To be pissed off with anti-child threads on a parenting forum?

[ItShouldHaveBeenJessMass]

I love Mumsnet. I love the diversity on here. However, lately I have seen more and more threads appearing (possibly from trolls) about how awful kids are, how the OP is so glad they are child-free, how they dont want kids etc, etc.

It's a parenting forum. I'm not suggesting for a minute that anyone should be excluded from any internet site, but the judgement of parents by non-parents on here is becoming more prolific by the day. You don't want kids? Cool. I hadn't planned on becoming a mother either, but here I am! I honestly don't care who joins MN, and I'm love learning about different viewpoints/lifestyles, but the anti-child crap? Why join in the first place?

AIBU?

Ok. I read all kinds of threads on MN (and there are several I avoid). If you are using MN as a chat forum to discuss other issues separate from parenting, then why comment on threads about parenting if you are not one?

Because people are opinionated and because people like commenting on all sorts of things they have no direct experience of.

Is that ok, though? If an OP posts something I have no experience of, I don't comment. Why would I? Just to stick my (inexperienced) oar in? Nope. We all have opinions but to offer advice/criticism about a subject I know nothing about doesn't sit well with me.

OP, are you talking about AIBU or the whole of Mumsnet?

But surely that's part and parcel of internet forums. You can never be sure who you're chatting to and whether they're qualified to impart their wisdom. I'm always amazed when people start a thread asking people to diagnose some ailment or other. Ask your doctor, not RandomUser123.

casual. More AIBU, to be honest. I've seen a few posts lately which don't appear to be 'in the spirit of Mumsnet'. I should probably stay away from AIBU. There are better threads for parenting stuff.

The problem with AIBU is that it goes from 0-60 so quickly. It's not somewhere I'd go if I was feeling anxious and looking for thoughtful advice.

Well, there you are then.

which don't appear to be 'in the spirit of Mumsnet'.

Then report them.

If they break the guidelines then they will be deleted. If they don't then they won't.

pompom. I agree with that. I've seen threads where people are wondering whether to take themselves/their children/ their partners to casualty and I have thought "Maybe phone a doctor?"

What makes me unhappy is unpleasant and judgemental comments. Of course you don't have to have kids in order to impart some positive advice or suggestions on parenting, and I for one, would welcome them all. My issue is with negative statements about parents, posted by those without. on a parenting forum. It just seems goady and completely unhelpful.

Sadly I think the dickhead count on MN is much higher these days. The DM, and other websites who mine MN for content, has encouraged the kind of people who comment on DM articles to have a go over here.

casual. It's called Mumsnet! By parents, for parents! I'm not suggesting people without children shouldn't join, but to suggest I should fuck off to threads that are explicitly about parenting, on a website for parents, seems a bit harsh!

Look out, Netmums, hereI come...... (puts swear words in cupboard)

pompom. You're probably right. Better not to react (she says, having reacted dramatically!). Tough sometimes, though. You read something, think WTF, and post.

to suggest I should fuck off to threads that are explicitly about parenting, on a website for parents, seems a bit harsh!

I haven't suggested that! You can post wherever you wish. My point is that the anti-child threads you are complaining about are not remotely representative of Mumsnet as a whole.

I praise the Lord every day that I don't have children.

I like to write on here about housekeeping and employment issues and style and beauty. Mainly because I have so much freeee timmeeeee because I'm not changing nappies.

Hope that helps!

Everyone has issues about something.

Childfree is used instead of childless as we are not lacking children, because we don't want them in the first place (which childless infers)

And some childfree people may 'go on and on about it' because they're constantly told they are inferior, wrong, lacking, will regret not having children, to be pitied etc etc by mothers

I think the jealousy can go both ways actually

yanbu its called mumsnet for a reason. Its like saying I don't like pets but I joined a pet forum just bacause I can. There are plenty other forums out there with the same topics!

There are plenty other forums out there with the same topics!

So you want mumsnet to be nothing but talking about children?

Isn't that very insular?

I think the most judgemental comments on here regarding parenting come from other parents. Of course there are obvious trolls but you don't usually know whether they have children or not.

You'd better petition mnhq to remove all the non-children non-parenting parts to the site then. And only parents can advise on travel, style and beauty, tv etc etc

I find it weird too. Not sure why you'd join and then loudly proclaim your horror of parenthood at every opportunity?

Indeed and there has been a big increase in it of late along with lots and lots of footstamping about a site called MUMSNET, with a strapline BY PARENTS FOR PARENTS, not being a parenting website at all.

It's ludicrous. Most forums have an active Other Topics section, but you still wouldn't go on Pie and Bovril and slag off Scottish football, or go on Pistonheads and slag off cars.

But it's fair game to do that to something set up for mothers. Bizarre.

OP, the simple fact is that you cannot police what people post about. I think I am on about four threads ATM, one in travel which I started this morning. I have opinions on lots of things, that could be parenting, dogs, cars or the latest B&J Ice cream flavours

You don't get to tell people, parents or non parents what they can post about. As long as it 's within talk guidelines people can post about whatever they want.
Try another forum if it bothers you that much, or simply scroll past the threads on here that you find offensive.