What are your "pet hates'

[ednbarby]

"Because I said so".

That was what my mother said to me whenever I questioned her.

It worked every time too!

I remember I was so mortified the first time I heard that coming out of my mouth.  I thought, "Oh, geez.  I've become my father."

As for your idea, Natali, that's an excellent one.  I've read it before in one of my parenting magazines and of course it makes perfect sense.  And when I have the mental energy, I do use that technique to great success.  But as you know from your sister, keeping a very active and inquisitive kid like her and Will busy constantly is a daunting task.  He does great with this one sitter we hire regularly because she is young and energetic and can keep up with him physically and mentally.  I tell ya, if I had it all to do again and I could still have the same child (yeah, and if ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas), I'd have had Will much earlier in life.  I'm *way* too old for this crap.    (This is the main reason I'm doing the South Beach Diet and bumping up my workouts again - I can't just sit around and lament that I'm too old to keep up with him - being the fixer that I am, I *have* to at least try to do something about it.)

Oh - that brings me to another couple of pet hates:

When people, especially people in management, have a decision-making disorder, and

When people complain endlessly about every little thing but never do a thing to change anything - I call such people Professional Victims, and they drive me to distraction.

[souxi2]

"Because I said so".

That was what my mother said to me whenever I questioned her.

It worked every time too!

Yup David exactly right. My grandfather always used to say..."dont do as I do, do as I say". You didnt argue with him.

[opinionista]

"Because I said so".

That was what my mother said to me whenever I questioned her.

It worked every time too!

That wouldn't work with my sister. No way. "Why?" That'd be her answer. Sometimes I respond "Because"! and she'd go again "But Why?" If I'd tell her, "because you are still a little girl", that'd make her real mad "I am NOT a little girl", she'd say. She was a handful. I when I told my dad about it, he told me, "But she is just like you! I don't know what are you complaining about!"

[Kelda]

Another pet hate I have is children from the neighbourhood that I DO NOT KNOW coming to my door (sometimes with their parent in tow - which aggravates me even more!) and asking me to sponsor their sponsored bounce or whatever.

Now - I give to charity and school, brownie events of my nieces etc so I'm not being tight here - and I would give to kids I knew of for their sponsored bounce for school etc - but I do not like how kids expect perfect strangers to give to them. It really really aggravates me.

I was never ever allowed to knock on doors of people I didn't know in the street asking for money. And those days it wouldn't be considered dangerous as it might be now.

The thing that makes me laugh is the only kids who I do vaguely know (because I say hello to their parents etc & they live 2 doors down) don't come to the door and ask me for money - because their parents obviously don't thini its appropruate to ask peopl they don't reallyt know.

It really riles me for some reason - am I being petty here?

[ednbarby]

It really riles me for some reason - am I being petty here?

Not at all.  The young girls who live a few doors down come by from time to time peddling their wares for their schools, but I don't mind in that case because not only do I know them, their parents really helped Will and me out after the hurricanes a couple of years ago when Ed was stuck in South America.  So I think I owe it to them, and I don't mind if they do, too.

However, when kids come by I don't know from Adam, it irritates me.  For all I know, their parents could be dropping them off at the end of the street.

I also hate it when friends ring your doorbell in the middle of a Saturday afternoon and say, "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd pop in and say hello" then proceed to stay until you almost have to politely ask them to leave.  We have some pseudo-friends who used to do this to us constantly, even while I was on strict bedrest with my pregnancy and after I had recently given birth to Will.  *Extremely* inconsiderate.  What?  You can't pick up a phone or at least call on your cell phone when you're five minutes away so we have the option to turn you down or at least be ready for you?  Selfish bastards.

[serious crayons]

"Because I said so".

That was what my mother said to me whenever I questioned her.

I always vowed that I wouldn't say that -- it's the classic unsympathetic parent line. Now I say it all the time. "Because I said so, and I'm the adult." If I offer some rational reason, my sons will just keep arguing and arguing, looking for loopholes. "Because I said so" doesn't leave room for argument.

[Katie77]

"Because I said so".

That was what my mother said to me whenever I questioned her.

It worked every time too!

This has brought to my memory something my stepfather used to say to me, usually if we were with a group of relatives, and if I wanted to butt in and say something.....
He would say"Little girls should be seen, and not heard"

UGH!!!, when I think of that now, it makes my skin crawl....That was back in the 50's and 60's, but it makes me realize how irrelevant children's opinions were back then.

[ednbarby]

I always vowed that I wouldn't say that -- it's the classic unsympathetic parent line. Now I say it all the time. "Because I said so, and I'm the adult." If I offer some rational reason, my sons will just keep arguing and arguing, looking for loopholes. "Because I said so" doesn't leave room for argument.

I think our sons are triplets who were separated at birth (and by several years).   

[serious crayons]

Should I be really, really worried that my son does this at age 3 and a half?

Yes. Because I can attest from personal experience that you are in for at least nine more rough years, and I assume another six or so after that.

I hate squelching "why," though. I've seen enough 18 to 22-year-olds who aren't curious about the world.

Well, I don't squelch the "Why is the sky blue?" type of questions. I squelch the "Why won't you buy me a (insert expensive electronic product here)?" questions. Because if I say, for example, it's too expensive, the response will be, well why don't you go to the bank, or why can't I just get a six-year advance on my allowance ... and on and on and on until eventually he's asking why I don't just take out a second mortgage on the house.

[Katie77]

Kids are funny arent they?

I remember years ago when the kids were little, and we still had a milk delivery...when the kids wanted an extra flavoured milk or something special the milkman had, I would say "Yes, just tell him to put it on the bill"....

Then one day, I heard my son out at the milk truck, getting an extra carton of milk and he said "Just put it on Bill's........I often wondered if he thought there was a guy called Bill who paid that account.