Vipers' nest? Come counter our hissy rep with your stories of Mumsnet Niceness

Maryz thread in teenagers, it lets you know that we are not alone and that we havent been bad parents because our dcs make the wrong decisions sometimes.

MN is there for the toughest times in a parents life, from conception to death. It is a constant which will hug you, cry with you, laugh with you and most importantly be honest with you whether you want to hear it or not. Day or night, MN will never let you down. It has, quite honestly, helped me to trust in people again.

In the last week or so, two different posters have said that their husbands had chest pain and were refusing medical help. In both cases the OPs were advised (i.e. told!) to call 999. IIRC one of the men had had a heart attack and received treatment, and the other had pneumonia.

Ongoing support for posters in hospital who are bored / scared / desperate.

Ongoing support for a MNer whose relative was stabbed (he's on the way to recovery :)).

Helping one woman (that I know of) leave a hideous relationship in which she was abused daily. She posted in relationships and it went from there - she was helped physically, emotionally and financially to leave this horrible man.

The support I've received when life feels really shit in the middle of the night and there's no-one I can talk to in real life.

Long running threads to help MNers with alcohol problems, toxic parents and emotionally abusive relationships.

Useful links from posters in the relationship section.

Hands held during particularly scary and awful moments. Hugs given for bereavements, PND or crappy days.

And the laughter, obviously. :)

"Our generation is the first that has had such an enormous resource (the web) to draw on for support and knowledge and company and I think MN exemplifies the use of this at it's very best."

i really agree with what you said there, Orwellyan.

All the 'big' ones mentioned here, but also the way in which you can ask for help on anything, and people will kindly give their opinion/experience/views.

Recently, I've pondered about what new phone to buy, and got loads of helpful replies. I've dipped a toe into the world of Ebay-ing, and had a gazillion questions, all of which had probably been answered before, all of which people took the time to help me with.

Mn has brought me some wonderful RL friends.

Mn has brought me a sense of connection with others that is amazing and astonishing.

Mn has brought me an enormous sense of pride that women could have created, and still be creating, such an astonishing, powerful, and novel form of communication and community in this modern age.

I think that last one goes some way to explaining the quite bewildering animosity that is directed at us at the moment. It frightens me. And anger me.

I think mn is amazing. Truly amazing. My personal belief is that it marks a real potential power-shift in terms of gender relations and in terms of communication forms (and that such a communication shift might have women at the front of it is soooo cool ... I get v. excited about that!).

I am constantly astonished by the kindness, sense and wisdom that is shown on mn. The fact that that is being silenced by propaganda emphasising a supposed negative side ... very worrying. Whose interests does that serve?

Anyway ... other lovely things ....

I love Secret Santa, and Woolly Hugs, and the many small acts of kindness. But for my money the ultimate thing about mn is that it allows women to share words, when words are needed, when words are the most important things you could have, when the giving and taking of words is as necessary as breath. And also it allows us to share the words that describe and make our lives: funny; horrible; banal; amazing; sublime; inept, deft.

I luuuuurrrve mn.

Jiggles?? Niggles, by which I mean occasional narkiness...

Can't find the thread, but the op had an ectopic pregnancy and didn't realise it, and mn posters convinced her to get to hospital, which probably saved her bacon. There have been so many like this over the years. But it's not just the bigger 'media worthy' stories that make MN so special. It's the FACT that every single day on here someone reaches out and others rise to the occasion and provide support, advice, humour and insight that make a hard situation manageable. Our generation is the first that has had such an enormous resource (the web) to draw on for support and knowledge and company and I think MN exemplifies the use of this at it's very best. In RL the sense of community has been lost in so many ways and I see a genuine sense of community on here which is available to anyone with the ability to see past the jiggles (which you have to do in RL too right? We live on earth, not in some fairy dreamland where everyone is always saccharine to one another)
The naysayers can't have been on here very long if they have missed this, and must mostly have visited AIBU... Because you can't help but stumble on it everywhere you turn on other threads.

If it wasn't for MN I wouldn't have met some wonderful people who have become very dear friends.

We all live around the world but they have always been there for me no matter how small or big a problem.

If it wasn't for MN and MardyBra I wouldn't have these wonderful ladies in my life so a massive from me.

That whenever anyone posts a "Please help", there are 5-10 practically instant "here for you" responses, even in the middle of the night.

All the Bereavement threads, of course, MiasMummy being just one example.

Sanity and kindness from HQ.

I have got masses personally from MN support, laughs and watching the occasional bunfight (as long as the bun's are soft) but it is the way HQ deals with everything, modelling the best kind of parent, which I most appreciate. You make it as safe as possible without being overprotective.

If someone is unwell and being unpleasant you appear to deal with it as kindly and fairly as possible.

I have no idea of the context but I saw someone getting unbanned when their child was ill. I've seen nasty attacks dealt with quickly and lots of humour and gentle reminders of the guidelines.

There are quieter and kinder areas for sensitive discussion and huge robust bouncy castles for letting off steam.

Oh dear, getting teary now, whatever next. Might need a tissue box emoticon xx

It was neithershreddednorsmug who helped me with ds4's bday present after i mentioned it on the running thread.

aargh the link doesn't work.... But why! I have it in my history....

A lovely mnetter, helped me sort out ds4's bday present. A very specific captain america costume that i coukdnt get in his size in the uk. She got it in america, brought it back and posted it to me.

A bunch of us are all on the woolly hugs running thread supporting each other as we attempt to train and get fit for various sponsored runs. I am running in may with a few others and until 10wka ago.had nevrr run in my life, the general chat and cajouling on our running thread is fabulous.

Just the general kindness and humour I think.
The fact that people want to help.
Some MNers are experts on their filed and give their advice for free on a regular basis.
I think AIBU has really badly affected the public perception of MN is and I can see why.
If you only checked out that particular board it would terrify you! :)

helen there's an awesome post from AIBU that's quite recent, and just lovely

www.mumsnet.com/.../1728550-WIBU-to-give-money-anonymously

That one had me booing instantly. Not Just the OP but the responses too

Oh, forgot. The amount of people who will offer help/money/clothes/whatever to a poster in need, even if some people are calling troll or scam. They may be right but the offers of help are what defines MN.

A MNetter talked me through sorting out a sod of a problem at work when they were trying to revoke my flexible working agreement. It would have caused chaos for me. She even wrote me emails to send to personnel and they backed off.

A MNetter in Ireland sent me Irish chocolate because I was desperately in need of some.

A few MNetters have done the Argos run for me when items are out of stock near me.

MNetters talked me into going to the GP when my first round of PND hit and gave me advice on how to approach the subject.

MNetters have answered most every damn fool question that I've had over the last 6 years from stolen sideboards to oven cleaning and a lost sausage.

It's fashionable to slate us but there is no better place for online support and, sometimes, the only support available to someone. The naysayers need to dig deeper, give AIBU a swerve and see what we're really made of.

That's the one Worra. You put it far more succinctly than me.

I've had nothing but support when I've posted. I am agoraphobic and have been having a hard time with it getting worse since I have been pregnant. I felt really awful about not being able to be a 'proper mum' to my DS. The responses were all lovely, giving advice and telling me their own experiences. It really helped.

The general kindness. There is a lot of that. When you are really down somebody will listen and will help.

I was very ill some years ago and someone sent me a DVD and scent. It was really cheering to get something like that from a stranger when I was bed bound for weeks.

After my first DC had PND. I couldn't see a way out and just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up.
A bunch of faceless strangers replied and chatted to me. Checking in day after day to see if I was ok. The kindness shown to me was incredible. I was and am humbled.

Wooly hugs makes me proud to be part of MN and keeps reminding me I need to learn to knit!

Classics is guaranteed to make me smile, that section was my life line when I was in the midst of AND and agoraphobia when expecting DD.

The thread I remember most wad
s the one Worra referred to. It was one of the first threads I read when I joined MN and it really moved me to see how total strangers probably turned that posters life around. There could have been such a different outcome without the kindness of MN also the whole support she received on the whole thread, not one negative comment. It still brings a lump to my throat now. Often wonder how she is now.

Woolly hugs, the ongoing support for Trazzletoes and her ds is phenomenal, my AnteNatal Lot Aprilites 2011, have hld my hand through some really shitty stuff and I've held theirs.