Childfree - how did you find MN?

[HenriettaTheVIII]

Many years ago I was out with a group and a couple of mums were talking about a few threads and the bun fights happening on them. They showed them to me one was about school gate cliques and the other breastfeeding in public toilets. It was a fascinating eye opener for me especially the school gate chatter but after that lunch I forgot about MN until I was searching for how to get that musty smell out of washed gym clothes. I saw a thread complaining about a neighbours renovation and got hooked 😁

I knew of it from various media/Facebook articles about noteworthy threads, but came on to post back in 2016 when a friend set me up on a blind date and I wanted some advice.

I searched for advice about self-catering holidays in France, having never done one before, and found plenty of help here.

I found it because I was looking for advice on antidepressants a couple of months back, utterly hooked now. I'd obviously heard of it, but it was not for me owing to no children, I do however have 2 SSs, it's not the friendliest place to be for the lowly step mum.

Googling 'emetophobia' in 2013.

Ten years ago, I goggled the name of a medication a new doctor had prescribed that I was nervous about. I think maybe I then read a parking thread... Still took me ages to join and then post.

Goggled!

Googled how to clean something I forget what now ended up in housekeeping some house took a wrong turn at AIBU and got hooked on the nonsense about 10 years ago.

I googled fibroids and ended up on Mumsnet.

I found it through all the threads that get posted into the mainstream media and thought some of these can’t be real so I logged on and low and behold there’s thousands of them so I stayed and became hooked on anonymous idiots with no common sense 😆

I’m no longer child free, but was for about my first two years on mumsnet. Found it (through google) a useful source of information and comfort after a mmc and then trouble conceiving again. Also enjoyed the parking threads (penguin bollards), cf threads, etc.

Looking for discussion about The Archers.

I googled something to do with a household chore and discovered a whole world of interest. I joined to air my views on click Batie Hopkins and her arseholery re ginger babies.

Googling advice about bullying in the workplace. That was almost 10 years ago!

I was on a hobby related forum.

Incidentally it had quite a few fairly vocal Childfree posters then one of them got pregnant. She joined MN for pregnancy related stuff but she used to link to some of the madder stuff on here.

I remember reading Penis Beaker all the way through, and one about washing getting darked on.

Then a while later I joined properly when I was feeling unsure and thinking maybe I had changed my mind about having children.

It is the bonkers stuff, the feminism and the genuine intelligent posts about things like Brexit, investments and pensions that keep me here.

The other forum is much quieter these days due to Facebook groups so I still post there but not as much.

Oh yes that's another thread that keeps me here!!!!

20,000th episode tonight, should be a big cliff hanger! 😱

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon I bloody loved washing getting darked on 😂

A (childfree) friend I met on another mustard-coloured board recommended it about 10 years ago and I was sceptical, but she said it was full of witty informed intelligent women talking about all sorts of things. Tried it, found it to be as she said, and have never left (lots of namechanges). Mostly read/lurk on the feminism threads, chat, AIBU, relationships, The Archers and post most frequently on the telly threads atm. And now here. Ironically have now stopped posting on the other board......

My cat Troy was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and when I googled it up popped The Litter Tray.

Relationship board - was single and online dating which nearly broke me! Think I must have googled something and a mn thread came up. Found it really interesting and helpful. Then started to read other posts and got hooked!

Stumbled across it looking at relationship advice many moons ago - actually around 20 years now.

Stayed for the bun fights.

I heard it was infested with TERFs. Stayed for AIBU madness.

I wanted to know about different areas to consider moving to and MN hit the spot. And with advice about white emulsion with no yellow tinge. Now I enjoy The Doghouse, property, gardening, and the relationships stuff is like the Cathy and Claire problem page writ large.

Same for me. I think it was the thread where a wedding guest sent a cheque and the happy couple said it wasn't enough.

Googled advice of info on something non child/parenting related which brought me to a thread on here. I had no idea how wide the forums were.

Googling about best hoover.