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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Be honest! What things do you judge in other people’s houses?

623 replies

Teaandsleep · 14/02/2022 21:07

Just a fun post.

Recently doing a huge renovation in our own home and am absolutely mortified at the dust everywhere, I keep having visions of visitors coming to the door and seeing all the dust everywhere, it is thick!

I also currently have a spatula sticking out my down pipe drain as we have just unblocked it and it’s to catch any old leaves/moss until it’s replaced 🤣

OP posts:
Puffalicious · 15/02/2022 10:52

I like to share family experiences

Aren't you just the BEST parent ever! Claps hands.

Puffalicious · 15/02/2022 10:59

@Classicblunder

Monitor it? When they're 17 and 15? What would I be monitoring?

Not so much what they are watching but how much. E.g in the run up to exams, I would have thought it was helpful to be able to say devices go away by 10pm so that they sleep well, hard to do with TVs. Not at 17 maybe but at 13-15

I'm not sure how other parents of teens work, but mine are very aware of what work needs done every school day as well as in the run up to exams: the act of me telling them to not watch too much TV is like teaching my granny to suck eggs! They do what they need to do and use TV/ gaming/ sports as their chill time. Sometimes they're working until bed, sometimes they can relax and do only a small amount. If I was standing over them every evening that would be ridiculous and unnecessary. Have we turned into a nation of helicopter parents until they leave home?!

Both my teens are very successful in school/ assessments/exams without me having controlled their every move. I think they would have been less so if I had! I can tell you don't have teens.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 15/02/2022 11:00

@Puffalicious because anyone with bedroom TV clearly ignores dc and has no “family time”. We have weekend family time walking the dog… is that wholesome enough do you think? Sometimes we leave the teen home and dh and I walk the dog just as a couple… another example of my poor parenting.

tillylula · 15/02/2022 11:01

Grubby high hand traffic areas - remotes, handles, switches ect...

Clutter and too much stuff

Dirty kitchen & bathroom

Hair (human or pet) and crumbs

My house isn't perfect but I can't have those things.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 15/02/2022 11:02

@Puffalicious I’m totally with you on this. Dd is predicted 8s and 9s across all her GCSEs and is totally independent in her learning, despite having her own TV.

Puffalicious · 15/02/2022 11:03

[quote NeedAHoliday2021]@Puffalicious because anyone with bedroom TV clearly ignores dc and has no “family time”. We have weekend family time walking the dog… is that wholesome enough do you think? Sometimes we leave the teen home and dh and I walk the dog just as a couple… another example of my poor parenting.[/quote]
Gosh, you're so awful Need leave the teen home, with a TV on the premises? 😱

Classicblunder · 15/02/2022 11:03

Both my teens are very successful in school/ assessments/exams without me having controlled their every move

Gold star for you!

All kids are different though I am sure all would benefit from your amazing parenting

Puffalicious · 15/02/2022 11:05

[quote NeedAHoliday2021]@Puffalicious I’m totally with you on this. Dd is predicted 8s and 9s across all her GCSEs and is totally independent in her learning, despite having her own TV.[/quote]
It's an absolute wonder how DS1 got straight A* in his Scottish equivalent of GCSEs and Alevels and has 3 unconditionals for RG universities when he has a TV in his room!Confused

Puffalicious · 15/02/2022 11:07

@Classicblunder

Both my teens are very successful in school/ assessments/exams without me having controlled their every move

Gold star for you!

All kids are different though I am sure all would benefit from your amazing parenting

No need to be facetious. No gold stars here or outstanding parenting, just balance, including freedom to have a TV, school as a priority and plenty sports/ hobbies/ downtime. Funnily enough, it sounds like most functioning adults.
Badbaddog · 15/02/2022 11:08

@Puffalicious

I like to share family experiences

Aren't you just the BEST parent ever! Claps hands.

I literally don’t know what your problem is? Is it weird to enjoy spending time with your teens???

Sarcasm. I judge you for that.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 15/02/2022 11:15

@Badbaddog the point you’re missing is that you’re implying that those of us who allow TVs don’t have family time when my experience is that we have lots and often watch tv together or do other things. We also have time when we are not together like tonight I’ll go to the gym, dd3 will have dance, dd2 will probably want to watch tv but she’s younger than Dd1 so Dd1 might want to watch something in her room, or sometimes dd2 snuggles in dd1’s bed and they watch together. Having a TV doesn’t mean isolation and no family time - which is what you are suggesting. My Dd chooses to come and watch tv with us rather than it being her only option.

Your way works for you but your judgement of teens with TVs is inaccurate ime.

Badbaddog · 15/02/2022 11:22

I did point out that this way worked for me and I did not say I judge others for doing what works for them. Unless it’s dirty cat litter of course.

Sorry if I touched a nerve with people.

TakeSomeMoreTea · 15/02/2022 11:23

@Badbaddog

I did point out that this way worked for me and I did not say I judge others for doing what works for them. Unless it’s dirty cat litter of course.

Sorry if I touched a nerve with people.

You said you judged TV's in bedrooms.
coodawoodashooda · 15/02/2022 11:27

If they don't have anywhere comfy to sit.

Badbaddog · 15/02/2022 11:32

No I didn’t. I passed judgement on overclean houses and photo positioning at 0908. I added my experience later to the discussion re TVs in bedrooms, but I wasn’t passing judgement on people who do that. Clearly I should have shut up, lesson learned!

TakeSomeMoreTea · 15/02/2022 11:33

@Badbaddog

Actually I apologise because you didn't actually say that.

mistermagpie · 15/02/2022 11:54

@Butteryflakycrust83

Cat litter stench. You can always tell when people have cats
I have cats and judge this. A lot of cat owners only scoop actual lumps poo out and leave the rest of the litter in the box for DAYS, only fully cleaning the tray once a week or whatever. It's disgusting. Your would leave a pile of wet nappies in a corner for days and this is the same thing I my eyes.

Our trays get fully emptied and cleaned (it takes about two minutes) every day and other than when the cat has literally just done a poo, they don't smell. I only need to use a small amount of litter each time because it's changed so regularly.

You can judge me for letting my cats walk on the kitchen table and surfaces though, I've given up trying to stop them and just clean before eating/preparing food.

Badbaddog · 15/02/2022 12:00

[quote TakeSomeMoreTea]**@Badbaddog

Actually I apologise because you didn't actually say that.[/quote]
Aww thanks, apology accepted! 😊

Puffalicious · 15/02/2022 13:49

*I literally don’t know what your problem is? Is it weird to enjoy spending time with your teens???

Sarcasm. I judge you for that*

Badbaddog My problem is that you come across as incredibly smug and superior by talking about 'sharing family experiences' as if TV is this rarified, golden experience only sanctified by parents on their terms in case it interferes with the DCs self-improvement of reading in their rooms. So MN, so predictable. Teens do all sorts in their rooms- but yours seem to just read, the perfect MN children. My eldest spends most of his battering a drum kit or playing the latest vinyl. As pointed out by Needaholiday21 you imply that people who have TVs in teens' rooms have them there to isolate from their children. Other people with other ideas can enjoy spending lots of time with their teens- whether it's around TV or not. I see loads of mine.

You placed a value judgement of people that you seemed to look down on- as if TV in rooms are a sure sign of lazy parenting. Also by referring to watching a programme as 'shared family experiences' sounds so up it's own arse.

Therefore, IMHO I felt sarcasm was appropriate. Judge away.

DemBonesDemBones · 15/02/2022 14:04

Dogs that bark and jump up.
Everything being grey.
No hand towel.
Dirty toilet.

Badbaddog · 15/02/2022 14:16

@Puffalicious

*I literally don’t know what your problem is? Is it weird to enjoy spending time with your teens???

Sarcasm. I judge you for that*

Badbaddog My problem is that you come across as incredibly smug and superior by talking about 'sharing family experiences' as if TV is this rarified, golden experience only sanctified by parents on their terms in case it interferes with the DCs self-improvement of reading in their rooms. So MN, so predictable. Teens do all sorts in their rooms- but yours seem to just read, the perfect MN children. My eldest spends most of his battering a drum kit or playing the latest vinyl. As pointed out by Needaholiday21 you imply that people who have TVs in teens' rooms have them there to isolate from their children. Other people with other ideas can enjoy spending lots of time with their teens- whether it's around TV or not. I see loads of mine.

You placed a value judgement of people that you seemed to look down on- as if TV in rooms are a sure sign of lazy parenting. Also by referring to watching a programme as 'shared family experiences' sounds so up it's own arse.

Therefore, IMHO I felt sarcasm was appropriate. Judge away.

Well this is an open forum snd you are free of course to interpret my post as smug and superior. It wasn’t how it was intended. You’re also free to be sarcastic if you choose. And I’m free to interpret your posts as aggressive and unpleasant, which actually I believe is how you intended them to be. I won’t be coming to judge your house any time soon, that’s for sure 😂
C8H10N4O2 · 15/02/2022 14:24

You placed a value judgement of people that you seemed to look down on- as if TV in rooms are a sure sign of lazy parenting. Also by referring to watching a programme as 'shared family experiences' sounds so up it's own arse.

That isn't what was said. The poster said they only had one TV so it sat in the room they all shared which is markedly different from your claim of smugness.

Comments like:

I don't check over their ipads either- I've raised them to be responsible and one's leaving for uni in a couple of months FGS.

and

Aren't you just the BEST parent ever! Claps hands

Do put me in mind of glass houses and stones.

Quamora · 15/02/2022 14:27

@TrickyToPickUsername4644

Everyone mentioning cats on the work surfaces...... do you realise cats do what they want and as soon as you leave the room they jump back on them Confused nobody encourages their cats to climb the kitchen surfaces but there's not much you can do about it aside from clean the sides religiously
This is rubbish. My cats were all trained not to jump onto the work surfaces from when we first got them as kittens. They don’t go up there. They also don’t go in the baby’s room or in the beds in any other rooms because they were trained not to. Yes they used to try to go there at first but they stopped when they were booted out/off every time.
ComtesseDeSpair · 15/02/2022 14:29

I always thought I’d trained the cats never to go on the work surfaces. It took a nanny cam to realise that I’d actually only managed to train them to make sure they never did it within my line of sight.

Puffalicious · 15/02/2022 14:32

Badbaddog

You're not invited. I don't do smug, judgey people.