To ask what the most ridiculous advice/suggestion you've seen on here is?

[Phillipconnarthy]

I was looking for ways to pay off my credit card faster and was told by somebody that I should sell my TV (it cost around £110) on which I only have Netflix and don't pay for a licence as I don't watch anything else.

I was told watching TV is a luxury and I should be happy with just listening to the radio!
It made me feel that some people think people with debt or low income don't deserve even the simplest of pleasures.

Has anyone else had silly advice?

The early covid days were particularly terrible.

A low-light was a poster who was just making up rules as they went along and wanted to report her neighbours kids all from the same house for playing football in the park because "football is banned".

The OP somehow thought that public matches being temporarily stopped meant the sport itself was somehow a covid risk and had been banned so kids couldn't kick a ball about

A frightening number agreed with her and said yes OP report roolz is roolz.

Same with all the outside exercise posters who thought the government had published a list of exactly what exercise was allowed when they'd just published a guide about how often and said exercise e.g walking, running, cycling and whatever.

Which some people decided was the only permitted exercise and were running round MN telling people they couldn't rollerskate or do yoga in the park.

Oh another one, posted this before and it's one I've had in real life too.

If they won't get dressed just do the school run in their pyjamas. It will be a hilarious escapade that will be talked about for years. Don't worry about dull things like the real life practicalities of actually doing it by yourself.

Yeah that one can fuck off.

Abso-fucking- lutely!

And getting the child to actually go if it did exist, with no worse behavioural consequences after as you'd fucked up their routine/spent all their "spoons"

You need to increase your income/get a better job. Yes I'm sure the OP who is struggling to pay the bills has never thought of that. If only it were so easy.

Likewise 'move to a cheaper area' is often suggested to posters mentioning they can't afford a bigger house and their children may have to share a room.

Lots of advice given to a parent of a disabled child by people who are not the parent of a similar disabled child.

"Use your DLA for that'

And the idea that DLA goes into a seperate pot to be used soley on activities,therapy for the diasabled child

Regarding useless dads, ive seen this one a lot: "just hand him the baby and go out for a few hoursand turn your phone off!". I have never known any mother with a crap partner who would actually do this- they wouldn't trust him alone with the baby and would be worried sick. And the one woman I knew who did do this, he just took the baby round to her mum's, dumped them there and buggered off to the pub!

EDIT: sorry, hadnt read the full thread- @bbq1 beat me to it!

Some posters go completely nuts over the prospect of an attached woman having dinner, say, with a single male friend. I remember one mad thread where the OP (happily partnered) had vouchers for a decent restaurant and was considering inviting her pal. Posters were falling over one another to warn her not to invite him, because ... candlelight, fine wine ... he would Get Ideas and they would inevitably be having an affair before the evening was out.

Does anyone remember that awful one where the OP posted about havng put on a lot of weight around her stomach area and becoming breathless?

One poster went on a complete crusade about cutting out Carbs/ upping your exercise routine/ how women become lazy post menopause... And then it turned out the OP actually had ovarian cancer, quite advanced. She was remarkably unbitter about it all, but if there was ever a time not to rush in with judgement...

@TheGoddessFrigg I remember watching that one on real time. Even after OP came back to say what the diagnosis was, there were still people saying, cut the carbs, do sit-ups.

I also remember the lady bleeding through towels who turned out to have sepsis. Loads of people saying it’s not that bad, just a heavy period. she could have died.

Being Peri has given me loads of weird changes to my otherwise regular as clockwork body. I always think of those two threads and go to the GP with something that is worrying and unusual for me.

Came back to add: the amount of ableist comments on here is ridiculous. I remember one mum of a teenage autistic son saying that she "deliberately" drove/walked unfamiliar routes with him because "He has to adapt". I felt for the poor lad- imagine his panic!

Also (last one I promise- apparently you can only edit your post once on here now). Not advice but "should we blend our families?", when, let's say, one partner has two kids and a small 3 bed house. The other has 3 kids of their own. The "advice" is usually "Yes! We blended our families and everyone is SO happy and get on SO well!" (well, according to them). The first person's two kids, who previously happily had their own rooms and private space, now have to share (half the time at the very least) with virtual strangers, and this is just imposed on them without any thought or consideration of their feelings.

You're remembering that one incorrectly.

The woman had just had a baby.

She was posting about heavy postpartum bleeding, fever and confusion and some MN posters told her it could be sepsis and to go to A and E immediately.

She had retained products after birth and sepsis.

Then the MN legend got twisted and everyone having an exceptionally heavy period was told they probably had sepsis and go to A and E.

An op posted about how a woman at the gym she went to wandered about stark naked in the changing rooms, generally getting in everyone's way, and op was told she should be kind as maybe the lady couldn't afford a towel!!! 😅

Oh yeah and the other one that sticks in my mind was the woman who said she only makes her side of the bed, her dh had to do his own side ....I mean, who has the energy to live like that???

I remember one with a woman who had terminal lung disease and an ex demanding child support payments. Loads of people telling her to get a job and calling her a scrounger. That was one I was glad to see deleted.

Telling posters that their useless, disinterested bloke will have to parent 50% of the time if they kick him out.

No, he won't. He'll just be useless, disinterested and even more absent than he is already. By all means kick him out, but it'll be for the freedom of independence and parenting with zero support, not to give you a break and the ability to not have to parent for 182 days a year.

Get another job to increase your income… because everyone has childcare available at the drop of a hat at all hours.

Get a better paid job… they did and then the cost of living hit.

If you're not sure about having kids have one, having just one is like being childfree anyway.

No , it fucking isn't.

With all the benefit changes coming up, it seems to be totally tone deaf suggestions to disabled people. Anyone worried about the changes is met with "what are you doing to prepare for work?" and none of it is meant in good faith.
I was told to apply for part time librarian jobs because I post on MN. I don't have a degree and no librarys are recruiting anyway.