Days out, wanky names, and whining kids

[Tonightsthenight91]

I know ibu and this is a light hearted ish thread. Feeling riled after yesterdays and todays outings.

yesterday went out to a popular attraction with my DC. Very busy with it being last day of summer holidays for most. Today to a local park, some schools have gone back near us and some haven’t.

Both times - EVERYWHERE there were kids crying, whining, parents flustered, kids having tantrums and/or injuring themselves. Sometimes I take a step back and observe scenes like these and think WHY do we do it to ourselves? It seems the vast majority of parents are stressed up to their eyeballs on days out with kids that can’t seem to be pleased. Watching parents struggle whilst sun cream gets slapped on, soggy picnic sarnies, ice creams attracting wasps.

Then there’s the insta mum brigade trying to keep everyone picture perfect for photo shoots getting worked up when their kids aren’t Co-operating shouting at their oh-so-uniquely-named kids to pose/keep clean/don’t go in the mud/hug their sibling. Ugghhh it’s draining to even overhear never mind be in it!

every time kids are around I’m silently cringing at the “unique” name trend some parents seem to be on. Do people not realise the more unique they try to sound they ironically appear more common in the try hard to be different group?! Some that stood out to me were “kitch” 3 siblings called “blue beaux and B” “winter” “Adonis” and the best of all “darling dolce” 🙃

I know iabu I’m just grumpy after a long 6 weeks and sick of having to do child friendly stuff every day. Roll on Wednesday when my DC are back 😂

I under your point but surely there are many ways to schedule holidays? I know of a school in Leeds that has a shorter summer holiday but schedule holidays at different times throughout the year to avoid parents taking kids off school for holidays and it worked a treat! I think if schools are allowed more autonomy in terms of holidays, that could solve a lot of problems you cited. Also it is really necessary for kids to have that much more holidays than their parents? Just because something has been done for a long time doesn't make it right or fit for present day requirement.

Also it is really necessary for kids to have that much more holidays than their parents?

Short answer: yes.

It's a total PITA for parents, of course! I'm a single parent & the nightmare of trying to work this summer. I was shattered.

But for kids they need proper downtime, no fixed schedule, time to potter, rest, be annoying...!

PS I have family in the US and part of the reason why they have such long summer holiday is to allow students to have an extra term either to resit the year (or some subjects) or to get ahead so they can graduate earlier. That is particularly true at university where the fees are so astronomical that being able to graduate early can save tens of thousands.

Sounds counter intuitive but I respect your opinion.

I made up stupid names for my kids when we were out all the time. It used to make them laugh. I love the thought there might have been a Mumsnet thread about their names

Sounds counter intuitive but I respect your opinion.

What do you mean? Counter-intuitive how?

They need the downtime, the break from structure, organised learning & to have time to just ... be. Children & teens need this.

We (ok, I ) find this challenging as I have to work, bar annual leave, and this is harder (and has got harder with older DC & teens, than when they were younger) with them around, needing to be checked on or occupied.

The school holidays are for kids. Doesn't make it great for parents but that's not the point!

Same.

To moan about a child’s name, especially a child that is not yours is not light-hearted in the slightest. I always think they either have a lack of exposure to other names, cultures, or talking to people from different cultures, they just enjoy thinking they’re superior in some way because it’s easy to be snobby and mock a name a child didn’t choose for themselves, and/or that’s how their parents raised them and they chose to keep that thought and may have even bullied children when they were children themselves because a name was considered “weird”.

I love hearing different names, finding out their meanings, the story of why the name was given, etc. Some names may make me raise an eyebrow but would never go as far as moaning about it or ridicule.

A lot of names that were proper a century ago: Maud, Fanny, etc would not be considered now. New names are always emerging. Nobody is calling anyone xenophobic, all I'm just trying to say is naming should be flexible and to label someone trashy because their kid's name is unusual is tending towards metathesiophobic.

You sound very uptight.

@VeterinaryCareAssistant why would I describe a dog as dangerous if it was "simply off-lead and enjoying the outside"?

They have been attacking both children and adults. Multiple articles in the local press about it and a national TV presenter has just described watching as her friend's 8 year child was knocked down and attacked by one.

We also have dog walkers in our park who often have 7/8 dogs on their own which they clearly cannot manage or control. The council has prohibited this with rules around the max number of dogs per walker but to no avail. I have pulled my DC away from dogs when they have tried to jump up on them only to be told that the animals are fine/gentle and instead of pulling them away I need to teach my DC not to be afraid of dogs🙄

There is a very odd section of the population (and MN users) who think dogs can do no wrong, there are no dangerous dogs but just bad owners etc etc.

I was being lighthearted when I described the volunteers as scary but as this thread has proved, you cannot make a joke on MN without someone taking offence.

#humblebrag

I guess you’re trying to be funny in a Motherland / Catastrophe way with your OP, but it’s missing the mark and coming off like a third rate comedian at one of those terrible baby comedy gigs.

Nothing wrong with unusual names - if the kids are bullied, that’s the bully & their parents’ fault. Bullies will always find something to pick on, because that’s their whole vibe.

Yup!! My child will whinge anyway, might as well get some fresh air whilst he's doing it

I just think six weeks is far too long. Four weeks would be more acceptable, give everyone August off. It’s just too long to be away from education and the every day routine of school. Of course parents wind up frazzled and stressed and I think it’s stressful for kids too.

Yep, it looks like the poster of this vile and derogatory comment is refusing to return to answer to this.

As a few posters have said, this can't be let go. @Malapataraso you need to explain what you mean by this comment.

Why is it FANTASTIC for a black girl to be called 'Winter' but TRASHY for a white girl to be called Winter? You can't say shit like this, and just walk away without explaining what you mean.

As I and several others have said, imagine the uproar and furore if it had been the other way around?!

So...? What do you mean by ..."A white girl named Winter might be the trashiest thing I’ve ever heard. Though for a black girl, that name is fantastic and I love it..."

???

Because she can't say it t'other way around.

She obviously doesn't like the name 'Winter', either way, but she can be super cool if she adds this footnote.

No she wasn't.

Would they, though? They were naive in the extreme when choosing their kids’ unusual names if they thought that no one would ever take the piss.

I would have assumed their thought process was more along the lines of ‘they’re unusual names, some narrow-minded people might judge us but we want our children to have unusual names and we don’t give a shit what narrow-minded people might think.’

My children don’t have unusual names but I’ve seen their names criticised on the baby names boards lots of times. I couldn’t care less. Everyone has an opinion on names.

🙄 It’s subjective isn’t it? You and I find different things interesting, no bother.

For what it’s worth I’ve taught children with some really ‘unique’ names; 90% of the time they’re nicknames and their actual name is much more ordinary.

That was to @Fieldofbrokenpromises. I refreshed and lost the quote.

Ah but this also happens with the naice and tasteful instagram posters ….
‘We all bleed the same and just because your sons called Hugo and you have a wild meadow beyond the dry stone wall backdrop for your herbaceous border and a lurcher doesn't make you special or your offspring special’

Not just these days, I once had a class with three Siobhans, none was spelt correctly, they were all different!

There's a pot who should be called that!

You’d love Thai names! English word nicknames are commonplace there… Fourwheels and Toosafe are my favourites!