To Think I Live A Completely Different Life

[xSnowFairyx]

……to most other Mumsnetters?

Recent threads and comments, as well as ‘cliche’ MN things make me feel like I’m living in a parallel universe.

A lady on here was shaken and terrified when her OWN HUSBAND rang their doorbell last night at 11pm because he’d forgotten his keys. She thought it was as a serial killer. Then so many other MN’ers refuse to answer their door. They think ringing a bell is rude. They are always “shaken” by an unexpected visitor or knock at the door. Or think their neighbours are up to something but are too terrified and shaken to have a grown up conversation with them about: parking, driveways, boundaries etc.

Another lady was demanding a GP appointment because she’d tripped over (or had some accident) and her big toe was hurty/bruised. She didn’t want to go to Minor Injuries. Then all the other “should I go to A&E threads”. It’s just madness. Why is there no common sense? Why do people ask anonymous strangers on the internet without consulting a GP, pharmacist, 111 or bloody NHS .uk first?

Why is everything too “outing”? We have a population of around 70 million people. Don’t get me started on the outing hobbies or activities. Especially the husbands.

What’s the deal with “hosting”? When my friends or family come round, it’s just them coming round. I am not a “host” I am a human being enjoying the company of my loved ones in my home.

So many recent benefits bashing threads. A recent person on here was asking if they and their family should report another family member for fraud as they received PIP but could “walk miles”. Complete lack of common sense and human decency.

And so many MIL and SIL bashing threads. I genuinely have not met one single person in real life who doesn’t get on with their partners family.
And, the amount of people who don’t class In-laws as family. Of course your husband/wife’s family is now part of your family! Also same for step children.

It honestly feels like a parallel universe. But as we say in Yorkshire, nowt as funny as folk.

I see Mumsnet through the same lens I used to watch Jeremy Kyle: 1. For free entertainment, and 2. Because although my family and friends might seem a bit weird sometimes, it’s reassuring to be reminded that we are actually pretty sane, competent and decent compared with many of the posters here.

I agree with you in the main but it is amazing how many times Ive spotted people I knkw know here over the years.
Its a bit like whatthreewords. I identified my mate because she mentioned something her cat did and talked about her football team. Another one because of a slang term she uses and a story about her DS.
I told one them (but not the other as she is a massive cow and she ended up getting banned!)

Wellll I agree strongly with alot of what you said... but strongly disagree with a few others.

We all have different opinions and feelings on issues.

Cycling always seems to be the most outing hobby for middle age husbands. It's well known that so far men take up cycling for their mid life crisis that we would all know exactly who they were referring too.

Everyone on a chat forum is here instead of speaking to a real human being in real life.

That might be because you're stuck on the sofa BFing when everyone else is busy, or you're a sociable person but your DP just isn't these days, or you want to share some things you daren't tell anyone IRL.

Or, it could be because you're antisocial and don't really like people. I reckon there are a lot of people like that here, hence all the hiding from door bells and making a huge deal out of hosting.

I think we all find things that other people do odd at times. I always amazed by the people who couldn't possibly use a bath towel twice without washing it.

OP I agree with most of your list, but not the A&E thing.

I think out loud. Having a chat with other people - random strangers on Mumsnet if no one is available here - really helps me organise my own thoughts. Especially if I have to make a big decision, like should I go to A&E. That's just the way my brain works.

The door bell thing is odd through because it suggests people have failed to understand that burglars and murders don't tend to ring to be let in.

This sounds like a classic mumsnet post to me, by a classic mumsnetter.

‘I can’t understand how people live their lives so differently to me, so I’m going to validate my life by posting in AIBU about a seeming innocuous issue to prove I’m not just normal but superior’.

I’m amazed how much your vote is swung to yanbu. How sanctimonious! ‘I use the daft wee plebs for my late night entertainment’. You could use the understanding that You Live A Completely Different Life to many MNers (I strongly dislike capitalisation of all words in a sentence btw - wow two people have different opinions or ways of doing things) to develop some compassion or insight into other people’s lives.

But instead here you are sneering and implying someone is a weirdo if they have difficult in laws or they find cooking for lots of people stressful and call it ‘hosting’.

100% this.

The op reeks of superiority which is generally what most posters seem to be obsessed by on here. If someone does something different to them they are not different, they are inferior.

Laugh away OP but you’re still here.

There are many, many twats and weirdos on MN (the internet in general) but I’ve also had some very good advice and support so I wouldn’t knock it.

I didn't read the doorbell thread so I'm not commenting on that but ringing the doorbell absolutely is a common tactic burglars use to check if anyone is in. It's very common.
If you answer, they make something up, pretend to be a Jehovah or something, but if you don't, they will decide you're not in/are asleep and go ahead with their plan (they may have watched your routine beforehand)

It happened to my mum's best friend. She would normally have been at work, but was home as she had a hospital appointment. The doorbell rang, she didn't answer as she was busy getting ready for the appointment. She then looked out of her bathroom window and saw them coming over her back fence and crowbarring their way in through the french doors. She shat herself, locked herself in the bathroom and called the police. She could hear them in her bedroom, taking her jewellery, and then they tried the bathroom door, realised someone was in there and promptly legged with with jewellery and cash.

Police said it's often exactly how daytime burglaries go. Minus the victim being home.

I strongly dislike capitalisation of all words in a sentence btw.

I capitalised the words in the title. Not a sentence. Btw.

Of course I’m laughing, MN is hilarious.

I’m beginning to wonder if mumsnet are generating AI posts to bulk the forum.
Some recent replies are far fetched.

It looks shit in a title too!!

I know I don’t live in the MN world because I can’t believe how many people give themselves £150 a month “personal spends” and think it’s plenty. I spent more than that on one night out which was dinner somewhere average, a couple of drinks and an uber home. How is one supposed to cover socialising, clothes, skin care, hair appointments, takeaways, occasional coffee & cake, books and other fripperies with £150 a month?

Competitive underspending is very, very MN.

Extreme Ironing - crying lol
Also never outing like exploring 17th century Slavic poetry via the medium of mime/ conker whittling / morris dancing …

As you say just shitty cycling or golf- see also LD running or rowing club - not remotely outing

Agreed for middle income families that is low.
We burn through 600 allocated each as a monthly ‘ personal slush fund’ and have a separate joint pot for anything we do together. Holidays, phones, gym, cars are another pot again

When we were starting out, however, I don't think we really even had allocated personal spends as the money wasn’t really there I don’t think

We’re you not skint in 20s/30s with young family /high mortgage shit 2nd hand cars always going wrong /childcare costs etc? X

It’s just a title 🤣🤣🤣🥲

So many things make me roll my eyes on here, so agree with you there. Regarding your first point, though, I am one of those 40 year olds masquerading as a competent adult but am not. I have next to no resilience and spend an extraordinary amount of energy just trying to appear normal. I ruminate over every little interaction, it’s shit. It’s embarrassing. Have had therapy, but I can’t control it.

I can see from having 2 children that if I didn’t have one who is uniquely wired, and had 2 who are more typical like my younger one, I would struggle not to judge because I wouldn’t have experienced it. Of course some people are precious and need to get over themselves, not always easy to tell.

Oh and the outing hobby gets to me too, seems a bit much.

I do know of people who eye roll and are irritated by their in laws in my peer group
Also I’m a social worker so see a lot of family dysfunction as well.

I have never come across, however, the howling, wailing, infamous oft mentioned MN MIL’s - prostrate on the floor in hysterics flailing about.

I’ve also met people who don’t eat very much but some of the descriptions of the tiny portions served by family members eg I slice of chicken, 1 boiled new potato and six peas are just daft made up bullshit in my view

the shark jumping especially in AIBU is bonkers !

Op, I was with you until the bit about not getting on with the in-laws. I've stayed single for 15 years to avoid acquiring any more in-laws. Never again 😁

But I guess that's it. We all have our limits. Some get anxious, some have.hypochondria. I draw the line at having my life made a misery by rude entitled interfering people in my home.

You must be perfect if none of these things happen to you.

I always wonder what type of mumsnetter would put up with those insufferable peacocking twats.

I'm sorry but absolutey not.
Her husband was out, she was expecting him home, she often leaves her phone downstairs, which her husband knew, but she still though he should have text (that she wouldn't have heard) and when he rang the doorbell to his own house she had a "nervous system breakdown."
That's not normal by any stretch of the imagination.
This is a grown adult woman (like many on MN) who has children to look after.
How on earth does she navigate life?
And it's just one of many batshit scenarios posted on here.
Discussing and criticising posts like this isn't weird at all.