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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be so bored by baby chat!

13 replies

Boxingdaydisappoints · 16/01/2018 20:01

Sorry probably not the place to rant but interested in what mums have to say.
I work full-time, I'm a career girl. I have no maternal instincts, never have had and whilst I can feign a bit of interest in child/baby talk for a little while it generally bores me to tears.
I work with a mixed group of ladies, two of whom are part-time at work with small children. A new lady joined us after Christmas and now this group of three CONSTANTLY talk about their under 5s. Any other conversation that is started always ends up being about the under 5s! I know all about their nurseries, their toilet training, bed times, everything.

The manager is one of the mums, so no escape.
AIBU and should I just give into it?

OP posts:
hopingandprayingthistime · 16/01/2018 20:08

It sounds annoying but people naturally talk about what they have in common. My colleagues sometimes annoy me too with their inane chatter. You have to find a way to smile, nod and ignore it. Try not to let it wind you up (easier said than done). Perhaps take yourself off to the loo if it gets too much or put your headphones in...

hopingandprayingthistime · 16/01/2018 20:12

P.s. YADNBU to be bored by it!

throwcushions · 16/01/2018 20:15

You are not being unreasonable to be bored by it but they are just talking about what they have in common which is perfectly natural, though people with good social skills would usually avoid overdoing it where one person does not have that thing in common. Keep trying to steer the conversation in a different direction and otherwise suck it up unfortunately if one of them is your manager.

bridgetreilly · 16/01/2018 20:15

Don't give in. Talk about other things. After they've been talking about babies for a bit, politely break up the chat with 'Too Much Information' - especially if they're talking about poo, potty training, or other bodily-fluid related subjects.

53rdWay · 16/01/2018 20:33

  1. YANBU to be bored, but not much you can do about it. Just find someone else to talk to if you fancy some work chat. Unless they’re having graphic detailed conversations about toilet training or something, in which case tell them to stop it because wtf.

  2. Since you’re asking what mums think anyway: you seem to be dividing women into mothery types who work part-time and witter on about toddlers, and ‘career girls’ who don’t have time for gooey maternal feelings. Please don’t do this. Nobody does it with men, and working mothers have to deal with enough shit as it is (not the toilet-training variety).

RadioGaGoo · 16/01/2018 20:38

I didn't realise being a 'career girl' was limited to childless women.

shakeyourcaboose · 16/01/2018 20:40

'career girl' hate that term! Do your male colleagues describe themselves as career boys?!

edwinbear · 16/01/2018 21:08

I too work full time and am a 'career girl' having spent 20yrs on a trading floor, allowing me to put my two small DC's through private school.

I don't talk about my DC all day long. The problem is that you have different interests to these women. It's much the same as the football chat I have to listen to which I'm not remotely interested in but just tune out.

SpacePenguin · 16/01/2018 21:18

Groups will naturally veer towards safe conversation topics that have resonance for the majority. The balance amongst my colleagues changes regularly, and let me tell you that when it's soccer, soccer, soccer or politics, politics, politics every single day its also boring.

You'll have to put some effort into breaking their current conversation loop by introducing other safe conversation topic, such as latest TV series that everyone is watching, best beach destinations, best city break, good country walks. I'm clutching at straws here knowing nothing about you or what you might consider interesting conversation, but you literally gave to plan some topics to interject (hey, speaking of xxx, has anyone been to yyy, I hear there are fab walks there) regularly until the conversation dynamic changes.

Original poster
Boxingdaydisappoints · 16/01/2018 21:23

I didn't actually say being a career girl was limited to the childless. If you read it that way that's your interpretation, I was just telling you what my situation is.

Thanks for your comments.

OP posts:
Lookatyourwatchnow · 16/01/2018 21:52

I am a parent to an under 5, and I find little else more boring than hearing about or talking about other people's children's bedtimes, shoe sizes, phonics skills, toilet training, etc etc etc. I have a friend who talks about fuck all else so sometimes when I'm on the phone to her I have to pretend that my phone has run out of battery and end the call. Then I have to keep my phone turned off for an hour to make it look realistic.

PidgeonSpray · 16/01/2018 22:11

I know how you feel and don't have a solution. I've totally given in with my friends who have babies and toddlers... and i actually end up encouraging the baby talk as that's all they care about (rightly so perhaps)

Maybe they'll return to other conversation when the kids are 25yo haha

zeezeek · 17/01/2018 15:33

It's extremely dull. Almost as dull as the other office bores who relentlessly discuss diets, football, golf and dungeons and dragons.

I appreciate the latter is probably a bit of a niche problem!

Smile, nod and plug yourself in.....you won't shut them up.

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