RudeElf I've been here more years than I care to remember and this thread is not something to be proud of.
Yes, mumsnet can be a place of honesty, frankness and fantastic support, as well as entertainment and with and all that stuff. And the lack of fluffiness is refreshing.
But it can also be a place where people put the boot in for sport, and treat other posters with shocking lack of thought or anything approaching kindness and let's not pretend otherwise.
And as the years go by, the level of wit seems to drop, and the numbers of people who just want to have a fucking go grow.
However - MamaGJ mumsnet can be a place of fantastic support, RudeElf is right about that, and also a place where you can learn an awful lot, about parenting, any random subject under the sun, and yourself (might sound corny but it's true!)
But you're not wrong about the bitchiness. It's rife, and this thread is not a good example of mumsnet IMO.
There's frank, and there's being heartless. They're not the same thing.
But, there is still a lot of good here, if you do stick around I'd advise to try to avoid AIBU till you've got the measure of the place.