Things other people do that you just don't 'get'

[DebbieFiderer]

Mine are -

Starting to drive off, then putting your seat belt on whilst trying to control the car at the same time. Why? It can't save more than a second, looks awkward, and is dangerous!

Putting bananas into a little plastic bag before putting them in the trolley - the only reason I can see for the plastic bags is to keep loose veg together, or to keep edible parts clean, neither of which applies to bananas, so what's the point?

Taking shopping trollies back to the trolley park but not actually connecting them up with the ones already there - you've done about 95% of the effort, is it really that hard to make someone else's life a bit easier by putting it away properly?

( Yes, mine do seem to be mostly supermarket related but I suppose that's where I come across other people most of the time!)

Actually, I do have one non-supermarket one - people only using one half of a set of double doors when there is a queue of people all wanting to go through - they all line up patiently to go through the one door rather than just OPENING THE OTHER ONE!!

I hate it when I'm waiting at a pelican crossing and the next person to come along also presses the button. It's already lit up and I'm standing here waiting. Do you think I was too dim to press the button? Have you noticed that it's lit up?

I don't understand the opposite either. Loads of traffic and I can see a person waiting for hours and they haven't pressed the button. Then I arrive, press the button and we both wait hours and then go across at the same time. Why didn't they press it? Why wait for hours? If they had pressed it earlier it would save us both time!

. I don't know any adult who can stomach a full diner at 5 or 6pm! (to be fair, even my kids don't eat that early)

Ooo we do! I am starving by 5pm! I have managed to train dd into eating at 6pm with us!

People who co sleep/refuse to attempt routine/sleep train their children then complain how little sleep they get and how exhausted they are.

People who demand feed!!

Yeah...we all eat at 6, always have, and I did the same growing up. My DC are older now, 11 and 13, but even when they were small, they didn't snack all afternoon, and managed to wait until 6. Maybe we're just used to it because we've always done it?

People who co sleep/refuse to attempt routine/sleep train their children then complain how little sleep they get and how exhausted they are.

I would argue that with a bad sleeper, you get MORE sleep with co-sleeping if the little one is already there than if you have to actually get up and get them.

Sleep train doesn't work with everybody either, unless you literally mean leaving them to cry until they stop eventually. Every night.

Didn’t say I was against it! I am all for doing what makes you happy. I’m referring to people I know who have done it and then complain they get no sleep etc.

but my point is that they might get even LESS sleep if they hadn't done it!

People who demand feed!!

What, you don't understand why people follow current advice on the care of newborns?

There is so little support and care of new mums and babies in this country, I can see why mums do what the feel is best and hope for the best

Someone in a posh village I drive through has the number plate pen15 and every time I see him I think, what a dick

If you are in the UK you might want to report him as well as thinking that, that registration plate doesn't exist according to the DVLA so he's driving illegally and can't be insured

I couldn’t eat that early.
I don’t leave work until 6 most nights so toddler has quite cereal or toast and then bed and we eat anywhere between 9-10.

If I was stahp it might be different but luckily he has decent breakfast and lunch.

Weekends he stays up a bit later and we have time to cook something properly so often eat together then if we can.

Not sitting down and eating a family meal together. We are a family of 5 and all sit down together and eat dinner and talk about our day etc

"Gwenhwyfar You only seem to come on this thread to quote and disagree with what everyone else has said?"

Who made you thread police??? Why can't I disagree with people? I don't disagree with everyone.

By the way, eating a snack at the cinema is quite traditional and part of the experience.

"No idea how anyone who does that has a clue what they're eating that week or what they need."

Well, I'm single so no need to plan all my meals. A friend once went to visit a couple with no kids who had the week's menu up on the wall and she thought it was so boring.
I can remember basic things that I need like milk, eggs or butter.

"I don't know any adult who can stomach a full diner at 5 or 6pm!"

Eating at 6 is pretty common in the UK. I know it tends to be later in the south of England and in some countries on the continent.

I eat dinner between 5 and 6. Can sometimes stretch it out to 7 but by then I’m usually ready to faint. I don’t eat large meals though so lunch isn’t going to keep me going for 8 hours.

My kids are rarely even home yet at 5, I don't know how people manage to be home that early, let alone have time to cook diner and sit down for it.

Nothing wrong with it one way or another, I am just amazed that some people seem to manage to leave work so early, shops are still open,GP surgeries is still open, teachers are mainly still at school...

I eat dinner around 7 now, but for most of my life it's been around 6. Nobody eat at 8 when I was growing up, unless they were going out and I find the 9-10 mentioned above much too late.
When I was growing up, my family eat in shifts because we're weird, but everyone else I knew eat around 6 as a family or whenever the father (or both parents) were home from work.

Morondela - where are they at 5 if school closes at 3.30? Even with my 40-minute bus journey and school finishing at 3.40, I was home way before 5.

I know lots of Mumsnetters live around London and think it's normal to commute for an hour or more to and from work, but it's not like that elsewhere. I've flyered outside our local train stations and peak time is between 4 and 6. After 6 is past commuting time here.

Some of the people who leave work at 4 start work at 8 of course.

I start work 2-3 hours earlier than most people. So I also leave correspondingly earlier.

I am home from work and also a gym session fitted in by about 6.30 tops. If no gym, I can have dinner by about 5 (I only eat once a day most days) and the rest of the evening is mine. Right now I am just about to turn the light off and go to sleep.

No biggie, a "normal" person's day just bought forward a bit.

where are they at 5 if school closes at 3.30?
My kids? Most days they will be at school for some after-school club, or somewhere around town doing another kind of sport or music or something that they can't do at school - which is a bit of a pain because they need a taxi for that! (I don't mean a real taxi, I mean a parent or friend who drives)

Even the swimming lessons who only last half an hour take a lot longer when you include travel back and forth, getting change etc.The house is pretty quiet until 6 at least.

Gwenhwyfar

No, not thread police. Just making a comment. Much like you.

I am just amazed that some people seem to manage to leave work so early, shops are still open,GP surgeries is still open, teachers are mainly still at school.

Not everyone works 9-5 though. Some of us work 8:30-3:00 and then 7pm-10/11/12 at night.

Charity stuff like merchandise. Buy a pen for this etc. Just stop with spending money on merch and just give your donation.

"I got married in August, with around 150 guests, there were plenty of venues available a year in advance" that's one persons experience plus what region were you in that had "plenty" of venues available a year in advance? And what constitutes "plenty"?

Where I am now (west coast Scotland) is very popular for weddings not only for locals or even uk wide but internationally but there aren't that many venues so they do get booked up far in advance, but I've worked in other parts of the U.K. In the wedding industry and I'd say it's the less...picturesque, considered "naice" regions (which I don't necessarily agree with but cultural perceptions particularly with other Brits) where it's more possible to easily have a choice of bookings a year in advance.

The royals have the money and influence to not have to worry about such things but also they're not really using venues open to the public! True I suspect for upper middle classes upwards is that they'll usually have a large family home or even homes plural which are suitable for holding weddings in. Ridiculous comparison.

I've organised weddings for probably I would say max lower end of upper middle class level folk and even then that's been because they wanted to do something a bit "different".