To wonder when Mumsnet stopped being a place for mums?

[Fenced]

I used to frequent the site years ago and have come back recently because I became a mum again! However, whilst I am all for equality, the site seems to be full of people who aren't mums or aren't even parents! (and a good few who are journalists hunting for stories!).

I would never suggest anyone be excluded from the warmth, breadth of knowledge or bat shit crazy hysteria that the site offers, I was just wondering when it stopped being a place mainly for mums?

(I am not suggesting dads or non parents aren't welcome, just curious as to when the shift happened?).

5to2. - well, obviously, that's the only explanation!

Oh and if you want to namecheck someone, it's customary to do it in bold. Or should people stop that now as well since you deigned to come back?

Ooh look - something that a non parent knows

There's a whole topic dedicated to infertility though, that was obviously created by mumsnet and the very definition would suggest that non parents are posting on it.

I like TV so I post on telly addicts

I like AIBU and have opinions on general stuff so I post there

I like animals and have been known to post in some of those topics

I have been in relationships so I can contribute to that

I have friends with children so I can learn from reading the parenting stuff.

Does that make sense?

If it was just about parenting then of course most people would be parents on here.

Not sure what the issue is with dads either - the tag line as a PP so snottily pointed out is by parents for parents.

And there's a miscarriage and a conception topic too so it's a safe bet that HQ set these up knowing that some posters on there aren't actually parents.

I think you'll find, Fenced, that MN has become a lot more 'sensitive' in recent years.

When I joined many, many moons ago, it was a great and pretty supportive parenting forum, with the odd scuffle. These days, you need to choose your topics wisely

Perhaps you could all campaign for MN to shut down the non parent related topics and ban anyone who doesn't have children? Would that help?

And fwiw most of the more twattish posters on the site are parents

Livia, I haven't name checked anyone in bold since first joining when all these were fields, I don't intend to start now.
Lol at explaining the rules like royalty.

But Op a fishing site is mainly about fishing, a men's health site mainly about men's health. There is a myriad of topics here of interest to non parents, as mentioned before. I came here through a Google search about bra fitting. Found lots of good and helpful threads. Started reading style and beauty and then other topics. I guess I like it because there are mainly topics that affect women. I'm not goady or offensive in any way. I wouldn't dream of posting on parenting topics because I have no experience in that area. So what harm am I doing? But I'll make sure my arse doesn't hit the door on my way out, shall I?

I'm sensing that! I think it used to be more fun and not as hysterical?! Or at least the site had a more lighthearted personality... seems a bit explosive now!

I first found MN when googling for a recipe for something!

I'm on Mumsnet and I'm a mum, but I would be on here anyway as I'm currently not in my home country and I'm lonely and it's just nice to catch up on 'chats' and feel part of a community.

Yup, Fenced. Spot on.

It will be more explosive when you post stuff like this... seriously what did you expect?

I'm sure there are sites that are more gentle and not frequented by non parents

I was actually saying about the name checking to the OP.

I'm delighted to say I'm not 'royalty' - I would hate to be associated with MN's version of royalty

I certainly wouldn't have stuck around for the 13 years I've been here if all I had to talk about was pushchairs and all I had to listen to was my idea of hell tales of Other People's Children.

Wasn't there something only the other day from HQ asking for MNers' input into their plans for the banner/logo or something? Presumably to stop it looking like some sort of girly circle? (hopefully)

The funniest people though are the chicken-licken sky-falling-in posters who get the vapours when a man posts. How very dare they? And when they are called out on it they go all "ooooh but there was Jeffrey! and they send F4J bods in undercover to upset us! Why would a man post on a relationships board? wah wah wah" And the funny thing is, they do all the wah-wahing, and at the same time, clearly read every sex thread, every thread where a man might be lurking, to report back and complain that there is a man in the house.

I know of several MNers (among my favourites) who have no children. I know of a couple who are men.

The vast majority of "mummies" on MN (ie who post about nothing but children-y things) pass me by largely unnoticed. The odd PFB mother, the odd school issue but beyond that I stick to talking to Mners (of either sex) who talk about things I'm interested in. And, I repeat, by and large, your kids is not one of them.

It's a lot less explosive now because HQ delete anything the OP wants.

In the past you posted on AIBU, 300 people told you yes, you were U and it ended there. Now, 7 people disagree with you, you cry bully and the thread gets deleted for your privacy.

It did use to be funnier, that's true. I couldn't go to work on a Friday afternoon until the round-up had hit my inbox. Does that even still exist?

Now, people start threads (often clearly invented) to try and be funny, to try and get into classics.

There was and is "royalty IMO. Two sets thereof. One group who are "long term non-name-changers" and the bedrock of what MN is about. That's good royalty. That's democratic we-are-proud-of-them royalty. Then there are the ones who think they are royalty, who go off, say, and form their own forums but every so often, when they're bored, pop back in here and yell "oi cunts, did you miss me?" at which point all their followers come hurtling through the door (you know that bit in the Deathly Hallows where the death eaters run at Neville? It's a bit like that) and do their "hellair darling" thing for a page or two while everyone else rolls their eyes.

I do see what the OP is trying to say, but Mumsnet is not just about being a mum, I found it through having sleep issues with my son, how to remove urine stains from a mattress etc. normal mum things but if I didn't have a child I'd have probably found it through a search such as best outfit for big boobs or something. The name Mumsnet is misleading now it's so popular with everybody. I think some people are giving the OP a hard time and I think the OP could've worded things a bit better.

I was lurking and posting here long before I became a mum. I think it was a google search for how to use up bananas that brought me here. The vast majority of topics on here have bugger all to do with being a parent.

Tbf neither type of royalty is a good thing - especially when someone starts one of those wanky 'whose your favourite poster' type threads - that's usually an excuse for competitive arse licking!

I was searching Trinny and Suzanna body shapes and came across a zillion threads on here. It made me laugh, especially people's comments on being informed they were brick shaped!

I think this is getting worse recently. I'm not a parent. I found this site when looking for examples of 'house rules'. I was bound to stick around on a site where the answer was 'no naked penises at the dinner table'!

That was years ago and I post fairly relatively on a variety of forums. Yesterday in AIBU I was called 'snide' for describing myself as 'child-free'.

I'm happy to hear from all and sundry, through I draw the line at rape apologists, Fenced.

YABU.