To wonder what on earth all these myserious hobbies on MN are?

[Abbinob]

I see so many posts with things like "when i'm doing my hobby" "DH spends 2 hours a week doing his hobby" "a friend from my hobby"

WHAT ARE ALL THESE HOBBIES?

I've never heard anyone say this in RL
"so what you doing tonight?"
"oh you know, i'm going to do my hobby"

It makes me all nosey and agitated trying to work out what these hobbies are

Yes! I spend the most time pondering what the 'expensive and time consuming hobbies' are, including on threads about finances.

Also akways want to find out about own businesses because I'd like to start one but have no obvious skills 😄

I'm so glad that other people think the same way as I do about hobbies!

To me, a hobby is something you do in your spare time for fun, but it doesn't encroach on what you have to do. So embroidery, making Sacre Coeur out of matchsticks, painting with watercolours kind of thing.

A hobby that requires all day every Saturday (for example) seems to me to be -I'm going out so I don't need to do any housework or parenting. 🤔

"I do agree far too many women tolerate men spending mroe time on hobbies - football, golf etc than the wife gets which should not be tolerated unless you are so dependent on a husband because you have no income and unless you play ball in all respects with him he will toss you aside in favour of a woman who does tolerate his not being there."

You're not making a feminist issue of it, are you ? Tut tut............

My 'hobby' is the very definition of expensive and time consuming. I have horses - a heroin habit would be cheaper and inconvenience my family less. I also compete in an arcane horsey sport and I am embarrassed to be too open about it, because it seems so self indulgent plus no one has ever heard of it, so I have to explain and I can sense people quietly judging me as an odd toff.

I also used to get horribly judged by other mothers when my kids were younger for neglecting my husband and children to indulge in my past time. Really, it is easier to pretend I just spend my time drinking wine in the kitchen...

My 'hobby' is mn. I spend way too much time on it, but at leat its cheap

A hobby that requires all day every Saturday (for example) seems to me to be -I'm going out so I don't need to do any housework or parenting.

Oh dear, that pretty much sums up how other women judge me It is easier now the children are older, but I am the mother who missed her child's sports day so she could compete herself.... I am so used to being judged, throw your worst at me

I would only judge you if you didn't facilitate your children's other parent doing the same.

Real don't see why both can't have their own thing to do. Works in my family, requires a bit of give and take. Although I have seen friends/family whose set up is very different with DH not really doing anything around the house even when both parents work.

Oh, God, whatthe it's not Kur, is it?

it's just to avoid outing oneself.

It would have to be a pretty rare and esoteric hobby to do that, shirley?

Hobby is not a word I would use to describe what I enjoy in my free time. I make cards and do the garden. I only use the word hobby negatively "she needs a hobby" eg for someone who does nothing to help themselves except annoy everyone else.

There was a court action following someone posting about an obscure hobby which meant the Times newspaper could work out who the anonymous poster was (it wasn't this but something like he was the only Morris dancer policeman in Worcester). the Times narrowed down who the poster might be and the High Court said as he had posted about his hobby (and his work) blogging and posting are public activities and they were allowed to name him. Bit rotten of them however. Not good form.

Beware of disclosing weird hobbies, your membership of a BDSM club or real tennis or carriage riding or an ISIS support group or whatever.

I always imagine these top secret hobbies to be either cycling or eel fishing.

Just off out to mine, plenty of us about though.....I'll give a small hint

This thread is making me feel like I need a hobby!

When women mention their dp's hobbies on mn, usually to do with them not pulling their weight, if they are wc i assume football, mc I assume golf.

You can have mine at the moment light. I'm wedged in the back of a car on the motorway with two blokes (one is dh in fairness) surrounded by flight cases and trying to stop a suitcase falling on my head. I was up at stupid o clock and I can't nap because the case will land on me

wasonthelist, it's not that you'd be outed just from your hobby. It would be a combination of factors.

Eg your friend happens to spot you describing a situation which sounds like something that's happened recently at her DC's primary school. She searches your other posts and discovers (from a variety of different posts) that you're also 35, a teacher, have been married for 10 years, have 2 DC aged 5 and 8, and enjoy playing tennis. Suddenly she's pretty sure it's you!

This is how I was recognised btw. I hadn't posted anything particularly revealing - it was an accumulation of information.

I always imagine hobbies to be something like model trains or similar - something fairly dull done in a shed.

My 'hobby' is going to the pub, every monday for several hours - I can count it as a hobby as its to play poker but really I'm just there to drink and tell dirty jokes.

I don't count as class (learning Arabic) I go to once a week as a hobby, its learning, that'd be like saying school is a hobby!

I've noticed that 'time-consuming' is the code phrase for golf.

DH plays golf. Even with that information, it would take a dedicated stalker to track him down, I think.

I have a Hobby. I'm going to be all mysterious about it, but if you're that keen to know what it is, you can have a look at my pictures to give you a clue

I have an expensive and strange creative hobby that I love. I'm quite obsessive about it. I'm keeping quiet about what it is, because I prefer that my hobby remains as obscure as possible. I think it wouldn't be as magical if lots of people started going it.

Now this really does pique my curiosity

DC do "activities', OPs & DHs do 'hobbies', often 'in another city'.
Just say what it is FFS!

DHs hobby is archery - he has a custom bow and everything....

My hobbies (pre 4wk old twins) were open water swimming, kickboxing and vintage modelling (40s and 50s)... I'm not embarrassed by my hobbies, but they are pretty identifying!

We Steampunk, much to the amusement of the neighbours, but I'm not sure that dressing in pseudoVictorian bonkersness and wandering around places or sitting in the pub really counts as a hobby. 😆

Its dogging. Theres no other rational explanation.

You've helped me immensely. I go to AA and am always stuck for an explanation of my 'meetings' - I tend to say something lame about 'meeting up with friends' to people like my hairdresser and neighbours who really don't need to know I'm a sober alcoholic. But this is genius - I can just have a mysterious hobby as a cover story instead!