to think life in the MN world as an adult is rather boring?

[ThereWasOnceAGirl]

Definitely not everyone but it feels to be a large percentage feel that -

You only should celebrate your birthday until you are 10. Anything after that and it's odd.

Why are you buying Christmas presents for adults, only buy for children? So not adults aren't allowed presents at Christmas.

Going out on a Saturday night even for just one drink seems very frowned upon and

Life as an adult is pajamas on at 7 every night of the week, not celebrating your birthday and not getting presents at Christmas.

YABU to think that MN thinks anything at all

There is no issue on which there is a consensus.

Not even on "I like writing stuff on the internet", which you'd think would be a given :o

Boring?
No sugar (except for a small pure rock kept in a locked safe in case one has the builders in )
No telly
No internet (except for one to MN on because one has an obligation to educate the silly people.
No nice cars, the shitter and older the better.
No pets (yyuck, they are so dangerous)
No playing out
No ever being separated from one's child
No fast food. Ever.
No Facebook (good Lord, nobody I know would do anything so common).
No making of fun of anyone or anything (remember the offended outcries at the term "lost his rag"

Yes, that would be shit and there are some absolute barmpot arseholes on MN.
The truth is that the vast majority are kind, caring and funny people with a lot to give. If I could only learn to avoid the 4x4 and animal hating threads, I wouldn't often encounter a barmy show off (surely fibbing) viper.

Raises an interesting question doesn't it? What is 'fun?

Does 'fun' have to mean alcohol? (for example) Why? Because some people have decided that that is fun means that those who find other things fun are actually boring? Who gets to decide that?

What if 'fun' to you is an evening cataloguing your stamp collection? Or putting your train pictures in alphabetical order or arranging your tin cupboard oh no not me no siree and you really enjoy and maybe even look forward to it or at least enjoy it while you're doing it? Is that not fun if it's fun to you? What if you hate going out but you love having a laugh in front of a film in your living room?

Who gets to say what fun is? Except the person having it?

I really don't understand the wedding thing. Weddings are lovely - catch up with friends and family, have a dance, eat some nice food, good hotel and a huuuge breakfast the next day - what's not to like?

I love birthdays, and Christmas. Not so keen on clubbing, a nice meal out washed down with good wine is more my cup of tea.

And I like computer games.

I'm really not that bothered about my birthday. I d

...don't think I have been since about 22.

I Love clubbing though...love getting dressed up and dancing the night away until 5am (yes...5am)

I also don't get the 'only buy for adults' at Xmas. I buy for everyone, and an adults budget is about the same as any childrens (excluding mine)

But there aren't loads of people who think all those things Theodorous
I agree with quite a few things on your list (in theory anyway) but not all of them and there will be lots of people who don't agree with any of them at all.

I don't drink either but I still go out and come back after midnight and have fun too.

Oh not to mention the fuss that's sometimes made on here about hangovers.
If there's a thread (andthere has been a few) written by an OP who is pissed that her dh has gone out on the lash and didn't come home until after the 12 oclock parent curfew, then there is always a handful of posters who like to bang on about what useless, selfish father he is, and that to stay in bed and sleep off and hangover the next morning is paramount to divorce proceedings. Even if he only goes out once in a blue moon.

Well...when I have a late one and I am hungover and crap the next day, my dh brings me toast and tea and lets me recover alone in bed, while he sees to the kids. He's nice like that. Somehow I can't quite imagine him wringing his hands about it on an internet forum while people pile in to tell him what a piece of shit I am.

tantamount...not paramount... doh!

I have a hangover, I was home before midnight though!

A other one who started clubbing at 15 , I went out not that long ago, walked into an achingly trendy night club and promptly turned into a right old fart, the drinks were to expensive, the music was too loud and why is that girl (girl!!?) not wearing a skirt? I went home and wept into a bottle of wine and a kebab...
What really annoys me is when posters insist that you or your OH shouldn't have any interests away from the family, I've seen a few that have got heated about that. In fact there have been a few threads about various things recently where it's got very PO, mainly about other people's children..
I just find myself wanting to shout 'are you so bloody self centred that you can't see a point of view beyond your own?' Then I hide the thread...

You have a hangover?

Well I hope you will be taking a cold shower presently, before dressing in sackcloth and taking the time out to think, really think, about how skewed your priorities are, and how your children and husband are suffering - yes suffering, at the hands of your selfishness.
I mean why did you ever bother having children if you just wanted to go out and drink and then have a hangover, as though you have the right as an adult, to let your hair down and have a social life outside of children's activities!

However, seeing as you did make it in before midnight like a proper parent who cares about her family, rather than a wanton tramp out till all hours and obviously up to no good, you may be forgiven so long as you promise to never do it again, and make an immediate appointment to see someone about whatever unhappiness it is that's making you want to leave the house and spend time with people who don't live in it.

I, for one, pity you. x

God I wish I had the energy to be a wanton tramp... Being actually able to handle alcohol without feeling pissed afetr 3 glasses of wine would be nice too. I used to drink rugby players under the table

I agree with the what is fun. I'm one of the "boring" people who doesn't drink. For me alcohol isn't fun. I don't like the taste, the way it makes you feel and I can get up and dance at a party without it. It's a perfectly valid choice.

We've stopped buying presents for adults for now because we just can't afford it. I don't go out at the moment because we can't afford it and there aren't enough hours in the day between 40hr per week on placement, assignments, studying for exams, working in paid employment, looking after dc, housework. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to go out. That's before you consider that as underclass eating, drinking, etc is begrudged to me. It would be too stressful to feel I had to justify a night out spoiling any enjoyment I may get.

My birthday I like it to be acknowledged as in people say happy birthday but again I can't justify spending any money on it.

I don't get the "Christmas is for the children" claptrap either. My extended family on my side currently have nobody under the age of 19, are we just supposed to lock ourselves out of sight in the house and not celebrate anything out of the ordinary for 24 hours on Christmas??

Hell no, you go to Granny's house and have a right proper knees up, Cornish style!

In terms of the first two the comments I have seen have been in relation to someone complaining that other people don't go along with their way of doing things. So, it's fine to make a fuss over your own birthday or christmas, but it is unreasonable to expect everyone to think of it the same way as you do.

grumpyoldbat that's different, you're keeping an eye on expenses rather than judging anyone who dares to want to celebrate anything for themselves. The expense is why me and DH don't buy Christmas presents for each other, so we can put more in the pot for food or the DC's.

While I'm on a rant (this is a good thread!), why is it frowned upon to do things for people we're supposed to love? Every thread about doing something, for example making a packed lunch or quickly ironing a shirt or even making the bloody tea, someone will inevitably pounce in with "make him do it himself". Well, why? Surely if one person is making tea that night or making a lunch for themselves it makes sense to do it for anybody else as well? Ironing my husbands shirt does not make me downtrodden or a mug..
I love Mn but I could go on and on about the weirdness.

Christmas is for everyone. I love buying a real tree, decorating it, and having a big get together on Christmas day. It is fun.

I can't imagine not having a social life. My social life is very important to me. And my DP and I always buy birthday and christmas presents for each other, even if it is something very cheap that is a token present.

I don't get the "Christmas is for the children" claptrap either.

Let me explain the claptrap to you.
If you have xx amount in your budget to spend, and no more, then buying for all the adults as well means you need to find xxx, then it stands to reason that christmas becomes 'for the children'.

It is easy to be generous when you have plenty to be generous with.

pictish - You can still enjoy it though.

You can't enjoy it. It's for the children. Aren't you listening?

Yes it is fun grennie, it's fun to me too. However to buy a real tree in our current financial circumstances would mean skipping at least one if not two weeks food shopping and the misery that is being so hungry it hurts, especially while trying to do physical work 12 hrs a day isn't a price worth paying.

What you have to remember is there is different levels of money being tight and when you have none even a pound can be lots of money.

We will have our old tree from the loft, inherited Christmas decorations, snuggle in front of inherited board games (our monopoly is about 70) and the TV. Early night because I'm early shift on boxing day. Do you know what that will be fun too.

I LOVE Christmas! before we had kids dh and I got a tree, bought each other a little gift, had a meal etc etc...

But what has been discussed on this particular thread, is that some of us are hailed as meanies for not digging deep in our pockets and buying presents for the adults too...because we're po faced and mean obviously, rather than skint and forced to prioritise, and make our peace with that.

Same with the birthday thing...if I have to choose between putting electricity in the meter and buying me a present for my birthday - well...I'm sure I don't need to elaborate any further.

The birthday and Christmas no-fuss-or-presents-for-adults attitude that some of us have, comes from a LACK OF CASH. We all appreciate a home made card from the kids, and other gestures that are free or very cheap, but we do not like feeling like we have to spend money and put ourselves out, because another adult gets something out of being Miss Special for the day!

No, I never see the 'Christmas is for children ' line as anything to do with being a bit strapped. It's marvellously simplistic to suggest that this is what it means for all those spouting it. It's also ridiculous to believe that we are calling it claptrap because we are meanie weanies that don't understand poverty, or being skint, or having a bit of money and wanting to make sure the kids have a great time, rather than everyone getting a mediocre gift. I do get that, I'm not a complete loon. I think everyone gets that.

What I'm complaining rather colourfully about is those cats bum faced martyrish holier than thou folk who declare it almost unseemly for adults to be interested and excited about Christmas, insert sneer here, but darling, Christmas is for the children, hadn't you best be getting on with something Worthy and Virtuous? Dear oh dear. Etc.

Adults are people too. Adults are for life, not just for... Alright, I'll stop labouring my point.

Yeah I do see what you mean...but I'm not one of those!
I've never seen posts on here that suggest I shouldn't enjoy Christmas as an adult in my own right because I'm too grown up for it. Honestly, I never have.