‘Babies are disgusting’

[PumpkinsMum18]

Not really an AIBU but wasn’t sure where else to post....

I have a friend at work. She is lovely, nice to chat to and a good laugh.

BUT she strongly dislikes children with a passion. She thinks ‘babies are disgusting’ (her exact words) and is adamant she is never going to have kids - fair enough, her choice, got no problem with that. A colleague brought in her new baby and my friend starting making little gagging noises when she saw the baby from across the office which I thought was a bit rude.....

I don’t have kids but am thinking about about starting TTC next year. I feel I won’t be able to speak to her about anything baby/pregnancy related cos she might make some upsetting comment.....

Has anyone ever met anyone like this? I totally understand some people aren’t keen on children but this seems a bit excessive?

Play her this...

luvsmalldogs

I’d be tempted to share all my Babycentre “this week, your baby is drinking amniotic fluid and pissing in your womb” junk with her and compare the pros and cons of different birth plans etc in a state of wide-eyed innocence.

There you go love, you want to be a prissy little drama queen, here’s something to get your teeth into (like this one lady who bit through the cord herself after giving birth stranded on a desert island! Oh baby hating workmate, can you believe it?!?)

Yeah, that’s be a really nice thing to do if she’s suffering from infertility and this is her coping mechanism wouldn’t it? Pretending I didn’t want babies was my coping mechanism. You never know what is going on in someone else’s life so you shouldn’t make assumptions. From what OP said the gagging noises weren’t in earshot of the new mum anyway so I don’t see how it’s really an issue.

By the way I hate small dogs. And large ones. And am quite likely to make a very audible gagging noise of someone wanted to show their dog off to me. We’re all different and don’t all like the same things.

*that'd not that’s

Gagging at someone's baby is evil.

Lol try to get a grip bad manners, nowhere even near evil

I think I'd have to say something, along the lines of:

Susan, I get that you don't like babies, but you really can't behave like this at work. If you don't want to see Jane's baby, just go and make a cup of tea.

Much better than that, say this:

Gagging at someone's baby is evil.

She’s got some serious issues and I suspect it’s probably major jealousy for whatever reason - because going on about how you hate babies and making retching noises over them is totally not normal.

Either way, nothing excuses her behaviour and she should be pulled up on it and told she’s being rude and to stfu.

Does she have a personality disorder.

I find her behaviour very strange indeed. When you think about what babies represent, new life and innocence, and she is so openly condemning that, makes me wonder about the state of her.

A long time ago I was covering maternity leave and the person I was covering came in for a meeting, she dumped her baby on me for about an hour and its nappy leaked and I got covered in pee. I gagged then. I also still had two hours at work and about an hour's commute home.... (not envy) That was awesome fun. Unless the baby peed on your colleague she sounds immature.

she is lovely

She isn't lovely OP. People who don't like children never are. Actively disliking children and animals is a huge red flag when it comes o ie lovely a person is. I would steer clear.

She isn't lovely OP. People who don't like children never are

Funny. I've seen loads of threads over my 7 or 8 years on MN where loads of mothers say they love their own children but dislike other people's children but especially babies. That doesn't count presumably? As long as you like SOME children...

Shatnerswig

Yes well not everyone is lovely 😁

I stand by what I said. As humans we are programmed to protect the young. You might not find them adorable and want a cuddle, but to actively dislike them is weird. And even if this woman does dislike babies, the lack of emotional intelligence which would lead her to publicly announce 'babies are disgusting' and Gag for goodness sake, would render her tactless, unkind, stupid and unlovely in my eyes.

There are some people on this thread who have said babies ARE disgusting, even though they are mothers themselves. I know plenty of people in real life who would say babies are disgusting. They wouldn't hurt one, or eat one, but they avoid them like the plague. One of them has devoted their life to animal welfare and rescue. Awful person.

I'm not the biggest fan of babies but I'd never gag at one! I like children and would like them one day. Having a baby is part of that. I do have one friend that I'm slightly worried will drop me if I have DC. She dislikes children.

As I said to the Head, look at my pay-slip if you think I don't support her.

Right. Next time a teacher complains about lack of parental support we should wave our payslips at them and say "but our taxes pay your wages", should we?

Wrong thread most?

No, quoting and responding to tillytrotter21's delightful post from yesterday morning...

She isn't lovely OP. People who don't like children never are
Omg this thread gets better

Does she have a personality disorder.**

How can you “hate” babies?! Babies are just other humans. Finding them uninteresting/dull/irritating, understandable. But hate? For goodness sake.

Kumquatquince, you can have whatever “coping mechanism” you like, doesn’t mean other people have to put up with it.

Go ahead and hate dogs, it’s no skin off my nose, though if you think making gagging noises at dogs would show the dog owner up rather than yourself, well...

Unless people are bringing babies into your workplace daily, which seems unlikely, saying 'ah, they're lovely. How are you getting on?' is hardly a big ask

I disagree. It is a work place, they are not friends, they are colleagues. The only reason people bring their babies in to work is to have them admired. I AM interested in other peoples lives, just not their babies. Sorry if that offends.

I can't stand babies or children. I ignore it when colleagues bring their children/babies into the office.

If they bought a puppy or dog in on the other hand....

well, I actually can’t stand people in your age group makeahouse. Not nice is it?

Just sounds like bollocks really WithA, how on earth do you know how old MakeA is?

Whilst I have no interest in babies myself, I don't hate them. What I do hate however, is the noise they make, the smells and the way I am expected to be fascinated with them.