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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Tummy time, carpet time etc.

106 replies

Correlation · 15/03/2023 12:00

Does anyone else find these terms irritating?

Other unrelated terms/phrases/words I find really annoying:

”The community”
”My journey”
”Mental health”
”Empowering/empower/empowered”

I’ve heard all of these this morning.

OP posts:
PetitPorpoise · 15/03/2023 12:25

I'll answer genuinely. Mine are mainly Covid related in adverts

"Now, more than ever..."
"Unprecedented..."

Divorcedalongtime · 15/03/2023 12:27

Correlation · 15/03/2023 12:12

@DinnerThyme oh god “the pandemic” is another one!

This so much this

Ladyofthesea · 15/03/2023 12:28

So what do you call tummy time, the community, empowering and journey then?

You remind me of an ex who couldn't just say words but had to describe everything, he wouldn't even say mother, but said "the person who carried me for nine months". I dumped him for being too exhausting. Couldn't have a normal chat with the guy.

Original poster
Correlation · 15/03/2023 12:33

@Ladyofthesea this made me laugh out loud. I promise I’m not that bad!

I only said I find those words/phrases irritating. I’m not attacking anyone and I don’t take offence when the words are used!

OP posts:
Hochjochhospiz · 15/03/2023 12:38

PetitPorpoise · 15/03/2023 12:25

I'll answer genuinely. Mine are mainly Covid related in adverts

"Now, more than ever..."
"Unprecedented..."

I live in Austria and if I hear "In Zeiten wie diesen" one more time I am going to flip. "In times like these" - this was used long before the pandemic but has increased since then. It's usually used by political parties and the media to basically tell us what hard times we are living through and how they can supposedly help us. "In times like these it's more important than ever that you vote for us and our bullshit because we'll help you". Yeah, right.

Iamclearlyamug · 15/03/2023 12:40

To be fair it infuriates me when people say "I/she/he/they have/got mental health" to describe struggling with their mental health.

No, you have "issues/problems with mental health" or "mental health issues/problems" not just "mental health" - EVERYONE has bloody mental health whether it's good/bad/in between.

Gives me the rage

Porridgeislife · 15/03/2023 12:47

How could you be annoyed with tummy time?

Do you really expect health visitors to ask “how much time does your baby spend with his tummy adjacent to the floor to facilitate essential strengthening of his head, neck and core as a developmental precursor to learning to crawl and walk?”

DappledThings · 15/03/2023 12:54

ScramblePud · 15/03/2023 12:10

I get really annoyed when people use colours to describe the colour of something. Like when a car is blue and they say it’s blue.

… … … 🙄

I do that. We have two cars, if we are discussing which one we are taking I will always say "the white one" rather than "the Honda". Half the time I can't remember what brand they both are anyway and when I do it feels vaguely pretentious to name them rather than just saying the colour.

If I'm giving directions I'll definitely say "follow that blue car to stay in that lane" rather than "follow the Toyota" because there's zero chance of me identifying the make that quickly.

ScramblePud · 15/03/2023 12:57

DappledThings · 15/03/2023 12:54

I do that. We have two cars, if we are discussing which one we are taking I will always say "the white one" rather than "the Honda". Half the time I can't remember what brand they both are anyway and when I do it feels vaguely pretentious to name them rather than just saying the colour.

If I'm giving directions I'll definitely say "follow that blue car to stay in that lane" rather than "follow the Toyota" because there's zero chance of me identifying the make that quickly.

Show quote history

I do it too. I was being sarcastic and mocking how absurd OP sounds having an issue with people using words for their only meaning.

Original poster
Correlation · 15/03/2023 12:58

@Porridgeislife Firstly, I have no expectations of health visitors.

Secondly, you can say “time on his tummy” or “time on his front”.

OP posts:
Chickenly · 15/03/2023 13:00

PetitPorpoise · 15/03/2023 12:25

I'll answer genuinely. Mine are mainly Covid related in adverts

"Now, more than ever..."
"Unprecedented..."

Before the pandemic those exact phrases were used alluding to Brexit. Before Brexit, those exact phrases were used alluding to the recession. Before the recession, those exact phrases were used alluding to the War on Terror. Before the War on Terror, those exact phrases were used alluding to the Troubles… the world wars, previous recessions, the Cold War…

DappledThings · 15/03/2023 13:03

ScramblePud · 15/03/2023 12:57

I do it too. I was being sarcastic and mocking how absurd OP sounds having an issue with people using words for their only meaning.

Show quote history

Oh! I missed that. 😕.

Usually quicker on the uptake I promise.

OngoingCrisis · 15/03/2023 13:06

I hate when people will post on a thread with "going against the grain here..."

BertieBotts · 15/03/2023 13:08

Pandemic is fine. People constantly referring to it as "a global pandemic!" really wound me up Grin it's just redundant! The fact it's a pandemic rather than epidemic already expresses that it is widespread.

I think I know what you mean about mental health OP. It's fine used in its proper context but there's a whole load of waffle where it gets banged onto the end of some phrase for people to show they are "aware" while having absolutely zero understanding of the thing they are supposedly aware of.

Also misuse of "obsessed with" to mean "I really like that" - no, you are not obsessed with someone's hairstyle that you only saw for the first time 5 minutes ago. That's not what obsession means.

And POV as it's used on tiktok. A point of view is an opinion, not a perspective.

Porridgeislife · 15/03/2023 13:14

Correlation · 15/03/2023 12:58

@Porridgeislife Firstly, I have no expectations of health visitors.

Secondly, you can say “time on his tummy” or “time on his front”.

It’s definitely you then, you really need to unclench.

Time on his tummy is no different to tummy time, the latter having the benefit of being being a commonly understood phrase to describe a developmental stage in babies!

Lockheart · 15/03/2023 13:19

I sort of know what you mean about 'mental health' but it depends on the circumstances.

I hate when people say "Oh I need to have a week's holiday somewhere hot at least twice a year for my mental health" - no, you don't. If you have depression, BPD, schizophrenia etc then a week in the Med is not the cure, as nice as it may be. What they mean is "I want one and I'll be sad if I can't have it".

As someone who has OCD and other associated problems, I hate seeing this sort of trivialisation of mental health.

riotlady · 15/03/2023 16:06

Correlation · 15/03/2023 12:58

@Porridgeislife Firstly, I have no expectations of health visitors.

Secondly, you can say “time on his tummy” or “time on his front”.

Why is “time on his tummy” better than “tummy time”? Should we all be saying “time for eating dinner” instead of “dinner time”?

Valeriekat · 16/03/2023 01:40

All the Americanisms I find quite annoying eg Tummy time, burp cloths, fur baby!
People seem to have latched on to "mental health" and ignored the other phrases.

DeflatedAgain · 16/03/2023 02:14

Adding 'expert' onto online tabloid articles (the mirror is the worst for it).

"I'm a charity shop expert he's what not to buy"
Or
"I'm a jam expert. How to store jam like a pro" ...etc.

I don't know if it's just me but I see this term thrown around like crazy 🤣

Catspyjamas17 · 16/03/2023 02:27

I guess that instead of using terms like recession, cost of living crisis, energy crisis, immigration crisis, deliberate underfunding of public services, massive NHS waiting lists, Brexit, massive staff and skills shortages, education system on its knees, rise in crime, not enough police officers, industrial action, massive rise in poverty, super rich getting massively richer, we could just use the shorthand Conservative government.

Readyforspringtime · 16/03/2023 02:29

It's not used where I live so "of an evening" really grates.

Tummy time bothers me because of incorrect use and what would be better for a baby (Janet Landsbury used to discuss this). Social media has brought a lot of Americanisms here.

Mothers in their 30s and 40s saying things like "coming in clutch" and others that I've thankfully forgotten at this moment.

Shops calling things "longline" instead of just long. A blue top is now in the "blue colourway". When and why did that have to happen?

Using the term mental health incorrectly in place of poor mental health is irritating too.

DappledThings · 16/03/2023 06:52

Mothers in their 30s and 40s saying things like "coming in clutch" and others that I've thankfully forgotten at this moment.
I have never heard this. What on earth does it mean?

carriedout · 16/03/2023 06:58

These are all innocuous and useful phrases.

I honestly think there's some weird psychology going on with you OP, how can anyone object to words like 'mental health' 'pandemic' or 'recession'.

Seek help!

follyfoot37 · 16/03/2023 07:01

Chickenly · 15/03/2023 12:07

You have an issue with the term “mental health”? Are you broken? That’s like being offended by the term “broken leg” or “waiting list”. It’s just what it’s called, it’s the official and only word for that. What else would you have people say instead: “thought medical condition” or “mind status”?

In fact, none of the terms you’ve used are in any way stand-out or offensive or icky or irritating. You must really struggle to communicate if you can’t cope with so many very normal words and phrases.

YABU

Oh, calm down
These are tired, over-used terms ffs
What does mh mean anyway? I have blood pressure, but then again, so does everyone. I have mh, as does everyone. What we need is a qualifying statement with the term bp or mh to indicate why it is deviating from usual parameters
And as for my journey. Dear feckin god that's been done to death. What you are doing is living, like 8 billion people do every day; a journey ffs...

follyfoot37 · 16/03/2023 07:02

Correlation · 15/03/2023 12:00

Does anyone else find these terms irritating?

Other unrelated terms/phrases/words I find really annoying:

”The community”
”My journey”
”Mental health”
”Empowering/empower/empowered”

I’ve heard all of these this morning.

I feel your pain. With knobs on