I don't like other people's children.

[Coffeebreakkk]

I think I am being very unreasonable but I actually can't stand other people's children unless they are family. My dc have lots of 'friends ' in the area and they are just mean and vindictive and I just cant bare the sound of their squeaky voices.

I can’t stand children either. I’d happily pay more for child free restaurants, flights, hotels etc!

@QuacksInTheDark my first “stood up and clapped” first hand account too. I feel like I’ve passed some rite of passage now

I'm really surprised by this thread. I have no DC and have never wanted any and always felt secretly bad that I find them so annoying I though Mums had this sort of in built tolerance for their impish ways Theyre sometimes cute and everything but when they do that thing where they say the same sentence over and over and over again in the exact same intonation because they think no one's listening it makes me want to scream.

I don’t like poorly behaved or entitled kids. Unfortunately, they are becoming the norm not the exception.

Oh also as a side note why why why do some parents force their DC to hug you just because you're vaguely connected to their family. All DPs siblings do this with their kids and I hate it and I think the kids all hate it too. The 12 y.o boy who never speaks a word nor looks up from his Xbox unless forced especially hates it - it's SO awkward. I think next time I'll just be like "nah you're grand - he doesn't have to give me a hug he hates all of us "

I like some. There's one friend of my DS in particular who is a lovely boy and I'd happily adopt him! Some are awful but the so are some adults. You can't like everyone.

I don't like other peoples's children either.
It's so annoying that they always seem to think I'm lovely and I'm thinking 'just piss off and leave me alone!'.

And as for BIL's brood - Yikes!!!!

I'm with you OP. I like my own (most of the time) but not other people's.

Children are just young humans with the myriad of personalities that you get across the population.

From having helped with DS1's class, there's only one child in 30 that I just don't warm to and he's not the worst behaved either (but he is a bit eye rolly and attitudey- the "naughtier" ones are quite funny or it's incidental not deliberate.) It probably doesn't help that there's baggage from a birthday when the mum flipflopped around and decided with 2 hours to go that he could come

Having my own children, my patience is probably thinner than it has been. I work hard to train mine up to be civilised and I don't have much time for overbearing, precious parents who don't realise that their darling is not the centre of the universe and that other people have priorities too, or those that just don't give a fuck. Parents tend to bug me more than the children

I am still a bit traumatised by raising toddlers, but if I see parents putting in the effort, I'm pretty forgiving.

Who does?

The only (non-mine) children are the two that belong to me best friend. We've been friends since early childhood, and I'm very much an auntie.

I don't even like my family's children... I see my cousins kids a few times a year for family gatherings. And they spend the entire time running around and screaming... No thanks.

I like about 1% of the children I meet.
But then I only like about 1% of the adults I meet.
I like 99% of the dogs and cats I meet!

I have only met 2 I couldn't stand.
Both of them rich, jumped up, arrogant little shits.
One is now in prison for financial fraud, the other is a Doctor.

I've always really liked children of all ages but I can't stand spoiled brats. There are a few children I know that I just can't make myself like however hard I try because they are brats. I remind myself that it's the parents fault not the child's. One of dds friends is 5 and she just tantrums at every little thing, it's infuriating. Her family are lovely and DD is very fond of her so obviously I tolerate her but I find it hard.

I work in a restaurant and I adore the polite, well behaved kids. Always chat to them and try to make them feel grown up and special. But I find it really hard to be nice to the rude little shits with no manners. Especially the ones who run around the restaurant like its a playground while the pathetic parent says "come and sit down or the lady will tell you off"

I wouldn't say annoying or horrible but I never dealt well with children. I don't know how to talk to them! And so I get really uncomfortable.

Now I have kids and it's different. You learn, I suppose. Me and my brother were the youngest of the family so no smaller kids around at all. And my parents's friends all had children roughly our age.

Other kids vs our kids is a completely different thing! Honestly

I don’t like poorly behaved or entitled kids. Unfortunately, they are becoming the norm not the exception
Exactly that. I thought I didn't like children at all since mine have grown up but it's actually that I only like well mannered kids and indeed, they are more and more few and apart.

Yet occasionally, I'll run into such a kid and get the good hormones flowing and berate myself for how I feel about kids until I run I to the next noisy, rude, inconsiderate one.

YANBU. I only like two children that aren’t mine ones a adult near enough and the other was born two weeks after my son so we are fairly close and they are extremely polite and caring/sympathetic for their age.
All other children I’ve met just seem to be ungrateful little brats.

Oh god, it's when a kid you don't know toddles over with snot coming out of their nose, clammy, sticky fingers and wanting you to either pretend to drink tea out of a pink plastic cup that they've slobbered in, or even worse, try and help themselves to food you've bought for your own kids.

I think I've visibly recoiled in public one too many times. Love babies, super cute miraculous little things they are and all that, but once kids hit 2 years old I go to dullsville.

And even my own kids annoy the shit out of me, I'm sure they annoy a load of other folk too. It's the way of the world...

Thank god its not just me! Can't stand them never have germy annoying noisy little creatures that just grate on my last nerve my own DS is perfect in every way of course but seriously i am dreading the future playdates and interactions with other children i'll have to endure

I like them up to about the age of 2, then again when they hit about 14 and can hold a proper reasoned conversation and have actual opinions. The 12 or so years in between I'm not fussed on in general, bar the odd kid I come across whose company I enjoy (rare!). I don't have any of my own for very good reason!! My DNs were appallingly behaved when younger, and one was a massive attention seeking 'look at me' show off, not enjoyable to be around at all. I think my least favourite age is about 5 when the answer to every to single question seems to be 'poopoo' and a manic cackle.

I like my good friends' children, my nephews and my own children. That's about it. The more children my DC meet the more I realise that people suck from an early age. Mind you, other people's puppies and kittens aren't all that either.

Kids are like farts, you can only stand your own.

Me either. Babies bore me, toddlers are just hard work. They're ok when they get older.

@TheMotherofAllDilemmas

I don’t like poorly behaved or entitled kids. Unfortunately, they are becoming the norm not the exception.

Where do you get the idea they're the norm now? Have you some kind of evidence to back that up or is it anecdata because there was a loud child last time you popped into a supermarket?

I've worked in education for the last decade and completely disagree. I'd say 97% of the children I meet through my work are lovely. They might have off days and difficult moments, but generally just nice children. They're mostly well-mannered and sweet. I come across far more poorly-behaved and entitled adults in my work than I do children.

Ive actually cancelled seeing a friend this weekend as I hate her daughter so much