Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)

[Pseudonym]

The little girl was about 5, so it wasn't like she was a newborn or anything. I found it quite sad, that she didn't seem to have anything for herself or anything else to talk about. She dropped out of the course quite early on, and it was clear from a couple of days in that she wasn't going to make it.

I wondered that too, what happens when her daughter is a teenager and starts breaking away? She's going to be completely lost if she hasn't regained something of herself by then, and no teenager appreciates having a parent clinging to them.

[Carol the Dabbler]

A college friend and I have kept sporadically in touch over the years, and there was one spell when all she mentioned in her letters was her kids, to the point where I actually wrote back saying OK, glad to hear your kids are doing well -- but I didn't go to college with them, so what have YOU been up to lately? (Near as I recall, I didn't hear from her again for quite a while, so I may have been just a tad abrupt.)

 

But you'll be glad to know that she doesn't do that any more. She mentions her kids and grandkids now and then, but not to the exclusion of everything else. So there IS a light at the end of the tunnel!

 

'Course, nowadays what she mostly talks about is the health problems she and her husband are having, now that they're older. Moral of the story: Be careful what you wish for.

[Shadow Dweller]

VBS and Pseudonym's stories sounds similar with my own past experiences. Toby's wondering make sense in the light of my friend's behaviour. She really loves children to the point of working in a place where children and teenagers with behavioural problems was living in some kind of boarding house. My friend wants children of her own but she cannot stand the idea of living in an apartment with another adult. She often talk about her 'students' and when I fed up I finally told her that I don't like children. She still forced that particular subject at times and each time she did that I either changed to a subject that I know she didn't have interest on or immediately cut off the connection. She would always reach back to me the next time she want to talk again. The last time she talk about children I remind her again about my dislike to them and she dare to say, "But I like them." Oh really, I thought to myself while cutting the connection. What about my dislike to them, is it not worthy enough for you to mind when you have a portion of my precious time and attention? Why the heck should I care about your feeling if you often so casually trampled mine like that for your own personal gratification? Toby's words reminds me to that and I think my friend might be using children to fulfill something that she perceived as didn't have in life up to this point. Why I think that she might be using children for that? Because what she often talk about is how cute (and all its variants) and when I steered towards the next few years when toddlers becomes teenagers and finally young adults she seems to grudgingly admit that. Babies especially, she would go CRAZY about them.

[T.o.b.y]

Just curious: all of you who don't like children, at what age did you begin to feel that way? Did you already dislike other kids when you were little yourself? Also, how old does a person have to be to not be disliked on the grounds of age any more?

 

I don't feel very differently about children than I do about people in general, I think. Meaning I wish everyone well (almost everyone) but would rather not interact with the majority most of the time. I do have a very strong maternal instict though; I couldn't hurt a child and I can't watch movies where children have to suffer a lot or come to great harm.

[J.P.]

I never could deal with children younger than me (which sadly also includes mentally disabled people)

I made some exceptions for teenagers, especially when they shown a particular kind of intelligence/maturity. :D
Today another colleague visited with her kid and the girls in my office got into the -mode, I feared they might got pregnant from the sight alone. Yeah, a cute kid. So what?

[SherlockedCAMPer]

I would have been like the girls in the office by I love little kids especially if they aren't walking yet.

[Pseudonym]

Just curious: all of you who don't like children, at what age did you begin to feel that way? Did you already dislike other kids when you were little yourself? Also, how old does a person have to be to not be disliked on the grounds of age any more?

 

I don't feel very differently about children than I do about people in general, I think. Meaning I wish everyone well (almost everyone) but would rather not interact with the majority most of the time. I do have a very strong maternal instict though; I couldn't hurt a child and I can't watch movies where children have to suffer a lot or come to great harm.

 

I never much liked kids, when I was a kid I didn't like other kids, when I was a teenager I didn't like other teenagers, and I don't much like people now.   I don't dislike people on the grounds of age, it's more that kids tend to get shoved into your face more than other folk, so if you're indifferent it's harder to hide. No one shows you photos of their other family members constantly, "look here's my nan, here she is eating soup, here she is sleeping, here she is in the garden..." No one would expect a non-family member to want to look at those photos or find them interesting, so why is it any different if it's a kid? 

 

I agree with your point about wishing everyone well but not wanting to interact. I think that sums up my feelings really, I'm not wishing ill on anyone, I just don't want to have kids thrust upon me by parents thinking that their little darlings will be the ones special enough to change my outlook. 

[Shadow Dweller]

Just curious: all of you who don't like children, at what age did you begin to feel that way? Did you already dislike other kids when you were little yourself? Also, how old does a person have to be to not be disliked on the grounds of age any more?

 

I don't feel very differently about children than I do about people in general, I think. Meaning I wish everyone well (almost everyone) but would rather not interact with the majority most of the time. I do have a very strong maternal instict though; I couldn't hurt a child and I can't watch movies where children have to suffer a lot or come to great harm.

 

Ever since I can remember. I used to find people in my own age group and below to be chaotic, disturbing and just plain (brain) slow (see what is really makes me dislike people in general? lol). I prefers to interact with people from older age groups, they just have so much things to teach me about life and they have bigger chance to understand what I am talking about.

 

My maternal instinct seems to be directed mostly to dogs and cats no matter the age but I do often fantasizing of dispersing 'justice' to people who harm those who did not attacked them on the first place.

[Carol the Dabbler]

No one shows you photos of their other family members constantly, "look here's my nan, here she is eating soup, here she is sleeping, here she is in the garden..." No one would expect a non-family member to want to look at those photos or find them interesting, so why is it any different if it's a kid?

 

  That's a great analogy!  I personally don't necessarily mind looking at other people's photos if they're interesting (e.g., some vacation photos, and I might actually enjoy seeing how Granny eats soup, who knows.)  But I do have my limits, which vary widely due to circumstances.

[Shadow Dweller]

Reuters just showed a video clip about the way one of the Turkmenistan's delegates hold a puppy compared with how Putin doing it soon after. Now I feels like strangling the first for being cruel to the puppy.

[Van Buren Supernova]

What Pseud said.

I don't generally dislike kids, just not a fan of them, always choose not to interact and wouldn't actively approach one.

 

But I really dislike spoilt kids, although mostly it's parent's fault. Spoilt kids include those who take everything for granted, little diva, and especially those who are rude and look down at people who are not in their social status or certain background. Words can't describe how I despise responsible adults that inspire or ignore this kind of behaviors. Family day, I saw kid of colleague approached another colleague, who happened to love kids and happy to see one, the kid associated her nationality with domestic worker and ask her if she was one and made a point of practicing few words that meant do you eat shit then that appalled me to this day. The mother, laughed because it's frigging cute. I'd rather human go extinct that these people helping to populate after zombie apocalypse.

 

And yah, I don't like kids also when I was one. I remember didn't understand the reasons some behaved the way they were. Boys were annoying, girls were dramatic and fragile. Some are bully and mean to others (oh they left me alone) and some had serious hygiene issue, and one ate play-doh every day.

 

Having said that, my brother's kids seem to drawn to me, maybe because I hardly meet them, and I made up games. They seem to enjoy my nonsense, imaginary world and faces that I make.

Short and rare is fine, but for long period, I think they could nag me to death.

 

Actually I probably wouldn't mind some dose of kid like Archie.

If I were Sherlock, I would be very annoyed with Sarah but probably entertain Archie. Sarah is nosy, Archie is curious. That's the differences in my eye. :p

 

 

P.S. Dogs are angels human don't deserve. I really mean that.

[T.o.b.y]

Yeah, it's kind of hard for me to understand how some people can hate dogs. Dogs are wonderful.

 

I wasn't too fond of interacting with other kids myself when I was little. I love how Mycroft says "other children" in The Empty Hearse. My sentiments exactly! I was an "odd" child who much preferred spending my vacations with grandparents and other elderly relatives over any kind of camp. In fact, I had a horror of being sent to camp (anybody familiar with "Adams Family: Family Values?" Where Wendsday and Pugsley go to summer camp? That REALLY resonated with me). My parents tried that once - never again. They were very kind, fortunately, and my grandparents didn't mind my company so for a few weeks every year at least I got to get away from my peers.

 

I didn't realize little children could be cute and fun or that I had any kind of mother instinct until I got little cousins.

[Arcadia]

This all sounds very familiar. Oh right, you all are describing me!

[Van Buren Supernova]

.., and one ate play-doh every day.

  

 

This all sounds very familiar. Oh right, you all are describing me!

I knew it!!!

[Arcadia]

Wait, what??! No, I meant when you were describing yourselves....

 

Actually, I tried to eat play-doh once. Didn't like it, didn't see what the other kids saw in it. The colors are pretty.

[Carol the Dabbler]

It smells funny, as I recall -- like vanilla, but not like something to eat.  My school didn't have it, though, we had modeling clay -- which is similar but the colors aren't as bright.  I don't recall anyone eating that, though some kids would eat from their jar of paste.

[Pseudonym]

It's eating snot that gets me. Other peoples snot is one of those things that I one hundred per cent can not deal with, I heave just seeing it. That's another reason kids horrify me, they seem to produce inhuman amounts. Lol, there's a comedian here called Ross Noble, and he once compared his newborn baby daughter to a hagfish because of the sheer amount of slime she seemed to produce from everywhere. 

[J.P.]

 

I love how Mycroft says "other children" in The Empty Hearse.

Thanks for reminding me why the show messed with my head that much. :D

 

Mother instinct? What's that? There is something like protective instinct that kicks in once in a while, but only towards people at least in their teens.

 

ETA: I have to correct myself. My mother instinct (or something I think might be mother instinct) kicks in when I look at pics of BC looking like a five years old. That's why he's special, methinks.

[T.o.b.y]

 

 

I love how Mycroft says "other children" in The Empty Hearse.

Thanks for reminding me why the show messed with my head that much. :D

 

Mother instinct? What's that? There is something like protective instinct that kicks in once in a while, but only towards people at least in their teens.

I assume you're being ironic and you do actually know what mother instinct is. But in case you really were wondering what it feels like: Do you like dogs? Because studies have shown that neuro-chemically, fondling your dog (and specifically this species, it isn't the same with other pets apparently) is pretty similar to cuddling your infant.

 

If you think about this further, it even leads to similar advantages for the relationship: tolerance of the object of affection's saliva, excrement, smell, destruction of property etc.

 

What a smart wolf that must have been who discovered that he could tap into the biology of human parenting.

[Pseudonym]

Holding my Siamese is a lot like holding a baby. I specify that one cat over the others because she's a lot more dog like. Plus when I pick her up she'll turn and tuck her legs in against my chest with her head on my shoulder. She's a little odd ball. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

It's eating snot that gets me. Other peoples snot is one of those things that I one hundred per cent can not deal with, I heave just seeing it.

 

Eating other people's snot -- how the heck does anybody do that!  (Please note that's an exclamation mark at the end of the previous sentence, not a question mark.  I'm simply astonished that anyone would do it.  I do not want to know how they do it.  Yecch.)

[Pseudonym]

I don't know anyone does do it...? It's not what I meant, I meant people eating their own snot. 

[Arcadia]

And now I'm ready to heave...

[Carol the Dabbler]

I don't know anyone does do it...? It's not what I meant, I meant people eating their own snot.

 

Oh.  Thank goodness.  I won't even ask for specifics, I'll just quit while I'm ahead, more or less.

 

When my brother was little (maybe three), he discovered that he could freak people out by smelling their feet.  So of course he made a point of doing it.  Somebody would kick off their shoes to take a nap on the couch, and he'd be right there, grabbing hold  around their ankle and proclaiming "I gonna smell you feet" while inhaling deeply.  He claims he doesn't remember doing that.

[Pseudonym]

... Gross.