Things you thought were normal/harmless until joining mumsnet

[Antsinyourpanta]

(Lighthearted )
lots of things that I thought were quite normal /fine/harmless before I joined MM seem to be quite abhorrent to a large percentage of posters. I often find myself wondering about whether my perceived normal is actually the minority. Some examples

Home made food or cakes - I bloody love home made cakes and think they are always nicer than shop bought - my first thoughts when offered one is usually yum, a cake! I've never given a moments thought to whether the person owns cats or dogs or has a hygeine certificate.

Ensuite bathrooms - I've got an ensuite bathroom. It's used for any instance where you may need a toilet. Apparently this is very very wrong.

Eating carbs

Bayliss and Harding toiletries - I would not be offended by this as a gift unless it was from my husband

(I'm with you on Thorntons though - they are nasty)

Answering the door to someone - if I see ex criminals selling stuff door to door, I dont answer, otherwise I dont have a problem with answering the door, and i get on with all of my neighbours.

Speaking to and socialising with work colleagues - i speak to, socialise (outside of work) and am friends with most of my work colleagues. I'd count many of them as friends. We buy each other birthday cards and presents and sometimes bring in cakes. (See point 1)

What are the things you've been educated on since joining MN?

@Confusedandshaken

Ive learned that all financial problems, no matter how dire, can be solved by selling things on eBay.

And taking in ironing

Ear piercings in children.
I always thought of my mum as fairly conservative and strict parent - turns out she was a completely irresponsible nutter for taking me to get my ears pierced when I asked her to at age 6 and someone should have called social services… 🤷‍♀️

Being nice to your children is tricky for fear of them being brandished with being entitled.

Enjoying step parenting is not the norm it seems.

Paying half fares for children when they're just a tiny bit older is a heinous crime.

[quote cricketmum84]@TheLovelinessOfDemons yes yes yes and YES!!!

I have a trans daughter. I stay away from those boards as I always end up down a rabbit hole of arguments and it depresses me to see how utterly intolerant other people can be.

I hope your sons lives are filled with happiness! [/quote]
Thanks. DS2 only announced it the other day, so things may still change. I know a 21 year old trans man on Twitter whose parents are definitely harassing him, and I find it horrific. That's your child. How could you?

Also: I've been on MN since about 2012 and I didn't get the memo about ensuites - what's wrong with them?

They are grim vile and disgusting and virtually the same as taking a shit in your bed. Your DH is bound to do a toxic poo before bed and pollute your bedroom for weeks.

One person was even offended by her DH brushing his teeth in there!

Any housing problem can be solved by moving somewhere cheaper.
Even if you have no advance rent money, deposit money or job in the new location, and you have 3 children attending school where they're happy.

So...what is an en suite actually for? Is it just a very expensive toiletry cupboard?

@Antsinyourpanta forgive me, I forgot the rules. I have now sacrificed the back of an envelope to the cause. Hope all is now clear 😇

@Byronic HAHAHAHAAA! Your stick figure is perfect!

@Byronic beautiful diagram

@Bluesheep8

The worst probably my attitude to dogs and animals generally- I think 'kill shelters' are sensible and also most animal charities are hugely overloaded with money.

Kill Shelters?

Appaling places where they exterminate stray critters who have had the misfortune to end up with no owner through no fault of their own. The animals are allowed a varying amount of time then... Perfectly healthy loving pets. so someone spends their working life ????

As opposed to no-kill shelters run by caring hardworking folk who move heaven and earth to rehome strays and pets left when folk die. Living saints.

I have seven cats ,all rescues.

@Byronic - love that diagram 😅

@Yesitsbess

So...what is an en suite actually for? Is it just a very expensive toiletry cupboard?

You keep toiletries in yours? How revolting - I feel sorry for your children etc etc

Mine is now entirely empty apart from a small occasional table and an endlessly circling RoboVac

Not getting 38 meals out of a small (must be) corn fed chicken.

@Sparklingbrook

This could turn into an unpopular opinions thread.

I don’t think I have been ‘educated’ by MN, more enlightened as to what things people believe to be normal that I don’t agree with.

Yep.

MN has been a real eye-opener to the way other people live their lives!

I think the most shocking one was to discover that some people don't believe in teaching their kids manners - why on earth not?!

I also don't understand the hatred for toilet brushes. I still have one, regardless of how the MN "hive mind" think. It's bleached, it's cleaned after use - don't see the issue.

Much of it I just raise an eyebrow at, if it's outside of my experience or belief - or just laugh along if I feel it's a bit ridiculous. What I almost never do is change anything because of anything I've read on here.

- Cycle trailers with kids in are akin to lobbing your child into a volcano from a trebuchet.

Taking your baby/ toddler to a cafe.

Saying the word ‘gender’

I love spiders and am happy if they want to have a romp in my washing overnight.

The MN disapproval of adults receiving Christmas presents. I love Christmas presents however small and/or silly.

Sharing home grown produce with neighbours. There was a recent poster upset because her NDN had given her a bag of tomatoes from her garden. I give and receive lovely plants from my neighbours.

My NDN have a key to my house. This means they can burst in uninvited and ravish me day or night should they choose.

Also on neighbours. I speak to mine regularly and am working on getting to know more of them.

I have a toilet brush, don't change my bedlinen everyday, allow my cats to sleep on the bed with me, wash everything together in one washing machine load.

I think the most shocking one was to discover that some people don't believe in teaching their kids manners - why on earth not?!

Eh?? I dont understand why you wouldnt either!!

I have a toilet brush, don't change my bedlinen everyday, allow my cats to sleep on the bed with me, wash everything together in one washing machine load.

Your cats do the washing??? Can they do a youtube tutorial for mine?
Mine dont sleep on my bed , I dont really like it because they are more annoying than a fidgety toddler but they spend most of the winter on DDs bed.

@TarpaulinEyes

I love spiders and am happy if they want to have a romp in my washing overnight.

The MN disapproval of adults receiving Christmas presents. I love Christmas presents however small and/or silly.

Sharing home grown produce with neighbours. There was a recent poster upset because her NDN had given her a bag of tomatoes from her garden. I give and receive lovely plants from my neighbours.

My NDN have a key to my house. This means they can burst in uninvited and ravish me day or night should they choose.

Also on neighbours. I speak to mine regularly and am working on getting to know more of them.

I have a toilet brush, don't change my bedlinen everyday, allow my cats to sleep on the bed with me, wash everything together in one washing machine load.

Yea about the home grown produce!

Our Nextdoor neighbour is a widower and has an allotment so grows much more than he can eat himself. He regularly pops round with a tub of strawberries or tomatoes and then when I or DD bake we pop round with a slice of cake. (We also take it in turns to put bins out and he brings round a bag of sweets if my 12yo puts his bin back for him 🥰)

It's a lovely relationship to have! I can't believe anyone would be offended by that!

Was there really a thread about being given tomatoes My neighbours dropped off some plums the other day. I’m home a lot with new babies and it was nice to have a quick chat. They didn’t get eaten but I appreciate the gesture…

Having a BBQ in the garden, in the summer.

Entirely normal. Not on MN it's not.

@FairNotFair

Superb proper laughed there I did!

Vegetarianism - it’s performative and pretentious apparently.

Dogs - in my experience most dogs are fine and mind their own business, but on MN they’re flea-ridden, snarling menaces, pissing rivers of urine down Britain’s streets and terrorising children.

Being friends with the opposite sex and spending time alone with them - apparently by virtue of having opposite genitals it makes it a date, and the involved parties WILL HAVE SEX whether they want to or not. God forbid there’s a hot tub involved, that’s practically pornographic.

Having lie ins and not getting dressed if you’re not going out - put your best dinner suit on, you feckless slob. You must be severely depressed.