Crazy colleague's child taking over the office an inch at a time

[Welshtinsel]

Since my work colleague returned from maternity leave she has tried to turn the office in to some kind of shrine to her child.

If she is not talking about her DD then she is showing someone a picture of her DD. Every conversation devolves into one involving her spawn. Rather than working she'll sit around discussing how 'cute' her DD is. Just last week she used up all of the color ink in the print printing a picture of her DD. Any current event always strikes a cord with whatever crap her DD did last night.

AIBU to say that no one gives a shit about her kid and she should just shut up and do her job?

[SomeTiggyPudding]

The next time she shows you a picture of her DD just say "You must have shagged a squid to get one looking like that!" She will never ever talk to you again.

[EverlongLovesHerChristmasRobin]

I could go on about Dave Grohl all day

[StuntGirl]

tiggy

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

Heh. Starting to think every office has one of these. Our one is quite handy in that she keeps the rest of us from talking about our DC - the minute anyone mentions something offspring-related, we're treated to a 20 minute high speed information dump about what hers has been up to in the last hour. Don't know how she keeps tabs, but she does.

[babythrashling]

You don't sound very pleasant....so she loves and misses her daughter, why does that bother you so much? Referring to her child as 'spawn' is just nasty.

PS I bet you don't have children.

[Gigondas]

I would probably take the baby bore I over the health bore or even worse the I am divorced bore (given she had divorced 4 years previously I was never sure why I had to hear her phone messages from her ex to analyse them).

Op- yanbu - office bores can make you lose all perspective .

[ChaoticforlifenotjustChristmas]

I love and miss my daughter too but I don't bang on about her every second of the day to anyone close enough to listen

YANBU

[ilovesooty]

Just last week she used up all of the color ink in the print printing a picture of her DD

Surely using workplace resources for personal use is monitored?

[Dromedary]

Lotta - have you tried to get the message across to your colleague? Or is it easier just to put up with it?
I sympathise -I don't usually mention my DCs at work unless someone asks. My boss doesn't have children and it became obvious very soon after I started working for them that the topic of my children was of no interest (fair enough). Not sure why some people don't pick up on that kind of lack of interest. I have to say I also find being at work more of a break if my office is a child free zone.

[thebody]

I have 4 kids and deny them regularly...

She's a freakin bore.. Yawn and turn away..

[BlackholesAndRevelations]

Everlong- dave is mine!! And everlong is my favourite song ever ever ever

[PickledInAPearTree]

My boss used to be like this with her fucking bloody cat.

Get a bloody fucking cat and do similar.

Are you sure it's this bad though or are you hamming it up?

[queencat]

I had one at my old work, our children were the same age and this is absolutely true; we worked a shift pattern and I was granted annual leave on Christmas Eve and she wasn't. She complained because I had two children one being from a previous relationship (my eldest went to his dad) 'it didn't matter if I was away from them on Christmas Eve because we weren't a proper family anyway',

She also used to get jealous that her mum paid more attention to her brothers son because he was severely autistic and she felt he was getting 'special treatment'

It used to drive me nuts so no yanbu

[Goldenbear]

Isn't that part of office life - putting up with the office bores? In my old office we had the following:

-Dog bore (my boss)

• planning a wedding at work bore (got sacked eventually)
  
• Ego as big as the globe bore (moved into management consultancy)
  
• Bitch bore (bitching about everyone and everything)
  
• Foodie bore
  
• Lover of musicals bore (went in his extended lunch time and on his return filled you in on how great the show was)
  

How do you know you're not a bore in some way?

In contrast to your office, lots of people were falling over themselves to meet the babies and young children of employees if they happened to be passing with the other parent. My office was in central London so sometimes children would be on holiday visiting a museum and pop by if nearby. I never took my DS in to meet them and they were mostly cross about it. At my brother's office there was a, 'bring your child to work day', imagine how you would feel in that situation with your colleague?

[LucieMay]

Being single I actually find it more annoying when women blather on about their boyfriends or partners. Having a son, I don't mind kiddy talk but I just want to vomit when women dribble on about their other halves, in particular their weddings. Oh my god I hate wedding talk!. But I can't expect them to shut up just cause I don't like it so I just politely disengage and get on with my work.

[Arthurfowlersallotment]

YANBU to find her irritating. Though until she breeches some employment code you'll just have to deal with it.

Though I find your words about her child disgusting, and therefore I'm glad she wrecks your head.

[JessieMcJessie]

Ooh I wish we had a lover of musicals bore in my office, I would monopolize him and not be bored at all! However you forgot the sports bores- have lost count of the times I have had to remind them that I don't give two hoots about rugby.

Surprised at the level of indignation about the expression "spawn"- lighten up ladies

[Gigondas]

Oh pickled that reminds me of someone I knew who left my friend working late on a big project on bonfire night as had to get home to his cats as they might be scared (he was married so wasn't even like cats were out/alone etc).

[DuelingFanjHoHoHo]

Do you work with me?

[PickledInAPearTree]

I could tell you so many stories about it but I'd be scared of outing myself! There can only be one woman like her in the while world.

Totally agree lucie wedding stuff is the worst! It's so bloody boring! Especially when you get a real stickler for detail and they are showing you photos of napkin rings and the like.

[DeckTheHallsWithBartimaeus]

Nah, I can beat that - I once worked with a golf bore. My god that was boring. Blow by blow account of each swing of her weekend games every bloody day of the week.

She literally only stopped talking to take another breath. And you couldnt just not listen because she would ask you stuff and keep trying to get your attention.

My ears bled.

The worst was that you'd hear each story a million times as she'd tell you plus any other poor sod who came near the office.

[PickledInAPearTree]

Shit that's brutal.

[GreatUncleEddie]

There's a poster on here whose sister has a dog but no children and refers to the dog as the poster's nephew. She is expected to buy doggie Christmas presents.

You should bring in photos of a puppy and go on about it ad nauseum.