A gem from my Dad.

[kickassangel]

I'm staying with my parents for the next few days. Today my Dad went to get an eye test at Boots, and came back full of how professional it was, and how well all the young ladies looked after him, including the dark skinned one. The young ladies were all quite good looking or at least neatly presented as well.

'Discussion' followed.

Oh kickass ....bloody hell. My dad last month....
Was over there on a Sat night when they were watching their usual types of reality shows.
Cheryl Ferguson came on singing as Meatloaf.
My dad ....Aint that the fat cow from Eastenders.
Me.....long lecture on mysogyny and sexism in which he laughed at me and said "Mysogynist Thats a big word for you"

Yes, and to him anyone under 60 is young. He still finds it difficult that "young ladies" can do sciencey type jobs, like being opticians. Receptionist or teacher (like me) is OK, but anything less traditional freaks him out and needs to be commented on.

Crikey.

I'm sorry, but I cannot help grinning at your description though. Is he like mine, and fondly imagining he'll be getting onto your wavelength with all this nice complimentary talk?

Yes, he thinks he's being inclusive by saying how well the young ladies did, and using the phrase "darker skinned" is definitely progressive for him.

I can't do a dad story, as mine is dead. But my mum came out with a corker. She had found out some details of my soon to be ex sister-in-law's new relationship. She starts relaying all this guff to me about her new boyfriend's past marriage, family, inside leg etc. etc. After a couple of minutes I politely explain that I don't know him, will never know him, and I really have no interest at all in the story.

'Oh, well you can tell Mrs CiscoKid - all women love a good gossip!'

My lovely dad is currently very concerned about my husband becoming a sahd when I go back after mat leave. "He's very young to be giving up his career,maybe you should have a break instead" 1) I'm 9 years younger than hubby if we're worrying about age 2) I earn twice as much and am at the bottom of my profession so the only way is up (hopefully) 3) I've trained for 5 years!!! Bless him.

I think my Dad would worry about your dh's manliness if he knew about that. Of course, he's heard about SAHDs, but in his mind it would only be hippy trippy parents who would do that, or maybe a man who is a bit too much in touch with his feminine side.

Lol kickass I think that part of the reason my dad finds it so odd is that Mr mysterymeg is a rugby playing construction worker with a beard probably just outed myself slightly not the sort of "feminine" man he may have expected.

Its funny as I have talked for years abut the fact that I would work full-time after kids but it only seems to have sunk in for dad mow that dd is here

My father often looks at my OH with a puzzled expression.
He really doesn't understand how the relationship works, or why OH isn't like him in any way at all. OH was the SAHD, could change nappies in a blink doesn't drive or do sports, has no problem with splitting household jobs evenly.
He has done this for 30 years, and dad has been confused and puzzled for the same length of time.
And yes, kickass. That is exactly the sort of conversation we have had many times after appointments in hospitals and opticians and the rest.

My in-laws have been fretting over DH's current career plans. He has been made redundant before, but this year he was quite happy about it, as we have DC2 arriving imminently and I recently got promoted, so he can do all the home stuff and make sure that I get back into the game at work confidently after the paid part of mat leave. After he'd been a couple of months at home fixing things etc, they were round one evening and MIL said to me (exhausted after a 5 day week at work with 8 month enormo-bump and enthusiastically cuddly 4 year old on the sofa while DH bustled around doing drinks, dinner, emptying washing machine) "haven't you got him well trained!". I said deadpan "he came to me ready trained" which to the casual observer might have been a compliment to her, but really wasn't, as there was more than a decade between him leaving home and us getting together.

They are now hugely relieved that he is getting interested in playing on the stock market with his redundancy money, as they can understand a man doing intelligent stuff. The househusbandry (even with a healthy DIY element) worried them.

My dad is so sexist. According to him the reason girls read and boys don't (news to me) is that women have lots of time on their hands when they have babies.

That's a double pronged insult isn't it devilinside. Women have more time on their hands when they have children AKA they are lazy and women don't read before they have children. I sometimes wonder how on earth women even manage to get degrees, qualification, jobs (or are in fact 'allowed' to given some still prevailing attitudes).

My FiL really doesn't get how mine and DH's relationship works either. My MiL does all the household chores, cooking, pays the bills and works her arse off while he just sits on his and hordes crap he collects from skips in his 5 sheds. My DH and I share chores, have a joint account (which I have most control of as DH has an 'easy come, easy go' attitude to money), we both work, but we make sure we have equal leisure time.

FiL tells everyone that I am a hard bitch and that DH is under the thumb

It's how casually these things are trotted out like they are speaking the truth.

My mum was absolutely determined that dsis and I would go to college as she was never allowed (but her brother went) but she still assumes that I will do all the cooking etc, even though I work full time.

My dad left me his house because I was a "single unmarried mother of three with no real chance of finding a helpful, reliable life partner."

Thanks, Dad.

Gosh, I would hate that, but you did get a house.

My parents would wonder if I might return home if I got divorced. Can't have unmarried women rattling around by themselves without a man owning them.

Lesser...that's kind and generous, isn't it?!

My (very Victorian) "spinster" aunt is the one.... She believes "A woman's place is in the home". I thought she was being ironic all these years until my mum told me how much she hates that my SIL often does the driving-obviously a man's job! Also he does most of the cooking-shock horror. She seems blind tot he fact that my brother is big enough and firm enough to say no to something. He would really put his foot down if he didn't want to cook. Mind you - when he was ill (with man flu??), my nephew asked who would make his tea. 'Well, I expect I could" was the sarky response from my SIL to which he replied 'Oh yes you can make ham sandwiches!!!! " He wasn't being cheeky either.

My aunt is also convinced that everyone is obsessed with sex -to the point that my mum's S magazine (comes with the Express??) was "obviously a sex magazine" - no wonder she was eager to read it!

Deathwatch if she thinks S is a sex magazine i wonder what she would make of Scarlet.

www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_4384442/scarlet/

Or New Woman which i was buying a decade ago.
www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_2748312/new-woman-magazine-united-kingdom/2003

Neither Scarlet or New Woman are in print anymore.

I was just looking to start this thread when I found there was one!

My father has been helping out with a lot of DIY in our new house. I got home from work one day and he had run out of x and y so I said DH and I would go to nearest DIY store to get some more.

"Oh no," he said. "DH has been at work I'll come with you instead, he can stay here and relax."

My elderly aunt would never accept a second helping of meat until she had confirmed that 'the men had had enough'....... apparently men need more meat than women......