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AIBU?

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Original poster

to ask why is it acceptable to say you hate kids?

260 replies

allegretto · 16/10/2017 14:39

Prompted by a certain female comedien saying this (whom I love btw!), it seems that it is the last taboo. By all means say you are not a child-person, you don't want kids etc but HATE them? You wouldn't be able to say that about any other group of people (and kids are people), so why do people say it about children?

OP posts:
kaytee87 · 16/10/2017 16:26

You're pretty boring yourself cliff

RosieBucket · 16/10/2017 16:27

Can you imagine if somebody announced they were going to have a wedding without anyone aged over 60

What if the bride and groom are over 60?
They're not going to be under 12, are they?

kaytee87 · 16/10/2017 16:28

puppy I agree that it's strange that people make a big deal of pointing out that a group of people are not invited to a wedding. People should just address the invites to the guests they want to attend and leave it at that. That's a whole other thread though Grin

CliffRichardsPenIs · 16/10/2017 16:28

kaytee Confused

CliffRichardsPenIs · 16/10/2017 16:29

kaytee But then people will just turn up with their kids in toe even though their kids haven't been specifically put on the invite.

Because apparently "Jane and Tony" actually means "Jane, Tony and their trailing brood"

User843022 · 16/10/2017 16:29

'Because she's a comedienne, and it's a joke.'
Of course! Yes it soo funny. Oh wait..
It'd be funny if she actually told a joke. Saying you hate kids, or maybe teenagers, old people whatever is just a bit Confused really

KateEffinMiddleton · 16/10/2017 16:30

"I hate children. Glad I never was one!" - Miss Trunchbull Grin

Mittens1969 · 16/10/2017 16:31

Gameoldbirdz, were you born an adult? If not, you were surely a child yourself once???

kaytee87 · 16/10/2017 16:32

cliff well no one did at my wedding. No one even questioned the fact we only had children that were related to us attend the wedding and most of our friends have kids.

Spartak · 16/10/2017 16:32

I've said it myself in the past at work.

It's a lazy way of killing a thread of conversation in a jokey way when well meaning patients (I work mostly with the elderly) ask if I've got any children.

Far easier and less embarrassing all round than explaining that I'm not very good at relationships, and much as I would have liked children, I'm now 40 and it's too late.

Mittens1969 · 16/10/2017 16:40

CliffRichardsPenls, I assume you must remember being a child? I just don’t get how you can think children are so awful when you were one yourself? You didn’t suddenly wake up a different person, did you?

CliffRichardsPenIs · 16/10/2017 16:40

Mittens That's a lazy argument. I'll be dead one day doesn't mean I enjoy to hang out with corpses (as said by another poster).

I hated children even when I was one Grin

CliffRichardsPenIs · 16/10/2017 16:41

I assume you must remember being a child? I just don’t get how you can think children are so awful when you were one yourself? You didn’t suddenly wake up a different person, did you?

I hated children even when I was a child. I've known from when I was about 9 that I never wanted children. I hated hanging around with other children. I found them boring, messy and noisy. Even though I was one as well.

CliffRichardsPenIs · 16/10/2017 16:42

You didn’t suddenly wake up a different person, did you?

Not suddenly no but I'd say I'm a pretty different person at 32 to the person I was at 4 Confused

Mittens1969 · 16/10/2017 16:48

Ok, but presumably before then you were one of those annoying children? Because it is younger children you’ve been complaining about. Or were you born a grown up, able to dress yourself and go to the toilet?

What I’m getting at is that you were as much you as a child as you are today.

User843022 · 16/10/2017 16:48

'I hated children even when I was a child. I've known from when I was about 9 that I never wanted children. I hated hanging around with other children. I found them boring, messy and noisy. Even though I was one as well.'

Hmm well cliff I bet you were a barrel of laughs. Seriously if you had such a miserable childhood, and hating being around other dc would suggest you might have, then I think its understandable you wouldn't want dc. As said that's fine but using 'hate' and 'ugh' is a bit silly.

thinkfast · 16/10/2017 16:50

Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act so can those of you saying why it doesn’t apply to children please explain your rationale.

SpitefulMidLifeAnimal · 16/10/2017 16:52

So what if I was a child once? Still doesn't mean I can tolerate those squealing high pitched noises they make. I made them too when I was a child. Still makes me physically recoil though. I'm sure I coughed with my mouth open and spread germs too - still doesn't mean I like it when other children do it. I'm pretty certain I was covered in food on more than one occasion - cake smash photos still make me nauseous though.

HarmlessChap · 16/10/2017 16:58

Because she's a comedienne, and it's a joke. hmm
This might have been Sarah Millican on R4 earlier today, I caught a bit in the car, it wahed over me.

Each to their own, if you don't like children I think it should be fine to express those feelings. I'll be sure to keep mine out of your way and everything will be fine.

LongWavyHair · 16/10/2017 17:05

It's ageist to hate children. I don't care how people try to dress it up and defend it as being their "right" to their feelings and opinion. It's ageist, just as much as it is ageist to hate old people.

And so what if they grow out of being children? That doesn't give anyone the greenlight to be an arsehole towards a whole age group.

LaurieFairyCake · 16/10/2017 17:06

It’s a protected characteristic against discrimination in employment/provision of public services/various things

Saying you ‘hate children’ is not discrimination providing you don’t run a public service and stand outside saying ‘you can’t come in you’re too old’

Please note, PUBLIC service. You can indeed say no rugrats in restaurants as it’s a private enterprise

LakieLady · 16/10/2017 17:09

It's stupid to hate children. It's like hating vegetables.

You can eat vegetables though. Eating children is rather frowned upon.

TheFirstMrsDV · 16/10/2017 17:12

If someone says 'I hate children' just ignore them.
People who declare that they hate children hate being ignored when they do.

Don't have kids. Don't invite them to your wedding. I don't care.
I don't like kids in pubs or at festivals.
I don't think childfree by choice women are unfulfilled.
I don't expect everyone (or anyone) to be interested in what my kids do.

peterpan742 · 16/10/2017 17:14

Someone asked me if I like children once and I replied 'Yeah, I work with them, have friends with children and a few children in my family. I've always enjoyed spending time with children' and then someone in the group piped up and said 'Ergh, that's repulsive. I hate children, the nasty little things'

As someone who works in childcare, I often hear 'How do you do that job?' or 'Why would you spend all day changing an unrelated kids dirty nappies and wiping snotty noses?' or 'I wouldn't do that job. I bloody hate children' - Only part of my day involves changing nappies and wiping noses, not all.
This isn't true for everyone, but the people that often tell me they hate children are ones who haven't really spent time or grown up around children. 2 friends who dislike children are both the youngest in their families and was born when all their siblings/cousins were teens or didn't have much time with children.

What I don't understand is people who say 'I hate all children.. apart from yours' (not mine)

BlueSapp · 16/10/2017 17:16

People who “hate” children are not normal Bear