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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Horrid, cringey things people say

610 replies

SmidgenofaPigeon · 21/03/2021 11:34

I nanny for a family that call dinner ‘sup sups’

It makes me feel ill. I’ve tried and tried to get the kids to stoppit and almost succeeded but due to lockdown, their mum is at home constantly and feeding them these twee little sayings as apparently it’ll be ‘a shame when they grow up and don’t say them anymore’ Hmm

Sup sups is the absolute worst but we also have ‘beddiebyes’ and ‘pop pops’ (I can’t even write what that one means because Its nauseating but it’s a bodily function)

The children are 6, 9 and 11, not babies.

It sounds dramatic but the thought of hearing these stupid phrases again tomorrow for another weeks is spoiling my Sunday Grin

Anyone got any to add to make me feel better?

OP posts:
ManCubsMama · 21/03/2021 12:49

I like these, I think they’re cute. I wouldn’t push them on my children but it definitely doesn’t offend me. If they catch, they catch and they’re quite sweet and make it fun for little ones (aware the children mentioned in OP aren’t that young)

We call bottle bot-bot and things like that for my 1 year old to encourage him to make the sound and eventually be able to say they correct word. What’s wrong with that? Hardly going to get a 12 month old so be able to pronounce “bottle” correctly

Turtleturtle81 · 21/03/2021 12:51

@cliffdiver

I saw a buggy with the brand name Ickle Bubba.
When shopping for prams my husband and I refused to even look at these based on the name alone.
ivfbabymomma1 · 21/03/2021 12:53

Holibobs. Part of my soul just left my body just writing it! Also "amazeballs" "I've had worse Mondays" & "cuppa"

MeowPurrGrr · 21/03/2021 12:54

I hate the word lunch, Sunday lunch, spot of lunch, packed lunch!! Makes me feel strangely queasy!

Fresh fruit and vegetables, why add the fresh?!

Give your head a wobble! What does that even mean?! Such a gammon thing to say.

Jody21 · 21/03/2021 12:54

Neighbors in row behind us let their dogs out into the backyard about 8 times a day and spend the whole time they are out shouting at the dogs to 'go wee wee's! Of course the dogs completely ignore them and just run about playing so they keep shouting at them ' stop that and go wee wee's, it's time for wee wee's now'. The whole family does it too and they are all so loud. Our house is about 4 houses away (gardens back on to each other with a laneway in between) but they are all so loud about it you would think that they were in my own garden every time.
God knows what the poor dogs make of it, they are about 5/6 years old and still don't seem to have copped on that all the shouting means that they should pee straight away and get back inside!

Butteredtoast55 · 21/03/2021 12:55

I'm a veggie loud and proud Grin We have LOADS of family sayings and expressions or names for things, but don't use baby talk so much. I couldn't give a rat's ass if they make other people cringe.
It's great that the OP cares about the childen's acquisition of language but if it's called supper in the employer's house then I think correcting that to dinner is overstepping the mark.

PurpleFlower1983 · 21/03/2021 12:55

@GintyMcGinty

I hate

Nom

Nom nom

I used to hate this but then my DD started saying it when she was hungry so it must be some weird initial food demand thing. She definitely didn’t get it from me or DH!
OverTheRubicon · 21/03/2021 12:55

@thepeopleversuswork

There’s one of these threads on here every day and they are just snobbery or bitchiness masquerading as social commentary. It’s a new socially acceptable snobbery to laugh at people for saying “hubs” or “hun” or “sup sups” or whatever. It just makes the people doing it look small minded and unkind.

I honestly think if other people’s family words for things rile you up this much you either need to get out more or find another job.

Life is too short to get this invested in stuff which is none of your business.

So much this. Back when I was nannying I would have hated sup sups too, but now I look back and realise I was judgemental and a bit of an arse, children are young for such a short time and in the scheme of things this is completely harmless, unless the boss is trying to make them say it at school. If someone who is otherwise perfectly nice says 'famalam', or #blessed or some other twee phrase, and you choose to unfriend them or cut them off, then they've had a lucky escape from a bitchy so-called friend.
rwalker · 21/03/2021 12:55

Another one for making memories

pinkearedcow · 21/03/2021 12:55

I use brekkie and din-dins, but only when talking to the cat.

I don't like the word meal for some reason (as in "going out for a meal", as they used to say in the olden days when restaurants were open).

LongDistanceClaret · 21/03/2021 12:55

I hate it when midwives & health visitors use baby as a proper noun, eg:
‘When baby cries, put give baby a pat.’

Not sure why but it really bloody irritates me. I get that they see dozens of babies and cannot remember their names but please don’t say baby as if it’s their actual name.

Littlefluffyclouds13 · 21/03/2021 12:56

@Confusedandshaken so if I corrected a student at school for saying 'sup sup' instead of supper/dinner would I be wrong for 'belittling' the parents way of raising their child?
She's a nanny so of course she's going to be responsible for the day to day nurturing and education of the children in her care!

MolyHolyGuacamole · 21/03/2021 12:56

A mum referring to her 5 year old's bed clothes as 'jamas' in that voice you use to talk to babies. I don't mind 'baby talk' but surely not past 3?

CatAndHisKit · 21/03/2021 12:56

nookie Envy

MolyHolyGuacamole · 21/03/2021 12:56

@Stronghold

I actually agree that its not your place to try and stop the family having their own words and phrases for stuff. My family had nonsensical words for things and it was part of our bond.
Not the point of the post, but ok
BottleFlipper · 21/03/2021 12:57

@Nuitsdesetoiles

Friyay instead of Friday Only x amount of "sleeps" until a particular event.... Holibobs "Making memories" on social media. All guaranteed an unfollow..
Chuck in "Living my best life" and you've nailed it
TheYearOfSmallThings · 21/03/2021 12:57

For me, the fact that the OP has used the word "horrid" in the title of this thread proves that we are all oblivious to our own controversial word choices.

MolyHolyGuacamole · 21/03/2021 12:58

@SmidgenofaPigeon

Ok some of you need to calm down. I love these guys and am a very good nanny. But I won’t have the children say I need a pop pop when they need the loo for goodness sake! I mean honestly.
😂 agree with you OP. There's a particular group on MN that get their backs up at the mention of a nanny, let alone one with an opinion
Acesulfame · 21/03/2021 12:59

I hate it when adults describe something as “yummy” or “scrummy”. Just goes through me for some reason.

CruCru · 21/03/2021 13:00

People on here have a strange attitude to nannies. There have been lots of threads about strange employers, workplaces or work rules. However if a nanny puts anything up, people get shirty.

greenfrogs1 · 21/03/2021 13:00

@Jody21

Neighbors in row behind us let their dogs out into the backyard about 8 times a day and spend the whole time they are out shouting at the dogs to 'go wee wee's! Of course the dogs completely ignore them and just run about playing so they keep shouting at them ' stop that and go wee wee's, it's time for wee wee's now'. The whole family does it too and they are all so loud. Our house is about 4 houses away (gardens back on to each other with a laneway in between) but they are all so loud about it you would think that they were in my own garden every time. God knows what the poor dogs make of it, they are about 5/6 years old and still don't seem to have copped on that all the shouting means that they should pee straight away and get back inside!
See I actually think this is acceptable.

We have taught our dog 'weewees', 'dinners' and 'walkies' because we only ever use the words with him.

Otherwise he would pick up those words in other sentences we used and get confused. So for example if I said 'let's cook dinner' or 'my parents will call me after their walk' he doesn't bat an eyelid, but if I say walkies or dinners he goes crazy.

LemonSherbetFancies · 21/03/2021 13:00

Oh yes, a colleague used to say 'Let's get some munch' at lunchtimes. Used to make me cringe.

00100001 · 21/03/2021 13:00

@Zancah

I’ve tried and tried to get the kids to stoppit and almost succeeded but due to lockdown, their mum is at home constantly and feeding them these twee little sayings as apparently it’ll be ‘a shame when they grow up and don’t say them anymore’

Lol. You're the NANNY, not the parent. I'd fire your condescending arse out of the front door if I got wind of you trying to belittle and undermine my parenting like that.

😂
Secnarf · 21/03/2021 13:01

@Mylovelyhorsee

I can’t stand hearing twee versions of grandparents names especially when the grandkids are tweens. For example, gong gong for grandad or some other made up nonsense.
But 公公 (Kong Kong/Gong Gong) means maternal grandfather in Cantonese and some other Chinese dialects. It is really quite specific as Ye Ye is your paternal grandfather.

It isn’t any more made up or nonsensical than Granddad, Grandpapa, Opa or Nonno.

Peanutbutterandbananatoastie · 21/03/2021 13:01

The children are 6, 9 and 11, not babies.

Sorry genuinely interested, not trying to goad. Why do they need you? What do you do?

Pick them up from school and....?

Is this a full time job? I can see how a 6 year old needs supervision but at that age after school I was being supervised by my 12 year old sister (not ideal obviously, we just watched telly and ate biscuits).

I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just that this is so far removed from my experience of life that I’m genuinely interested.