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Original poster

Things you thought were normal/harmless until joining mumsnet

595 replies

Antsinyourpanta · 16/09/2021 09:41

(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?

OP posts:
JustThisLastLittleBit · 19/09/2021 11:15

Treating time spent caring for my children as an honour and a delight, not a chore

stayathomer · 19/09/2021 12:34

cricketmum84
Crossing everything they didn't so!!!!Grin

cocktailclub · 19/09/2021 15:43

Taking on UCAS applications for your DC (and when I say taking in I mean as a full time occupation)instead of letting them do it themselves as part of growing up and making their own decisions.

Interested in this thread?

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Families
digger2014 · 20/09/2021 10:32

@PermanentTemporary I actually felt sick reading your post. What a heartless person you are.

Kate0902900908 · 21/09/2021 18:59

We have a toilet brush.
We wash underwear with other clothes.
We let our cat have kittens on purpose.
We share money.
The cooker is usually dirty inside.
We eat white bread.
We like hotdogs.
We like the poundshop.
I let my nephew drink Diet Coke sometimes.
We sometimes have microwave rice.
…..

cricketmum84 · 21/09/2021 19:06

We let our cat have kittens on purpose.

Can't get on board with this one sorry. You need to educate yourself on the health effects and the dire situations in rescues right now. Also legally you should have a license if you are selling those poor kittens.

LST · 21/09/2021 19:45

@Kate0902900908

We have a toilet brush. We wash underwear with other clothes. We let our cat have kittens on purpose. We share money. The cooker is usually dirty inside. We eat white bread. We like hotdogs. We like the poundshop. I let my nephew drink Diet Coke sometimes. We sometimes have microwave rice. …..
You're a twat for number 3. No need
GTAlogic · 21/09/2021 21:24

Blowing candles out on a birthday cake.

Yesitsbess · 21/09/2021 21:48

Wait...what is the birthday candle thing? Fire hazard? Germs? Is the cake in the en suite? Are the candles loo brushes? Sugar?

Please help.

Original poster
Antsinyourpanta · 21/09/2021 21:49

I think a covid hazerd

OP posts:
Scarby9 · 21/09/2021 21:52

Dropping in on people because I am passing and think of them.
It honestly never occurred to me that friends might hate me for it. Now I am much less spontaneous, and I do miss it.

Yesitsbess · 21/09/2021 21:54

I see. I knew it would be germs again. Germs ruin everything.

Although in fairness I've always declined cake from toddler birthdays because a kid just gobbed all over it. Which is sad, because I love icing.

Yesitsbess · 21/09/2021 21:58

@Scarby9

Dropping in on people because I am passing and think of them. It honestly never occurred to me that friends might hate me for it. Now I am much less spontaneous, and I do miss it.
Oh no! Talk to your friends and ask! I have one friend who needs at least eleven hours notice and full hazmat disinfection notice for a visit (husband very poorly and vulnerable and I respect every thing she requires) but most of my friends would not be in the least annoyed or indeed surprised by me barging through the door demanding cake.

Not toddler snot cake though. See above.

And I have a friend who I would not be in the least surprised to find rummaging in my kitchen cupboards for snacks and wine because she's bored. I love it!

Fizbosshoes · 21/09/2021 22:07

In RL I have friends who are teachers who seem to live quite normal lives with weekends, holidays and hobbies

stayathomer · 22/09/2021 04:08

Dropping in on people because I am passing and think of them.
Mn really made me rethink this too. I realized I run about cleaning before visitors come and felt bad for not giving them the option. Saying that I live far from most friends and used to just get to go on a whim due to dh working so much and now as I work too so it's less likely I'll see people as much post covid

stayathomer · 22/09/2021 04:11

We let our cat have kittens on purpose.

Can't get on board with this one sorry. You need to educate yourself on the health effects and the dire situations in rescues right now.
In Ireland there's so many strays that rescue centres catch, neuter and vaccinate and then return to roam which gives me all the rage

Plumtree391 · 22/09/2021 04:20

I agree with you in theory, stayathomer.

We took in a beautiful kitten about four months old. We intended to have her spayed but before we did, she became pregnant. I remember a ginger tom appearing in our garden and he even came through the cat flap!

As you can imagine, we felt very guilty about it.

Anyway she had three kittens, all female, on our sofa with me and husband in attendance. We kept them; we had her and then her daughters spayed as soon as possible.

Except for one kitten who died aged 4 of glomerulonephritis, she and two daughters lived to approximately 19 and died of old age. They gave us great joy.

bringincrazyback · 22/09/2021 10:03

We wash underwear with other clothes.

It's never occurred to me to do otherwise! Is this yet another thing people Aren't Supposed To Do now?!Shock

Haudyourwheesht · 22/09/2021 12:20

@Fizbosshoes

In RL I have friends who are teachers who seem to live quite normal lives with weekends, holidays and hobbies
Me! I very rarely take marking home and spend precisely no time on Sunday doing prep. I'm a pretty good teacher too.

I do put all my washing in together, pants, cloths, tea towels, the lot. And only wash my towels once a week and my bedsheets once a fortnight. I pay no attention to sell-by dates and aim to put no food into landfill. (DDs have different ideas though, sadly.)

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 22/09/2021 13:52

@bringincrazyback

We wash underwear with other clothes.

It's never occurred to me to do otherwise! Is this yet another thing people Aren't Supposed To Do now?!Shock

I didn't know this either! I wash everything with everything (segregated by colour).
lockdownmadnessdotcom · 22/09/2021 13:58

What's up with squeezing two adults into a double bed

Most English/UK houses are ridiculously small. I wouldn't be able to fit a king size bed into my bedroom Sad

Also, the larger the duvet, the more difficult it is to put on. We do have a king sized duvet.

PattyPan · 22/09/2021 14:24

Unless you’re both morbidly obese two adults in a double bed isn’t a squeeze Confused as students DP and I used to sleep in a single bed together, that’s a squeeze!

bringincrazyback · 22/09/2021 16:25

Unless you’re both morbidly obese two adults in a double bed isn’t a squeeze

Depends on the two adults in question. Pain issues, for example, can dictate that only certain sleeping positions are comfortable. My DH and I both have this issue and sleeping together in a double bed can be a real challenge some nights.

Allergictoironing · 22/09/2021 16:32

@bringincrazyback

We wash underwear with other clothes.

It's never occurred to me to do otherwise! Is this yet another thing people Aren't Supposed To Do now?!Shock

As someone who lives alone, I would either be wastefully doing a frequent tiny wash for underwear, or have loads of knickers with some being unwashed for 2-3 weeks - and even then, 20 odd pairs of knickers, the same pairs of socks, and a handful of bras isn't really a FULL load. Not that I would have 3 week old dirty knickers hanging about, in the same wash with everything else!
PopcornAndWine · 22/09/2021 18:30

Finding out the sex of your child before they are born makes you impatient, you will "ruin the amazing surprise" and clearly there is no reason to do it other than so you can immediately start indoctrinating them with gender stereotypes.

To be fair I come across this in RL as well, but people are particularly militant about it on MN.

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