Parents believe everyone loves their little Timmy

[CockularDepravity]

... or Jane for those blessed with a female child.

So, I put it to you that most, or certainly many, parents appear to believe that their precocious precious son or daughter is universally revered and a source of never ending entertainment for all those lucky enough to come into contact with them.

This extends to the child being the sole or main cause of conversation (particularly when the child is nothing to do with the conversation prior to it being hijacked), and the belief that the general populace wants their child to be around them at all times (particularly in areas generally assumed to be child free).

Am I being unreasonable in this assumption? Please also state whether you have any offspring in any reply you choose to make.

What are the "areas assumed to be child free" you refer to, by the way?

YABU I don't.

The Cub is not:

a genius - he's a normal little boy

a miracle - he's a product of a normal biological action, if he's a miracle so is sneezing!

the reason the universe exists - he's the centre of my universe nobody else's

GetsQuiteAnnoyedAtMrTiggaSometimesWhenHeThinksTheCubIsAnyOfTheAboveTiggaxx

PigValentine - The auction house I used specifically states no children should be in attendance during bidding so there's one for you. Other places would include bars and certain restaurants, as well as the working environment.

dawntigga - "the reason the universe exists - he's the centre of my universe nobody else's" - this is very well put so thank you for that.

cock I like the way you write - although you do sound like a man for some reason ?!
Anyhoo I still like ya !

I have friends who are baby child bores. One friend insists I sit and watch her DD dancing, doing the same dance moves over and over again for at least 30 minutes. My friend, who has seen the dance before many times and never tires of it, will sharply reprimand me if my eyes wander.
Friend asks her DD every 5 minutes or so if she has almost finished, to which her DD predictably says 'Not yet' and we continue to sit in silence watching this 4yr old dancing. When the dance is finally over, friend then talks about it, how wonderful her DD is, how fast she picks up new dances, how much further ahead she is to her little dancing friends, what my friend thinks, what her dancing teacher thinks, jeez even what her DD's friends parents think.
When she has said everything there could possibly be to say about it, and repeated herself a few times, she moves onto DD's schooling, DD's friends, DD's neighbours whom she's friends with, blah blah blah.

When she exhausts all avenues, she turns her topic of conversation to her youngest DS, and then her eldest DS.

As soon as I mention anything at all about my DD, she reverts it all back to her DC. It's very much about one upmanship with this friend.

I don't see as much of this friend now.

But But my Timmy's are gorgeous, and endearing and, and,.... well everyone loves them they tell me so

I don't think this is really anything to do with being a parent. I think there are just some annoying people, and their DC's are a convienient conduit for their sense of competitiveness / insecurity / etc. So really, it's a bit of a redundant question.

In the course of life, most of us meet lots of annoying people, and in many cases these are our friends. We've just got that modern mindset of getting monumentally offended by everything, and analysing the most superficial aspects of human behaviour.

YANBU I can only assume that those that think you are, are the type of parent you describe who think that people beyond close relatives have any interest in their boring offspring

LeQueen I can relate to that. I don't want to hear my own DC drone on and on, so I certainly don't want to hear another parent boring me shitless about their DC.

PigValentine If it's anything to do with parents insecurities, why brag and bore in the 1st place? I don't understand that. Surely, you'd be too concerned people thought you boring to brag wouldn't you?

I ask this because the same friend I've just described is always boasting, saying she's going to have this and that and it costs XXX amount of money, and she only buys the best clothes for her DC next and she is going to have her cocklodger b/f buy her a new car, and an iphone blah blah blah. He never does and she moves onto the next list of desires.
If she was insecure, surely she'd keep all this to herself rather than making herself look a little silly when much of these supposed gifts never materialise.

rockinhippy - It was a generalisation to provoke some debate. Of course I know that not all parents are like this; this is why I used the terms "most" in my OP.....

fair enough Cockular but if MOST Parents in your environment behave in this way, then it is YOU that I pity the most,

thankfully I don't personally know ANY, though I have of course come across a few over the years, for the most part it seems to be a PFB phase & thankfully passes,.....personally as the parent of an only child, with a few rather scary only child spoilt brat ADULT acquaintances, we make it our goal to keep her feet very FIRMLY on the ground

& your auction room Mother Hubboard sounds like she was either barking mad, or more likely boxing clever & trying to play the sympathy card to put you off your stroke

Most other peoples children are spoilt. Thesedays it seems to be getting worse.
I am not that keen on other peoples children.
Mine are just as bad.
So, no, I don't fit your profile. At all. I am the most UN - PFB person, I know.

CockularDepravity - in the interests of full disclosure I have two little ones, but I wholeheartedly agree with you!

Exhibit Number 1:
The single parent who drags her 10 year old son everywhere with her, including to girlie wine evenings! Now I can't imagine that he wants to be there and he sure puts a dampener on the festivities just by his very presence. And in fact, I know the mum has been offered (free) use of a babysitter by another of the mums in the group but she refuses because "oh he really enjoys it and I don't want to have to make a detour on the way home". GRRRR!!!!

I think the assumption she makes is that her child is oh so much more interesting than any of ours and therefore we'd love to spend our precious childfree evening entertaining hers!