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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be surprised that my 15yo son didn’t know the difference between a comb and a brush?

126 replies

PlopTeeth · 17/02/2020 19:25

Just that really. I asked him to fetch the comb from the bathroom and he asked which one that was. I suppose that I assumed that by 15 he would know the difference and now I’m wondering what other basics we have failed to teach him. 😂

So, what lack of knowledge, either in someone else or yourself, have you been surprised by? (Lighthearted 😉)

OP posts:
Whiskeylover45 · 19/02/2020 13:25

I was 21 when I realised crumpets are meant to be toasted Blush

Prior to that I couldn't understand what the whole hype was about, as they were just soggy, mushy things. Even worse with butter Blush

BikeRunSki · 19/02/2020 13:31

DS’s friend thought that when a dr Diagnosed an illness, that “diagnosed” mean “gave”. So when someone said “I’ve got chicken pox”, the dr had given them chicken pox.

AlCalavicci · 20/02/2020 22:23

@WhatchaMaCalllit,
He comes out with some corkers at times ! , I am glad I do not own a well known brand of mixers , or he would be knocking on doors asking for Mr Ken Wood Confused

Verily1 · 20/02/2020 23:02

Someone at school asked how did we know there wouldn’t be another ice age.

ILikePaperHats · 20/02/2020 23:09

I thought the international
Space station was on Earth. Like NASA or something. Had no idea it was up there floating in Space. My DS11 still brings this up to humiliate me. And all the Earth and moon revolving makes my head hurt. I've got a degree and everything Blush

ILikePaperHats · 20/02/2020 23:22

@Verily1 why is it beyond the realms of possibility that there couldn't be another ice age? Global warming you mean?

ILikePaperHats · 20/02/2020 23:29

Also my other son when he was only 5 years old correctly pointed out to me that mummy, 2 is a prime number when I was adamant that it wasn't as it's an even number Blush so glad this forum is anonymous...

WhatchaMaCalllit · 21/02/2020 08:02

Oh dear @ILikePaperHats. What did you think the astronauts doing space walks were doing and where??? When they were doing repairs to the ISS in their full astronaut gear and it would be televised and all??

Dare I ask what your degree is in?

Also about the would there or could there be another ice age? I can't see why not if similar conditions prevail to the first one or if there was a cataclysmic event that would set things in motion.

ILikePaperHats · 21/02/2020 08:23

@WhatchaMaCalllit
My degree is in English so not astrophysics unsurprisingly Grin
I know I'm stupid about space, it just blows my mind. But thanks for rubbing it in. I've already got my DS12 to do that for me.

WhatchaMaCalllit · 21/02/2020 14:19
Grin Sorry about that @ILikePaperHats Grin

I would like to add that I don't have a degree but I still 'got' that the astronauts are in space...
Can I recommend a fantastic movie called "Hidden Figures" for you to watch? It's a cracking movie!

FlamingoAndJohn · 21/02/2020 16:01

or he would be knocking on doors asking for Mr Ken Wood en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Wood_(manufacturer)

Ken Wood is was a real man at least.

bumbleymummy · 21/02/2020 16:32

@imamearcat my DH is the same! He thought dresses were long and skirts were short. The whole top part being joined or separate didn’t even occur to him. 😊

lazylinguist · 21/02/2020 16:46

Dh is a history teacher. He was once doing a historical time line on the board with a class of 15 year-olds, showing the dates for major historical eras and events. One boy asked "So when did the stuff in the Lord of the Rings happen?". Grin Cue much hilarity from the rest of the class.

Lordfrontpaw · 21/02/2020 16:54

I was doing O Grade history and we were discussing WW1 battles. One bright spark peeped up - was that the battle where the topless woman jumped up and they all stopped fighting?

After much confusion we finally realised he’s got confused with this painting...

To be surprised that my 15yo son didn’t know the difference between a comb and a brush?
sueelleker · 21/02/2020 17:34

Talking to a friend about a mutual friend who'd had a baby. Friend asked what she had. I thought for a minute then very seriously said, can't remember, but I'm sure it was either a boy or a girl. You know, as if there's a third option to that question...
A puppy? That's what a lot of kids seem to want when they're asked if they want a brother or sister!

RainbowAlicorn · 21/02/2020 17:34

My DH has recently started a new job in a managerial role and literally as I was reading this thread he messaged me saying I didn't realise you had to have so many meetings when your a manager 🤦‍♀️ he's in his 30's.
I was 17 before I realised that KFC stood for Kentucky Fried Chicken, tbf my mum didn't realise until I said it and she was in her 50's.

KahlanRahl · 21/02/2020 17:34

Regarding the unknown soldier grave and dna testing:

My mum used to live in a western european coastal village. There was a seperate burial ground for soldiers who had washed up on the beach. The unknown ones were without dog tags of course but they could tell by the uniform if they were RAF or Nazi or French soldiers or whatever. Nowadays with information being much more available it still happens that a family member discoveres that their last known travel was in a boat in the vicinity or a plane above sea that might have crashed and they contact the local authoroties if they were found and buried. Because the soldiers were documented quite well (photo's, eye colour, hair colour, height, presumed weight when alive) they do sometimes dig them up for DNA testing. And yes, they do find matches! I remember a lovely match in the 1980's when a mum discovered her son was buried there. She presumed him dead of course so it wasn't a shock but it was comforting for her that he was buried neatly and had a gravestone and everything. The local authoroties paid for a new gravestone so his name was on it and she came once every year to put flowers on his grave.
Other matches have chosen to have the soldier reburied in the family members town.

BikeRunSki · 21/02/2020 18:31

Talking to a friend about a mutual friend who'd had a baby. Friend asked what she had. I thought for a minute then very seriously said, can't remember, but I'm sure it was either a boy or a girl. You know, as if there's a third option to that question...

This reminds me of DSis when she was about 6. One of her Infants teachers left to have a baby and came back to show the baby off a few weeks later. DSis was telling us about this very excitedly after school that day. DM asked whether she’d had a boy or a girl. DSis said “I don’t know, but it’s called Timothy”.

BikeRunSki · 21/02/2020 18:40

That is lovely @KahlanRahl.

Verily1 · 21/02/2020 19:20

Ice ages are cyclical- they are inevitable every few 10s of thousands of years.

The U.K. will be under a glacier eventually.

KittenVsBox · 21/02/2020 19:54

@SVRT19674 what is the difference between stomach and guts? I'd use the words pretty interchangeably.

Spartonian · 22/02/2020 00:19

@WhatchaMaCalllit Hidden figures is an amazing film

PhantomErik · 22/02/2020 01:30

My DSS thought reindeer were mythical. When we pointed out that they were real creatures he paused for a moment & asked if they could fly Grin

He was 22 at the time. He's now 24, got a 2.1 at uni & working as a software engineer earning circa £45K so not completely dozy Grin

theThreeofWeevils · 22/02/2020 02:05

Kingsley Amis (via Lynne Truss in Eats, Shoots and Leaves) disagrees with you. But I think he's pretty much on his own

No, he is not. No one but a dolt would assume that a comb is for teeth; but it quite evidently has them.

myidentitymycrisis · 22/02/2020 03:18

DS 24 still confuses sheets and duvet cover
Me: the clue is in the name