Things on MN that aren’t real life (LIGHTHEARTED)

[Summersun2020]

Thing on Mumsnet that you’ve only ever encountered on Mumsnet (lighthearted...please don’t bowl in with “well I do that actually”...ignore or add one of your own!!

People not using fabric softener...appears that on MN people in their droves think it stinks and is devil juice (I don’t know anyone IRL who is so vehemently against it/gets a migraine from the smell?? Surely it’s not that strong?).

any sort of noise in your garden at any time-kids on a trampoline, playing a radio at a normal level, etc. Completely normal everywhere I’ve ever lived- a cardinal sin on MN!

@Triffid1

Making a few quick phone calls and filling in a few online forms really doesn’t fill under time consuming.

Someone should fill my mortgage broker in on this. I keep having to track down new, additional pieces of information that are not, in fact, close to hand. It's incredibly annoying and distracting when I'm trying to work!! [And yes, it has made me seriously consider a new mortgage broker]

That sounds more like an incompetent broker.

My mortgage was a bit awkward for several reasons, but I was able to hand everything over to my broker with minimal fuss and very minimal time from me.

Making a few quick phone calls and filling in a few online forms really doesn’t fill under time consuming.

someone doesn't deal with more than one child in more than one school...

There have been times when I've felt the life admin stuff getting overwhelming (two DCs at different schools, one with fairly severe SENs both with a lot of hobbies). Sometimes the tide of forms, emails, payments, obtaining bits of kit, juggling calendar, arranging lift shares etc on top of the huge amounts of SEN related admin meant I never seemed to get on top of the to do list. Its gradually got easier as more and more is online and they've got older and streamlined their hobbies. But I am sympathetic to anyone who struggles with it.

@redcandlelight

Making a few quick phone calls and filling in a few online forms really doesn’t fill under time consuming.

someone doesn't deal with more than one child in more than one school...

Agreed

I wish I could make quick phone calls. Most places have you on hold for ages. Hard to fit into a lunch break

someone doesn't deal with more than one child in more than one school...

I was thinking that... and someone doesn't organise the social life, the holidays, the family life, the clubs, the bills, the appointments, the food shops, the car and house maintenance, tax, budget either.

I have 2 children and at one point they were in 2 different schools. I didn't get that many forms to fill in at all and the ones that did come home usually only took a few minutes to do.

Ds has a few appointments for different things on top of all of our usual ones and they don't require hours of phone calls and lots of organising. At the end of one we're normally given the date of the next one and that's it. Even when he was being assessed and we had all the questionnaires to fill in it wasn't a massive chore. We sat for 20 mins one evening and went through it and then another 20 mins meeting with school before seeing the paediatrician.

We're skint so can't afford for our children to do loads of clubs and hobbies etc and even if we could I wouldn't be willing to fill every evening with them and as soon as they're old enough they'd be making their own way there and back rather than me having to taxi them about.

That's another way in which I'm not a stereotypical mnetter: I don't make lots of work for myself and then complain about it.

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer

someone doesn't deal with more than one child in more than one school...

I was thinking that... and someone doesn't organise the social life, the holidays, the family life, the clubs, the bills, the appointments, the food shops, the car and house maintenance, tax, budget either.

My son is adopted, so until fairly recently it meant keep up to date with various things related to that, there were also various health investigations, so there were sometimes the odd appointment to book.

I’m not sure who else would be organising my social life (obviously nonexistent right now), holidays, my son, his clubs, my clubs, bills, food, my car, flat maintenance or budget apart from me.

If you are, you cannot pretend it's not time consuming.

You write it in such a way you make it sound like it's a burden for your partner, because someone surely has to do it!

It's anecdotal of course, but I don't know one person who didn't find the whole adoption process very heavy.

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer

If you are, you cannot pretend it's not time consuming.

You write it in such a way you make it sound like it's a burden for your partner, because someone surely has to do it!

It's anecdotal of course, but I don't know one person who didn't find the whole adoption process very heavy.

Why would my partner be doing any ‘admin’ for a flat that isn’t his or for a child that isn’t his?

The process is heavy for most, but mine was very different and more of a formality due to the type of adoption.

MN is somewhere that people answer the question that they want to be asked, rather than the one that was actually asked. So someone comes along and says "I'm think about buying some books for my Reception aged child to help them along with their reading. Can anyone recommend a series of books?" Answer: "You shouldn't buy any books. Go to the library and explore a love of books and reading". Now, going to the library is a good thing to do (not possible right now) but it isn't what the original poster asked.

You cannot leave your child at a birthday party unsupervised till they're at least 14. Its tantamount to neglect if you and your DH don't stay in the church hall and watch your child at all times in case they cry, fall or god forbid have fun without you present. I mean the child's parents could be anyone, I can't trust them to invite my child and then watch they're not kidnapped by the animal man...