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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think Pete and Sue in Outnumbered are wet lettuce parents

60 replies

Vintagejazzing · 04/07/2023 10:42

I have been re-watching the series over the last few nights and been really struck by what crap parents Sue and Pete are. I know that's part of the joke, but they're really really bad.
Once Karen and Ben got past the cute curly headed moppet stage they were actually obnoxious kids. Rude, disobedient, constantly answering back, disliked by fellow pupils and teachers. Karen even had to be called in by her Headmistress during her first year in secondary school for a conversation about how dislikeable and annoying she is.
AIBU to think Sue and Pete were useless parents who should have done a bit more telling off and a bit less 'reasoning' with their kids?

OP posts:

CindersAgain · 04/07/2023 11:18

I would guess that Ben has ADHD and Karen is alarmingly clever, so it’s kind of explained why.

RegainingTheWill2023 · 04/07/2023 11:19

I don't understand the point of a (lighthearted) thread pointing out the obvious 🤔
It's completely fine to not enjoy the programme but to be irritated by the premise of the specific situation of a situation comedy is odd. The parents are useless, the younger children are obnoxious/spirited/challenging and the oldest is more sensible than the parents. That's the situation the writers created to provide humour.

EmmaPaella · 04/07/2023 11:35

Floraltears · 04/07/2023 11:18

The awful parenting is what makes it fun to watch, I love the episodes with Sue’s friend Jane…they remind me so much of people I know in real life 😀

The Sue/Jane relationship is hilarious. I love the one where Sue tried to tell her the truth then ends up agreeing to have the child for the weekend.

SoSoSoSo · 04/07/2023 11:40

I found the kids so utterly obnoxious(And not in an amusing way) that I couldn't get past the second episode.

LolaSmiles · 04/07/2023 11:40

I liked the first few series, but found it started to wear thin once the children grew up.

For transparency though, I've got to the point where I don't find the "lol mummy burns cookies and isn't daddy a useless parent" humour funny at all. It was funny briefly and seems to have moved into the sort of thing that homeware shops sell about "this is why Mummy needs wine" /"Oops isn't our house a shit tip lolz". I'm probably the grumpy and unreasonable one here.

Mirabai · 04/07/2023 12:15

My sister has 3 kids - she and DH really are outnumbered. With 2 it’s easier to divide and rule.

Once kids get to teens they’re in charge of their own lives anyway.

Original poster

Vintagejazzing · 04/07/2023 14:35

RegainingTheWill2023 · 04/07/2023 11:19

Jeeze remind me not to start a light hearted thread again. 🙄

OP posts:

ManateeFair · 04/07/2023 14:38

My mum couldn't stand to watch it for that very reason! It just made her annoyed that the parents were such doormats and never actually told the kids off.

Xeren · 04/07/2023 14:46

Awww, I loved that show! I remembered an episode when the eldest son was really rude to the Dad and the Mum just fobbed it off with some animal metaphors about a young ram competing with the elder (that stressed me out so much!).

And also that weird storyline where the Dad got drunk and kissed a colleague and the Mum was so wet about it and the kids found out! If I was the Mum I would have kicked off!

Dalekjastninerels · 04/07/2023 15:21

I like this show; I was like Karen as a child and my brother was Ben.

My parents were much stricter though and we had to behave or we got a smack (1970's) warning first, then if we did not obey-smack.

NeedleFeltedFox · 04/07/2023 15:24

I like when Ben is experimenting with what will go up the hoover - I’m reminded of it every time I do the hoovering cos I’m lazy and don’t pick everything up first so all sorts gets sucked up.

ItsNotRocketSalad · 04/07/2023 15:25

Yes they're terrible parents but who wants to watch a sitcom about good parents and their well-behaved children?

Dalekjastninerels · 04/07/2023 15:26

ItsNotRocketSalad · 04/07/2023 15:25

Yes they're terrible parents but who wants to watch a sitcom about good parents and their well-behaved children?

True :)

Allywill · 04/07/2023 15:29

CindersAgain · 04/07/2023 11:18

I would guess that Ben has ADHD and Karen is alarmingly clever, so it’s kind of explained why.

When Karen goes the the high achieving school she finds that she is distinctly average there.

CindersAgain · 04/07/2023 15:31

Allywill · 04/07/2023 15:29

When Karen goes the the high achieving school she finds that she is distinctly average there.

Show quote history

Oh really? I missed that! Just thinks she is then 😂

ItsNotRocketSalad · 04/07/2023 15:34

It's more accurate to say she finds that she isn't the most high achieving one at the school for high achievers. E.g. coming second in the swimming race. She's not average among the whole population!

Conkersinautumn · 04/07/2023 15:38

Overthinking there. Its a rather dull comedy. To enable having a bitch about someone else's life without doing any harm.

AnnPerkins · 04/07/2023 15:48

Me and DS used to love watching it. DH hated it because the parents were so wet.

Tosspiece is still one of his favourite insults though.

Catspyjamas17 · 04/07/2023 16:04

I enjoy it now, but I couldn't watch it when we only had DD1 or when both DDs were small as I found it stressed me out.

I still can't watch or enjoy The Apprentice for that reason. I can't find it funny and it just makes me angry and stressed.

CampervanKween · 04/07/2023 16:08

I read somewhere that the real parents of one of the kids are porn stars. I think his dad is called Ben Dover 😳 😂

ohtowinthelottery · 04/07/2023 16:24

@CampervanKween That's Jake's (Tyger Drew Honey) real life parents.

Having had a child who was a bit too much like Ben and Karen combined, I was a great fan of this show. I will add that my DS didn't get away with that behaviour though - didn't stop him trying.

MargaretThursday · 04/07/2023 16:44

I think the idea is that they were "outnumbered" and at that stage of parenting where it's a grind and they're too tired to really react as they know they should.

I'd agree though that as the younger pair got older it did get less funny, because what was funny when an innocent 4yo comes out with it, is just plain rude with a 12yo. I don't know what they could really have done with the programme at that point though.

I think a lot of it is relatable and people have had similar situations but not as packed in as they did. The one where Ben is kicking off and Dad picks him up and he starts shouting "this isn't my dad. I'm being kidnapped..." I saw that happen in RL one time.
And the one where Karen is having friendship issues, and she's shopping with Mum, when they look up and see the group of "friends" that have dropped Karen, is another that people can relate to.

ICrunchCrispsNotNumbers · 04/07/2023 16:57

Outnumbered is one of my favourite comedies-@Vintagejazzing has clearly missed the point of the programme. I think it's fab 😂😂

You've made me want to watch it again though 😀

PuppyMonkey · 04/07/2023 16:58

I think they had to just run with the “aren’t kids exasperating” idea even when they got older and less cute. It wouldn’t have been very interesting to see the children grow into really nice well behaved pre-teens causing no problems whatsoever for the parents.

Mirabai · 04/07/2023 20:58

I don’t find teens less cute than kids. In some ways I preferred it when the kids were older.

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