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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I dislike children.

378 replies

HonestJan · 01/10/2016 19:51

What is wrong with me?

Never liked em. I don't find them cute, sweet, funny, interesting or entertaining. I have a few nieces/nephews and obviously love them but I don't enjoy the whole 'come watch little niece sing/dance 😍' and then enduring a painfully shit performance, 'Wow look at what little nephew has drawn' and it's a dreadful mess/ordinary drawing, and so on.

When kids do things like throw tantrums or make a scene in public and their parents do that 'ah isn't she adorable' look, I just don't get it.

When I'm sitting having a coffee and they come over to me/others to pester them and the parents leave them to it as if everyone must find their children as wonderful as they do, I don't get that either.

Babies I have no interest in either. I don't want to cuddle a small person or pull silly faces and coo over it.

I really enjoy people and I'm sure I'll have much more time and patience for my nieces and nephews when they grow up but I seem to be considered some sort of monster for not having an interest in children.

OP posts:
ThymeLord · 01/10/2016 20:19

How is the doghouse related to children? Telly addicts? The history club? The weight loss topics? Style and beauty?

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 01/10/2016 20:19

Now what are you doing on mumsnet then

Funnily enough it isn't just for mums.

Shock horror dad's even post and even worse.... non parents....

NantucketNightbird · 01/10/2016 20:19

I love my own children, they are amazing and beautiful but I don't like other people's children at all.

IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes · 01/10/2016 20:20

gone

I got some great heartfelt advice from someone when I posted about my shit under alias from someone who not only didn't have kids but was much much younger than me.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 01/10/2016 20:20

But this is a parenting site. I don't care if you don't use it for parenting advice, I never have either, But to start a thread declaring you don't like children seems a bit off to me.

So don't click on it.

There are threads that 'offend' me so I don't read them.

Butw · 01/10/2016 20:20

I'm at uni and don't have children and don't plan to just yet (would love to in the future though) and absolutely love Mumsnet Grin

I'm obviously 'sad' but oh well Grin

gonetoseeamanaboutadog · 01/10/2016 20:21

It's like going on the dog house board and saying:

You know, I've never liked dogs. They drool and they're smelly and their owners expect you to think they're sweet. Anyone up for a dog bashing thread?

Just weird and rude.

ThymeLord · 01/10/2016 20:21

There's nothing 'sad' about it at all. Ridiculous that anyone would suggest otherwise.

ThymeLord · 01/10/2016 20:22

Well no its nothing like that gone because this section is AIBU not 'I love children'.

Sparklingbrook · 01/10/2016 20:22

It's not compulsory to like or to have children so that seems reasonable to me.

I didn't like them much before having 2 of my own and although my two are great I haven't been overwhelmed with a love for all children since. My worst nightmare would be a job having to work with them.

DeadGood · 01/10/2016 20:22

gonetosee I think you are taking the OP needlessly personally, and I think that this site has a unique style and presence that makes it appealing to many people, not just parents. And I think you know that.

It's hardly an exclusive club.

gonetoseeamanaboutadog · 01/10/2016 20:23

It is actually thyme because the whole of mumsnet is for parents to support each other. That's not supporting parents. Remotely.

CatNip2 · 01/10/2016 20:23

Ha but, the only kids I think are sweet, good looking, funny, adorable etc are mine. If you have your own you would change your opinion, but only towards your own. That's ok though.

MrsTerryPratchett · 01/10/2016 20:24

My aunt was like you. She's now aging and would love all of us to visit. But she didn't care about us when we were young enough to put up with a few songs which were all shit and now I don't care enough to visit.

And she wanted to come on holiday recently with everyone but I knew she'd ignore DD so we didn't take her.

IPityThePontipines · 01/10/2016 20:24

What Shelagh said.

It is utterly repellent to describe an entire section of society like that.

And all those being oh so cool at how unmumsy you are, remember that the children you are sneering and eye rolling at is usually with a woman and it's her life that being made less pleasant by the eyerollers of the world.

I think there is something deeply odd about coming on a parenting site and sneering at children.

That people are bending over backwards to say it's ok says a lot about the ingrained lowly status of mothers and children.

DeadGood · 01/10/2016 20:25

" Anyone up for a dog bashing thread?"

Huh? The OP didn't say anything remotely like that.

Why are you taking this so personally, to the extent that you are seeing things that aren't actually there?!

gonetoseeamanaboutadog · 01/10/2016 20:25

dead I think I know that I don't care who uses mumsnet really. I can see that you don't have to be a parent to watch telly. (Though I still think it's a bit sad but maybe my pre-child days were more heady and adventuresome Wink). What pisses me off is the passive aggressive rudeness of going to a parenting website to announce you don't like kids. Out of all the corners of the internet, that seems the least appropriate place.

Lorelei76 · 01/10/2016 20:25

There's a few childfree posters
I don't like kids either, I just spent the day with my friend's kids who are the loveliest kids ever and frankly my favourites of all my friends younger kids...but I didn't enjoy the day. I'm looking forward to them being older, I have a couple of friends with teenagers and I get on much better with them.

And I'm really relieved the toddler stage is over, I am 40 and youngest friend is 26. I keep telling her I've done toddler duty so when she has kids, I'm not doing it again, lol. But....interestingly she always wanted kids and now she has a niece and nephew, I can see her changing her mind.

I really hated the stage of being part of the group out with infants and I think now she's seeing up close how much hassle it is, she's reassessing.

I do like that my friends kids are excited to see aunty lorelei though and I really hope we'll be friends when they grow up.

ragdoll700 · 01/10/2016 20:26

I only like/tolerate children I'm related to obv I love my own :)

SaucyJack · 01/10/2016 20:26

I think it's a bit pathetic to start a thread declaring you hate 1/6 of the country based on their age TBH.

What's your endgame?

AGenie · 01/10/2016 20:27

In fairness, many children also don't like children.

WaitrosePigeon · 01/10/2016 20:27

*Yes...there is something wrong with you. You stay in on a Saturday night to tell people you don't know (the only thing you do know about them is that they're parents) that you dislike children. I would say you have some kind of attention-seeking thing going on.

If you proceed to find Kindred Spirits on this thread and enthusiastically go on about how much you don't like everyone else's children, it will be clear what you wanted to get out of this.*

Sounds about right.

HerFaceIsaMapOfTheWorld · 01/10/2016 20:27

It's not even children its their annoying parents that think the world should coo over their child so allow them to do whatever.

gonetoseeamanaboutadog · 01/10/2016 20:27

The OP is hoping, I'll wager, that others will agree how little they like children too. Under the guise of being 'relieved she's not the only one' she will elaborate on why she doesn't like them. No earthly reason why you would do that on a site primarily there to support parents. Pisses me off, that's all..

ThymeLord · 01/10/2016 20:27

Ah I see, so you can't ask for advice on a good dress to wear to your brothers wedding unless you've got kids. Nor can you start a thread about hoping to lose a stone with Slimming World unless you've got kids. Gotcha.