Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

LydiaJ

carolt wrote: »

If anyone has a tip to make children tidy their rooms without behaving as though they were Joan of Arc being martyred at the stake (or whatever happened to her), please tell me.

Give me strength.

Yes please. Me too.

LydiaJ

wageslave wrote: »

To me, and I know it is all pixels, you sound effortlessly classy.

Nothing, not even reality, will ever change my mind.

SJ is the same. I see this tall, elegant female.

Don't even start me on LydiaJ

I hate you all............

Drat. I'm busy for a while and don't come on here, and I miss a really interesting conversation. Can I join in a bit late, please?

I know exactly the sort of thing you mean by those "born to be effortlessly classy" women, wageslave. The sort who wear a cotton shirt with the collar turned up, pearls, Alice band, and (as you've already mentioned) a gilet, and still call their mum "Mummy" when they're grown up. I've worked with some of those, and been friends with some of those, and teach plenty of girls who'll grow up to be those, but I'm not one, and never have been.

My mum's family had plenty of money - my grandmother on that side "came out" as a debutante, not in London, but in Madras, when she returned home from boarding school in England at the age of 17. That was in 1912. My dad's forebears were business people - owned and ran a steam laundry in London, and some other businesses too. But that was all a very long time ago, and now the part of the family to which I belong isn't either "classy" or "businessy"; we're academic.

My dad's parents were both teachers, and he's a university scientist. Between the 6 of us (two parents, three brothers and me) we have an excessive number academic qualifications: 5 first degrees (all Oxbridge), 3 PhDs (well, actually 2 of them are DPhils because that's what they're called in Oxford) and 5 miscellaneous postgraduate qualifications. We're not just exam junkies either - my dad is such a polymath, and brought us all up to be interested in a wide variety of things, and to discuss anything logically (and with correct grammar!!).

So that's who I am. I absolutely do not believe that my academic credentials make me in any way a better human being than anyone else, but I'm happy to be who I am. I know it shows in the way I write, and that's OK by me. However, in real life, when I meet people who haven't had my advantages in life, I get self-conscious because I'm afraid they'll judge me negatively because of my background. That's one of the things I love about this forum (and others). I can make friends with people like wageslave (whose family of origin is so different from mine) or fc (who can do the whole business thing which would terrify me) or Pobby (who's a different generation) etc etc and I never have to worry about whether "someone like me" is welcome here. I love it, and I'm so grateful for the chance to "know" all of you.

fc123

misskool wrote: »

i'm good for next weekend? we just found a cute little place but I do miss steaming trolleys of food being pushed around.

I think i've been there....few years back.

misskool

fc123 wrote: »

I think i've been there....few years back.

excellent, next weekend? lir?

misskool

LydiaJ wrote: »

.



So that's who I am. I absolutely do not believe that my academic credentials make me in any way a better human being than anyone else, but I'm happy to be who I am.

If it helps, my best friend once said that I might be one of the most intelligent people in the world but I have not an ounce of common sense

I think he was being polite.

fc123

misskool wrote: »

excellent, next weekend? lir?

Saturday daytime good for me.....I need to come up next weekend.

sss555s

carolt wrote: »

Hope everyone is having a better day than I am at this minute. Come on here to calm down. Am quietly seething.

If anyone has a tip to make children tidy their rooms without behaving as though they were Joan of Arc being martyred at the stake (or whatever happened to her), please tell me.

The final straw was hearing DD1 proclaim that "mummy went into London today" ie I am a lazy good-for-nothing while my poor, dear child is worked to the bone...

Grr. V v v v cross. Omits to mention it's mummy's first couple of hours off in weeks - that mummy worked on the bleeding train there and back. That mummy will be havig a meeting tomorrow and marking through the holidays - just as my teaching finishes, my marking begins.

Am v worn out.

Need lots of tea and sympathy.

Don't even want chocolate - had some earlier whilst feverishly finishing a piece of work to send off this afternoon, interrupted by the not-very-distant sound of children bickering, and DS emptying what appears to be every toy he owns onto his floor. And then crying because he trod on one of them and it HURT HIS FOOT.

Give me strength.

I find manipulation works best. Failing that, bribery :cool:

fc123

carolt wrote: »

Hope everyone is having a better day than I am at this minute. Come on here to calm down. Am quietly seething.

If anyone has a tip to make children tidy their rooms without behaving as though they were Joan of Arc being martyred at the stake (or whatever happened to her), please tell me.

The final straw was hearing DD1 proclaim that "mummy went into London today" ie I am a lazy good-for-nothing while my poor, dear child is worked to the bone...

Grr. V v v v cross. Omits to mention it's mummy's first couple of hours off in weeks - that mummy worked on the bleeding train there and back. That mummy will be havig a meeting tomorrow and marking through the holidays - just as my teaching finishes, my marking begins.

Am v worn out.

Need lots of tea and sympathy.

Don't even want chocolate - had some earlier whilst feverishly finishing a piece of work to send off this afternoon, interrupted by the not-very-distant sound of children bickering, and DS emptying what appears to be every toy he owns onto his floor. And then crying because he trod on one of them and it HURT HIS FOOT.

Give me strength.

I am putting my foot down on the skivvying now.

Son (22) is driving OH nuts in London and is such a slob.....he loves to cook and eat well but doesn't do washing up or going shopping. I am so glad I am not living there as it has shown OH how much mundane clearing up actually has to be done.

DD is now in charge of all the cleaning in her own room...I just said she is now old enough to polish, hoover and empty the bin.

I think I did way too much running around after them when they were younger and I always had a cleaner as well. A working mother guilt trip I guess.

sjaypink

sss555s wrote: »

And sjay like sporty spice back in the day but with shorter hair.

Tall, elegant frm ws, now sporty :rotfl::rotfl:

carolt wrote: »

Give me strength.

Yes. To beat them carol

Ask ws if she has any shillelaghs in her heap of 'stuff to be ebayed'

Used to scare the crap out of me when I was a kid :cool:

Seriously, as for rooms, I'd be tempted to say leave it. If they want to live in mess then let them for abit (until you have time to proper go for them!) if it saves you a bit of stress battling with them. Shut the door on it and forget about it

lostinrates

misskool wrote: »

excellent, next weekend? lir?

I'd love to but I can't

For future reference, should we find a date we can all do its better to arrange by PM...anyone remember Generali's death threats? Didn't poor FC still turn up at the pub?