UO-Thursday!

mrscurlygurl

It's Thursday people! Air those opinions here!!!

ETA: I was being sexist by saying ladies...the gents of our board should share their opinions too :P

Myanswer true

This may be more of a confession than a UO, but people who constantly whine on social media that their kids need to go back to school to "get a proper education, get out of my hair, etc, etc" when the weather is horrible out need to suck it up, buttercup. I understand that the kids are missing out on instructional time, finding last-minute childcare may be difficult, and stir crazy little ones can drive you bonkers, but guess what? You signed on for this gig when you became a parent. Don't complain (especially to the authorities, good lord!) to the point that they won't call off school when the roads are genuinely treacherous or the weather is cold enough to freeze on contact, and then turn around and complain again when your kid gets hurt in a bus wreck! /endteacherrant

yurmom

Bruno Mars is meh

AMcLaws

dlsexton said:

Bruno Mars is meh

This

jensavicci

Woop woop!

Ok I got into a debate about this the other day.

I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way.

I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

mrscurlygurl

jensavicci said:

Woop woop! Ok I got into a debate about this the other day. I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way. I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

This theory kinda goes along with how my DH and I feel about the way we handle high school in the States. It's unreasonable, and frankly irresponsible, to try to put everyone on the "college track." Not everyone is meant to go to college. We need to put more emphasis on trade schools in our country, starting in high school, so that whatever "degree" or "certificate" you earn will actually mean something. 

jensavicci

mrscurlygurl said:

jensavicci said:

Woop woop!

Ok I got into a debate about this the other day.

I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way.

I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

This theory kinda goes along with how my DH and I feel about the way we handle high school in the States. It's unreasonable, and frankly irresponsible, to try to put everyone on the "college track." Not everyone is meant to go to college. We need to put more emphasis on trade schools in our country, starting in high school, so that whatever "degree" or "certificate" you earn will actually mean something. 
-------ugly quotes------

I completely agree with this!

iris427

Myanswer true said:

This may be more of a confession than a UO, but people who constantly whine on social media that their kids need to go back to school to "get a proper education, get out of my hair, etc, etc" when the weather is horrible out need to suck it up, buttercup. I understand that the kids are missing out on instructional time, finding last-minute childcare may be difficult, and stir crazy little ones can drive you bonkers, but guess what? You signed on for this gig when you became a parent. Don't complain (especially to the authorities, good lord!) to the point that they won't call off school when the roads are genuinely treacherous or the weather is cold enough to freeze on contact, and then turn around and complain again when your kid gets hurt in a bus wreck! /endteacherrant

I paid $600 for my daughter's preschool in January and she went 4 days.  I didn't call my county government but yes, I bitched about it on facebook and to my friends and family IRL.

Just because someone "signs on to be a parent" doesn't mean we have to pretend everything is sunshine and gumdrops every day.  Sometimes my kids drive me crazy and venting a little to friends helps me stay sane.  Nothing wrong with that.

beff12

I'm all for letting kids try whatever extracurricular activities they are interested in, be it dance, sports, music, a club, whatever. However, I think some parents are too free with letting their children explore as they let them do all of these things at the same time. We have close friends that don't limit their children's extracurricular activities at all - dance on Monday, basketball on Tuesday, church on Wednesday, swimming on Thursday...not even kidding. I taught their daughter last year and she had something every day of the week...would you like to guess what her grades were like? And when I sent home a failed test to allow her to make corrections for extra credit, do you think I got the test back? Not once. Like I said, our kids will be allowed to experiment around until they find their place...but all at once? I think that's too much for a youngster!

TallMomma29

jensavicci said:

Woop woop! Ok I got into a debate about this the other day. I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way. I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

I agree with this. And even aside from the America Dream thing, there are many things you just can't do just because you work hard. For example, if you don't have a certain amount of natural talent and lucky breaks, you are never going to be a sports star or star actor or the future president of the United States (or leader of any country). I think the mantra that we can do anything if we put our minds to it ultimately leads to wasted time and effort and heartbreak for some people. Why am I not a rich professional basketball player right now?! I suck at sports. Oh, and I'm a woman ... Can't quite get over either of those hurdles ;-) EDIT:I accidentally had a snarky sentence in there at the top that was unrelated, so I deleted it ;-)

Salsera29

jensavicci said:

Woop woop! Ok I got into a debate about this the other day. I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way. I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

I think the problem is the extremes. Not EVERYBODY could be ANYTHING. Under no circumstances with endless money and training could I ever be in the NFL. Or a CEO. I'm not big or strong enough and my brain just doesn't work that way. Also, as I've said before, some kids are just not meant to go to college. 

But at the same time, there are waaaayyy too many people who just need to go to fucking work and stop blaming society/the government/everyone else for their problems. When I hear, "I don't gotta work, I got section 8" it makes me want to stab somebody. I think this is more often the case than the poor single mom working her ass off to take care of her kids and sending them to school fed, rested, and clean. 

Obviously my opinions are completely influenced by where I work and what I see and hear every day. But basically I agree with you...either extreme is harmful. 

cookieinva

@mrscurlygirl if you don't know about Mike Rowe's work along the same lines, you'd probably like it. Great match of "celebrity" to cause/issue IMO. https://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/03/03/mike-rowe-dirty-jobs

jensavicci

Also! Eff anyone who didn't agree with the coke commercial during the Super Bowl!

iris427

jensavicci said:

Woop woop! Ok I got into a debate about this the other day. I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way. I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

Yes.  Structural inequality, yo.

TugboatSheila

mrscurlygurl said:

jensavicci said:

Woop woop! Ok I got into a debate about this the other day. I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way. I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

This theory kinda goes along with how my DH and I feel about the way we handle high school in the States. It's unreasonable, and frankly irresponsible, to try to put everyone on the "college track." Not everyone is meant to go to college. We need to put more emphasis on trade schools in our country, starting in high school, so that whatever "degree" or "certificate" you earn will actually mean something. 

YYEESSSS. This is exactly what I think.I'm probably one of those people that shouldn't have gone to college. I mean I did well enough but my degree is pretty much useless and means nothing. Besides the German and Spanish language, there was nothing I learned in college that I keep with me today. All skills I learned there had nothing to do with my education. College is great, but why is there so much pressure for every single kid to go?. And why do we look down on people who work in service industries?

Did you see Mike Rowe's plea about vocational learning? It was so on point.

My Husband works at a CTC (career tech center, just another word for vocational school) and some of the programs there just put kids so far ahead. My BFF who studied nursing in vocational school was making 14/15 dollars an hour right out of high school and now is so far ahead of all of our friends both skill wise and money wise. Regardless of how much money she makes, she is successful.  My parents wouldn't let me go to VS because there was a stigma about it in our area, like it was less than. 

cakebatter27

Mines going off what I was barbecued yesterday for....

I think it's fantastic when you look super pregnant already. I like big bumps and I cannot lie.

TurtleMonsters

I agree with those UO's

I hate name posts. More over, I hate middle name posts. If I opened them, I just want to post a name that rhymed ridiculously.

Salsera29

My UO is probably not a UO on here, but it certainly is in this neighborhood...

Fucking clean your kids and their clothes. Soap is not expensive. Buy two uniforms, do laundry once during the week and once on the weekend. If your kid wets the bed, change the fucking sheets. Bathe your child REGULARLY or make sure they bathe themselves. Especially when they are in 5th grade and hitting puberty! Every day people! DYFS has much more important things to deal with than telling you your kid shouldn't be coming to school smelling like cat piss. Get your shit together, please. 

rattlecanqueen

I don't mind ultrasound pictures. In fact I like to see them. I post some of mine on fb. It's not like I'm posting pictures of my vagina. It's equatable to an x ray I'm my mind, but way sweeter.

TallMomma29

TurtleMonsters said:

I agree with those UO's

I hate name posts. More over, I hate middle name posts. If I opened them, I just want to post a name that rhymed ridiculously.

I don't really get the impulse to ask complete strangers on the Internet for name suggestions. Every single person will like different names and have different preferences. And what are you going to tell your kid? "We ultimately named you this because a stranger on the Internet suggested it and I thought it was cute?" But to each their own ;-).

rattlecanqueen

jensavicci said:

Also! Eff anyone who didn't agree with the coke commercial during the Super Bowl!

Yes! I think it spoke to our nation's origin,and how global our society has become. I didn't see it as anti American at all. Spoken by a conservative!

SuperTinkerham

I'm tired of the chevron zig zag pattern. It's way over done and going to be out of style very soon (I hope). I'm sick of it on Pinterest.

Also I hate people that treat Facebook like Pinterest. I don't care about the Oreo cake or whatever you're never going to make.

Skeemer

SuperTinkerham said:

I'm tired of the chevron zig zag pattern. It's way over done and going to be out of style very soon (I hope). I'm sick of it on Pinterest. Also I hate people that treat Facebook like Pinterest. I don't care about the Oreo cake or whatever you're never going to make.

@supertinkerham

I think I may love you. We are soul mates.

The recipe I'm the most sick of seeing is the Mexican crap in soft noodle shells. It makes me want to puke.

ghostof5letters

Alfredo sauce is an abomination. 

bunkgirl

I hate wallpaper.  

jensavicci

ghostof5letters said:

Alfredo sauce is an abomination. 

:O if I could curse you in Italian I would! Alfredo sauce is my life!

ETA: my grandmother (Italian immigrant) would lose her mind if she saw that lol

PenelopeSnuz77

I think waiting until marriage to have sex is a huge risk. Chemistry is a huge factor in marriage longevity.

bullybutt

I like Taylor Swift, can't stand Carrie Underwood! 

Salsera29

Oh I thought of another one...this is kind of a confession, but I think it's also going to be unpopular. If we have a boy I'm totally going to encourage him to play hockey or football because those are the sports I wouldn't mind sitting through 5 times a week or getting up at 6 on a Saturday to go to. He can start little...like 5? Then if he doesn't like it we won't push him to continue. 

He's gonna take dance classes too while he's too young to think that boys don't do that. :-)

jensavicci

PenelopeSnuz77 said:

I think waiting until marriage to have sex is a huge risk. Chemistry is a huge factor in marriage longevity.

I agree with this for my own life, however, sooo many ppl don't really care about sexual chemistry and they have happy long lasting marriages too. I don't understand not wanting sexual chemistry but, it does exist!

ghostof5letters

Salsera29 said:

Oh I thought of another one...this is kind of a confession, but I think it's also going to be unpopular. If we have a boy I'm totally going to encourage him to play hockey or football because those are the sports I wouldn't mind sitting through 5 times a week or getting up at 6 on a Saturday to go to. He can start little...like 5? Then if he doesn't like it we won't push him to continue. 

He's gonna take dance classes too while he's too young to think that boys don't do that. :-)

Ice Hockey is the biggest time suck out of all the childhood sports. It's also the most expensive, but oh my gawd the time traveling and games and practices...ugh. 

I do agree with you about it being one of the best to watch though.  

cuntasaurusrex

It really pisses me off when people let their dogs walk through my yard.  It's a tiny yard, the size of a postage stamp, at least let me have what's there.  Dogs shit in it, people *sometimes* clean it up.. but I'm noticing a lot of pawprints going near my car and under our bushes and it makes me want to sit out there with a BB gun and shoot the owners in the ass as they walk by, as they're trespassing.

bunkgirl

PenelopeSnuz77 said:

I think waiting until marriage to have sex is a huge risk. Chemistry is a huge factor in marriage longevity.

We waited.  But it wasn't like DH had the plague, we had plenty of contact...just not sex.  We had no worries about our sexual chemistry.  We've been married for 8 years so I think we'll make it.

tealowl

mrscurlygurl said:

jensavicci said:

Woop woop! Ok I got into a debate about this the other day. I don't particularly agree with the theory that "if ANYONE works hard enough, they can succeed in ANYTHING" otherwise known as "the American myth". I know that it is encouraging for some and quite possible for some to accomplish (I happen to be one of them) but we can't forget to be realistic and throw everyone into the same pot. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work and no matter what country you're living in, things don't go your way. Sometimes people are put in situations that they simple cannot get out of and therefore, it is impossible to get success in that situation or sometimes in life in general. People like to blame laziness or poor decisions. Well, while sometimes laziness and poor decisions are the case, society too can be harsh enough to knock a person down and keep them down. So no, it is not always possible to work hard enough for what you want and succeed in getting it. There are way too many things that could and can happen that will get in your way. I think instead it should be said that it is possible to work hard enough and become successful in life. Because it is. Just not for everyone.

This theory kinda goes along with how my DH and I feel about the way we handle high school in the States. It's unreasonable, and frankly irresponsible, to try to put everyone on the "college track." Not everyone is meant to go to college. We need to put more emphasis on trade schools in our country, starting in high school, so that whatever "degree" or "certificate" you earn will actually mean something. 

I'll add onto this - I went to a technical college after I had DD when I was 19 (because yeah, 'real' college wasn't happening. I needed to WORK.) I became an MA.

Although there were some negatives to this, I have always had a job. I can always find work in my field. I've only been laid off once and that was only 2 months long.

It's not a high paying field, but I'll be just fine. I've had friends who went to nice expensive colleges and have impressive degrees and can't find a good job. My friend should be a history teacher at the high school level. But nope, she was a manager at an ice cream shop for years, and is now a substitute teacher, and probably makes less than me.

Still, I wish I would have went to RN school.

Salsera29

ghostof5letters said:

Salsera29 said:

Oh I thought of another one...this is kind of a confession, but I think it's also going to be unpopular. If we have a boy I'm totally going to encourage him to play hockey or football because those are the sports I wouldn't mind sitting through 5 times a week or getting up at 6 on a Saturday to go to. He can start little...like 5? Then if he doesn't like it we won't push him to continue. 

He's gonna take dance classes too while he's too young to think that boys don't do that. :-)

Ice Hockey is the biggest time suck out of all the childhood sports. It's also the most expensive, but oh my gawd the time traveling and games and practices...ugh. 

I do agree with you about it being one of the best to watch though.  

Oh yeah I know (sort of). My brother played for 13 years. And besides the money and travel, God do they STINK. I used to just walk past the laundry room of my parent's house and want to keel over from the stench. It was like something died in his skates and then was left out in the sun. But so much fun :-)

tealowl

Salsera29 said:

ghostof5letters said:

Salsera29 said:

Oh I thought of another one...this is kind of a confession, but I think it's also going to be unpopular. If we have a boy I'm totally going to encourage him to play hockey or football because those are the sports I wouldn't mind sitting through 5 times a week or getting up at 6 on a Saturday to go to. He can start little...like 5? Then if he doesn't like it we won't push him to continue. 

He's gonna take dance classes too while he's too young to think that boys don't do that. :-)

Ice Hockey is the biggest time suck out of all the childhood sports. It's also the most expensive, but oh my gawd the time traveling and games and practices...ugh. 

I do agree with you about it being one of the best to watch though.  

Oh yeah I know (sort of). My brother played for 13 years. And besides the money and travel, God do they STINK. I used to just walk past the laundry room of my parent's house and want to keel over from the stench. It was like something died in his skates and then was left out in the sun. But so much fun :-)

S/O has played hockey since grade school. He is GOOD at it. He still plays in small adult leagues.

If we have a girl, I hope she wants to play hockey, because he wants a hockey kid so bad.

Jesse835235

beff12 said:

I'm all for letting kids try whatever extracurricular activities they are interested in, be it dance, sports, music, a club, whatever. However, I think some parents are too free with letting their children explore as they let them do all of these things at the same time. We have close friends that don't limit their children's extracurricular activities at all - dance on Monday, basketball on Tuesday, church on Wednesday, swimming on Thursday...not even kidding. I taught their daughter last year and she had something every day of the week...would you like to guess what her grades were like? And when I sent home a failed test to allow her to make corrections for extra credit, do you think I got the test back? Not once. Like I said, our kids will be allowed to experiment around until they find their place...but all at once? I think that's too much for a youngster!

It may be too much for some, but not all.  If the child enjoys the activities and they are able to keep up with school, I think it's fine.  Everyone's different.  Growing up, I was always in a million different things and it definitely helped me be disciplined with my time.  By the time I got to high school, I had found the activities that I was passionate about that I would commit more time to.

ETA: Ditto on trade schools.  Many jobs around here (power plant, welding, etc) that only require a two-year degree pay significantly more than your average bachelor's degree (except for engineering).  The thing is, we need both white collar and blue collar workers in our society.  Why not encourage kids to explore their niche without burdening themselves with student loan debt first.

INmommy871278

To summarize my thoughts on the above topics:

1. Vocational schools need to be talked about more in schools, I didn't even know about them or that my high school had that option until the end of my junior year. DH did voca and landed a job starting at $12/hr at local company. He graduated and the following day started working.

2. Alfredo sauce is amazing especially over cheese tortellini!

3. Kids are way over booked which makes parents over booked. DS will have extracurricular activities, but like pp said having a different thing every night is over kill. I would rather him exceed at one thing then be decent at several things.

My UO is a piggy back on @Salsera29 on the topic of make sure your kids are clean before sending them to school. It drives me up the wall when I'm out with friends or family that have kids around DS's names and the kid is in a stained up outfit with snot oozing out of their nose and clothes covered in slower. DS wears a bib to keep for having slober drenched clothes, and is it really that hard and time consuming to grab a Kleenex or wipe and wipe the snot off of their face!

likeanoldtimemovie

I abhor Fritos.

They are the only thing I don't "allow" in the house. The sight and smell of them make me gag. My husband buys them while he's at work, but he always buys gum on his way home so that I never know he ate them, otherwise EUGGHHHHHHH.

Salsera29

BPaws said:

Salsera29 said:

ghostof5letters said:

Salsera29 said:

Oh I thought of another one...this is kind of a confession, but I think it's also going to be unpopular. If we have a boy I'm totally going to encourage him to play hockey or football because those are the sports I wouldn't mind sitting through 5 times a week or getting up at 6 on a Saturday to go to. He can start little...like 5? Then if he doesn't like it we won't push him to continue. 

He's gonna take dance classes too while he's too young to think that boys don't do that. :-)

Ice Hockey is the biggest time suck out of all the childhood sports. It's also the most expensive, but oh my gawd the time traveling and games and practices...ugh. 

I do agree with you about it being one of the best to watch though.  

Oh yeah I know (sort of). My brother played for 13 years. And besides the money and travel, God do they STINK. I used to just walk past the laundry room of my parent's house and want to keel over from the stench. It was like something died in his skates and then was left out in the sun. But so much fun :-)

S/O has played hockey since grade school. He is GOOD at it. He still plays in small adult leagues.

If we have a girl, I hope she wants to play hockey, because he wants a hockey kid so bad.

As a former player and coach, I can say girls can be just as much fun to watch as boys!

You guys are going to kill me now...it would make me SO NERVOUS to have a girl playing with boys. Maybe not when they're little, but as soon as the boys are bigger and stronger...no no no. I used to have mini heart attacks every time my brother took a hard hit. I could not handle my daughter getting slammed against the boards by a boy. Just no. 

ghostof5letters

I hope to keep my child busy as shit through high school. Dabble in everything they possibly can in order to identify things they are passionate about. 

It's a bonus that most of this will keep them active and off drugs (statistically speaking).