I know this has been done a million times before, I think I may have even started a thread about it some time ago but I'm feeling irritable this morning so here we go;
"Put on your big girl pants" - I really truly fucking hate this saying. Does anyone else picture Bridget Jones with her big pants? It's such a stupid saying. Can you imagine anyone saying to a man "put on your big y-fronts"? No, of course not. It's utter meaningless. Just give whatever advice you are giving, if you have any, no need to preface it with stupid shit.
"He/She is an adult" - sometimes referring to an 18 year old (so just about, legally, an adult), sometimes referring to a person who is or may be upset by a situation. Surely we are all upset by things at times, not always reasonably but we are just human, most of us struggle at times, doesn't mean we are not adults.
"Man-child" - FFS, another daft one.
One that really and truly grates on me - "He/She is being manipulative" again referring to someone being upset by a person or situation. I have read this in relation to a parent being upset by their (adult) child moving overseas. In my world certainly, it would be acceptable for the parent to be upset, to cry even, at the loss of their child / grandchildren. Even to say "I wish you wouldn't go", it's not being manipulative, it's just being human.
"It makes my teeth itch" - it doesn't..
Also, and I know I'm a cow, but my inner response to many AIBU's is just "For fuck's sake, of course you are not being unreasonable, you know you're not. If you just want support or for people to agree with you then just say that."
There, that's helped. A little.