Wife did embarrassing thing in hotel, now DD is copying – WWYD?

[pbopkg]

Posting here because I genuinely don’t know how to handle this without causing WW3 with DW.

We were on a family weekend away a couple of weeks ago, staying in a nice(ish) hotel. DW has this (in my opinion) mortifying habit of calling out “Housekeeping!” in a sing-song voice before entering a room, including our own hotel room. No idea why, she thinks it’s hilarious.

Anyway, fast forward to this week and now DD (4) has started doing it CONSTANTLY. Every time she walks into a room at home, at PIL’s house, even at nursery drop-off! This morning she did it in M&S toilets when someone was actually in there, and I nearly died of embarrassment.

I gently mentioned to DW that maybe we should stop encouraging it, and she got all huffy, saying it’s just a bit of fun and I need to lighten up. But I can’t be the only one who thinks this is just Not A Thing normal people do??

AIBU to want this to stop before DD starts doing it at school? WWYD?

habit of calling out “Housekeeping!” in a sing-song voice before entering a room, including our own hotel room. No idea why, she thinks it’s hilarious.

Is that every time she enters a room anywhere?

Sounds as if it would get old quickly tbh if so (or perhaps even if not so!)

Gosh, that's really not embarrassing at all. DD who has a foghorn voice once looked two men up and down on a tram and told them that men have willies and women have vaginas. Then a man with one leg got on the same tram and my anxiety went through the actual roof. She more recently told an older class mum she looked exactly like her grandma - which she sees as a massive compliment as she loves my mum. And another class mum was told she'd worn the same outfit three days in a row on the school run.

If you've ever visited Cork city you might know the Echo man by the General Post Office. My DS when he was about 3 stood opposite him yelling 'echo' back to him, we were mortified. He went around yelling this randomly for a week or two.

Anyway, fast forward to this week and now DD (4) has started doing it CONSTANTLY. Every time she walks into a room at home, at PIL’s house, even at nursery drop-off! This morning she did it in M&S toilets when someone was actually in there, and I nearly died of embarrassment.

I agree with most PP that you need to unclench a bit. I'd laugh if I saw/heard a little kid saying that.

If your wife wants to REALLY push your child's development though, how about training her to say 'Cabin crew, arm the doors' whenever she's out and about? 😀

I still don’t understand why a child shouting the word housekeeping would be inappropriate at a Doctor’s Surgery or assembly. She’s saying it as she walks in, like your wife does. It’s from Home Alone, she wouldn’t just randomly shout it.

If she said ‘Listen up ya cunts, housekeeping has arrived so pick up ya dirty pants you filthy bastards!’

You really need to lighten up. It’s now just a little in joke between your wife and child. She’s not saying it to be hysterically funny. There is a line in Dumb & Dumber where he shouts ‘cheque please’ at a waitress when he needs to leave quickly. Me and My husband often say it when eating out, not loudly but to each other, it’s just a little joke.

It would drive me mad hearing the same predictable joke over and over again from a grown up.

We do this too - I picked it up from Mrs Doubtfire - one of those film one liners that sticks. It’s just a bit of fun IMO.

I work in a hotel/restaurant in "housekeeping" and was filling the soap dispensers in the gents when a little girl wandered in, she had misread the door signs as they are in Italian (there are symbols as well but not everyone notices)
Her response was "Oh bum this is the boys room"
It made me smile and her mum looked horrified as I walked out with my cleaning tray. I said to her don't worry she will see far worse in the ladies!
Honestly the ladies toilets are left in an appalling state by the users compared with the gents!

It’s not embarrassing in M&S toilets or in a GP surgery. I could understand finding it annoying though. She’s will probably do it for a few days then stop.

🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but uptight husband , chill out 🤣🤣
Ahh sure it’s only Fun 🤷🏻‍♀️😊

Your wife sounds ridiculous. WHY does she think it’s hilarious to shout ‘Housekeeping!’ Sounds idiotic.

People have little jokes with their children. Just because you're a misery guts doesn't mean she's idiotic. People can be silly with children, it's called fun.

Blimey.
From your post i expected it to be something a little risque!!

I can appreciate it may get a bit grating if the word "housekeeping" is being overworked by your wife on a daily basis.

No way in God's purple universe is this mortifying or embarrassing though. I'm sure your daughter sounds adorable when she says it.

If you wanted to crush DW spirit, you could just tell her she's done that one to death now, it's getting on your bloody tits, and to shut tf up!!

Alternatively, you could attempt to find it endearing. Perhaps suggest she tries it with a bit of role play in the bedroom whilst wearing a little french maid outfit and waving a feather duster (her, not you!!!)😅🤣😂
The sexual connotations may even discourage her using the word elsewhere.
Worth a try.

I think you really need to up your embarrassment threshold..... this is seriously minor, I was hoping for something more scandalous!

Not gonna lie, I was expecting some juicy gossip. Disappointing.

It's a joke and your daughter will have forgotten about it by next week... unless you keep making a big deal out of it.

Lighten up!

It's boring - the wife has done it to death. If she stops hopefully the child will too.

It's fine, she'll grow out of it or she'll carry on doing it until she's your wife's age. People will think it's cute/funny or annoying or a bit cringe. So what?

My kids have done far more embarrassing things that they picked up from copying me. Now they are teens they would not be caught copying anything their mum does.

Is your wife a family guy fan? Because the minute I read your post it made me think of a silly Peter Griffin from family guy bit where he says ‘housekeeping’ in a sing song voice and a few of us who used to watch it together at uni still say it on occasion if we are entering a room 😂

I tend to agree, I'd ultimately start thinking this:

Finding one thing idiotic does not make someone a misery guts, even if you personally think it is funny.

Sooo glad i’m not the only one to recognise it! 😂

Everyone involved needs to get a grip.

In the scheme of embarrassing things kids do, this is nothing. DD went through a stage of shouting 'Fucking hell!' in public when she was little. As a man held a door open for us, she loudly asked me why he had no teeth. Son announced loudly in a waiting room that he liked my moustache (I'm F). My brother asked my mum, in a shop, if she had pants on, when she ignored him, he asked her even louder. And his finest moment was during Christmas dinner (he's a lot younger than me), when out of nowhere he informed us that his willy was very little but dad's was ENORMOUS (complete with arms held wide) - that was in front of various family members and my new partner. Kids all say and do embarrassing things. You just have to laugh. They usually grow out of it

if this is the only problem you have in life I’d say you were doing pretty well