring or controversial to some people so nobody knows about them. Could you get a pet? When I had Guinea pigs I spent ages reading up on them joined forums etc on how to look after them.

curiouslycoy · 26/05/2024 11:35

DS is 20 months, I'm pregnant, work 5 days. I have very little to talk about with anyone. I'm mentally and physically exhausted by juggling so much, mainly the latest virus DS brings home and lack of sleep.

Prior to motherhood I had plenty to say and loved going out and socialising, loved long walks, finding a new soft skill to develop but I don't have any inclnation right now.

Survival mode is real in your child rearing years. DH and me are parenting, working or also on our phones and that's fine rn.

Also is your relationship keeping you mentally stimulated? Your partner seems to think you have nothing to offer conversationally, what about your thoughts on him?

Upthejunctionandroundthebend · 26/05/2024 11:33

When walking with your child in the woods you could record birdsong on birdnet app and identify it, take photos of plants, flowers, mushrooms etc an identify via apps or Google lens. If we think of anything when out, I will google it when I get home and follow it up a bit, I like the random knowledge it gives me. I enjoy subject based history e.g.
History of medicine, or cooking, love the Gregg Wallace factory series for this, it leads me down rabbit holes of info.
It might be a start!

PaminaMozart · 26/05/2024 11:28

“Every night I look up the English language newspaper of another country. Just to see what's going on”

thats actually a brilliant idea!!

HereComesEverybody · 26/05/2024 11:26

I have friends in all age ranges from 30s - 70+ & we connect on shared ideas/ thoughts & ages simply doesn't come into it

HereComesEverybody · 26/05/2024 11:25

I don't think it actually matters a jot what you're interested in but for me curiosity about the world is incredibly attractive.

I love meeting someone who is lively minded & interested.

Personally I've spent my life reading avidly & I've done several online courses & travelled to literary seminars/ events on areas of literature I'm particularly interested in & have met several like minded people along the way.

I work in the arts (not literature) & feel enormously enriched by the conversations about ideas I have on a daily basis with artists & colleagues.

I travel a lot & love history & regularly go to places I've read about either in history or literary texts - simply because I want to see / feel them..

I go to the cinema v regularly & love good films. I'm a member of my city's film festival.

I go to galleries & museums v often

I love the theatre too & have recently become interested in opera.

I do crosswords & word games on my phone. I adore language..

I meet friends & make time for that & I cook a lot. Sometimes just for us & often for friends & family.

Life is short & I love squeezing as much out of it as I can. We have always prioritised experiences over possessions as a family.

I'm in my 50s now & dcs are late teens so I appreciate you're in a different place.

When mine were small I used nap time to read everything I could get my hands on. We also travelled a lot with small children & it was fabulous experiencing places through a totally different lens - handing out in parks with local families etc

For what it's worth I would find your husbands interests wildly boring.....

DanielGault · 26/05/2024 10:57

ThereAreNoSloesOnThere · 26/05/2024 08:55

And I have to say- being 'interested' in aliens and pdiddy...... I hope there is more to him than that because he sounds both rude and a crashing bore. And a pretty inept father and partner if he leaves it all to you and criticises you to boot.

Totally agree, if that's what he selling himself on I'm morto for him altogether 😂😂😂

AnthuriumCrystallinum · 26/05/2024 10:39

In addition to everything else that's been said, there are gendered differences in what is considered a hobby or interest.

There is a tendency to define what a hobby is around stereotypically male interests. Men think women don't have hobbies and interests because we don't share their hobbies and interests. Why is an interest in following groups of men who you've never met playing football any more worthy than an interest in hair styling, make up, nail art, house plants, fanfiction etc? Why is spending hours researching crypto currencies more valid than hours spent researching child development? Why is spending thousands of pounds building a bike that is vastly over-specified for your needs an acceptable use of time and money, but collecting designer handbags (which hold their value better than bikes) not?

I don't own a proper handbag and the last time I painted my nails was 2012, but it does annoy me that these interests are automatically ranked lower than some bloke's time spent building his fantasy football team.

Lacky301 · 26/05/2024 10:30

Your doing okay your a good parent, good at your job and you exercise or are you not happy or bored etc.

Sparrowball · 26/05/2024 10:19

RobertaFirmino · 25/05/2024 21:47

How the hell can someone whose interests are sleb gossip and woo have the bare faced cheek to call someone 'boring'?

This.
No way would I let someone who considers aliens and following the Pdiddy scandal to be hobbies call me boring. He sounds like a teenager.

bomi · 26/05/2024 09:56

I am EXACTLY the same.

I'm 34 and I've never had a hobby.
The same as you, I wouldn't know where to begin. Anything I've tried (not very much), I just can't be bothered/it feels like an effort rather than something I look forward to.

My partner has lots of hobbies. He hasn't outright called me boring, but he has mentioned me getting a hobby etc. I also don't feel like I can bring much to a conversation.

I don't really care any more to be honest. It is what it is. I'm probably not going to change, but it would be lovely to feel like I'm a bit more interesting!

Compash · 26/05/2024 09:56

AstralSpace · 26/05/2024 09:44

I have a feeling that your dp thinks you're boring because you're not fascinated when he speaks.

I was just coming on to say something like this - you're holding the household together, and he's p'd off that you aren't interested in his Specialist Subject: The Life and Times of P Diddy?

What chores is he prepared to pick up to give you more time to pursue a hobby?

AnthuriumCrystallinum · 26/05/2024 09:52

Yes, you are not the problem here. How dare he watch you juggle FT work, parenting and (I'm guessing) keeping the household running then accuse you of being dull. The audacity.

That said, if you are looking for new interests that fit around your schedule I can recommend learning a language (Duolingo is a good starting point).

playdead · 26/05/2024 09:45

Brexile · 25/05/2024 18:31

Let him look after the DC while you take up a new hobby!

This!! You have a full time job and a 2 year old. Let him try to look after a 2 year old and probably 90% of housework and see how many hobbies he can have.

Give yourself a break OP.