Pet Peeves
 

Okay I wanted to hear about pet peeves. I know we all have some things that drive us nuts, lets get it off our chest.

These are a few of mine, in no particular order.

1) WHY DO SOME PEOPLE FEEL THE NEED TO DRIVE THEIR CAR WITH TWO FEET (talking about autos, not standard transmission)? It never fails, I get behind some old person (I'm sorry but it's true, it's never the young people that I see doing this) that insists on drving with two feet, and guess where they rest their left foot? ON THE BRAKE PEDAL!!!! IMO they might as well disconnect the brake light b/c you have NO IDEA when they are actually hitting the brake since the light has been on for 90% of the trip.

2) OUTSOURCING & AUTOMATED SYSTEMS!!!! True story... I recently bought a stove from Sears and the cook top looked messed up. I open the phone book and call the LOCAL Sears, at the mall RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE. I hit prompt #1 for English. After going through what seemed to be 30,000 prompts I finally said "representative" and I was transferred. "Bob" picks up the phone and right away, I know he's not "Bob". I understand every other word that he speaks and he understands every 3 or 4 words that I speak. At that point I scratch my head and wonder why the unemployment rate is so high in the U.S. of A.! I then ask "Bob" where's he's located b/c I'd like to speak to someone at the mall, that was so quick to take my money. "Bob" tells me that for security reasons he can not tell me where he's from. After we struggle to understand each other, I ask if I could speak to someone a little more local, perhaps in the same country, since I DIALED THE LOCAL NUMBER. He was nice enough to transfer me to "Tom", Tom understood every other word out my mouth, so I was almost grateful to be "on the same page" with the person on the other end of the phone.

All of this makes wolder what are we coming to. What's next????

"911, if your house is on fire, please press 1. If you've been in an accident, please press 2, If there has been a home invasion please press 3"
Presses 3
"Great, thanks! Now so I can better assist you, please let me get some additional information. [long pause] On your touch tone keypad, please enter the amount of intruders"
Presses 2
"Great, thanks! Now so I can better assist you, please let me get some additional information. [long pause] If intruder number 1 is armed, please press 1"
Presses 1
"Great, thanks! Now so I can better assist you, please let me get some additional information. [long pause] If intruder number 2 is armed, please press 1"
Presses 1
"Great, thanks! Please hold while we transefer your call to the local police department." [long pause]
"We are experiencing a higher than usual call volume, please hold and your call will be answered in the order it was received" [long pause]
"Thank you for holding, this is "Bob"...."

LMAO!! Both of those are great!!

On the subject of driving, slowwww people in the fast lane!!! Isn't it common knowledge that the far left lane on the highway is the fast lane/passing lane? I'm not a super fast driver, but I am usually one of the faster ones, so MOVE over when you see someone riding your tail. Or better yet if you are doing the speed limit or under, just don't get in this lane.

The misuse of your & you're, and there and their. Not sure why, but this just bugs me.

Oh Mike, you are funny.

Ok I have a major pet peeve and that is people who chew their gum loudly. I ... CAN'T... STAND... IT!!!!!! It drives my ears crazy. I personally despise gum and would never put one in my mouth but usually I can stand it in others provided they chew at a regular to low volume but when I can hear the chewing and the smacking sounds and then GOD FORBID those who CLICK their gum, then I just can't take it and I have to get away or I will lose my sh*t.

I know I am weird. It's been said.

Oh and I hate those automated systems too!

Your write williamscouple! I just except that when people post there probably not to worried about it. :p

ROFLMAO!!!

Oh, my, I am in a mood for this today.

Driving peeves: People who know the lane is going to end, yet wait till the last minute to cut over. Tailgaters. People who drive below the speed limit. People who engage in personal hygiene while driving. Kids bouncing around in the car without seatbelts. People who take up more than one parking space.

Grammar peeves: Terrible grammar gets under my skin and I think it bothers me more than anything else! Here goes: Using an apostrophe to make a plural. Sentence fragments (yes, technically, these are fragments, but it's more of a list). Improper use of "less" and "fewer" - 20% less calories = NO!! 20% FEWER calories. Confusing "it's" and "its." Using quotation marks unnecessarily (e.g., Today's "Special" Sale). "Where's my socks?" instead of "Where are my socks?" "I will do it on tomorrow" instead of "I will do it tomorrow." OMG, grammar, the list goes on and on!

Miscellaneous peeves: People who let their dogs bark and bark and bark some more...do you not hear that? People who scream at/smack their kids in public. People who do not listen to the detailed message you took the time to leave them before they call you back. People who mark their messages 'urgent' when they aren't. People who let something sit on their desks for a week, then tell you they need your part the next day.

Wow, Mike, you opened up a can of worms! I must be having a more stressful day than I thought. Sorry for the soapbox :o

Hehe

I teach in the public schools......

can I just name my #1 peeve? Parents who refuse to be parents. My message is simply BE THE PARENT. Stop telling me that you can't do anything to control your child's behavior!

oh I have another...

People that bring their bad a$$ kids to a restaurant and ignore them while they act up. I want to tell them "Just b/c you've had 3 years to learn how to ignore them, that doesn't mean the rest of us can."

Lol, this is too funny! Here are some of mine:

1) Driving: People who don't use their blinker (very common where I live), people who take 20 years to make a RIGHT turn, people who decide that a decision on the part of another driver to pass him (sorry to the gentlemen, but 99% of the time, it's a dude who'll act this way) on the interstate is an immediate affront to his manhood, which MUST be addressed by refusing to let the other driver pass.... and then gets even angrier when a subcompact manages to pass his SUV anyway... hehehe :)

2) Fashion: Ok, the disclaimer here is that I typically don't care what people wear, and I have no idea what's currently in style. With that said... This semester, I've gone back to school 4 years after getting my B.A., and I have to tell you, I am appalled at what some of these people actually wear to class... I mean, sweatpants, dirty t-shirts - it makes me crazy! It's as if they don't have the self-respect to get dressed, much less look *decent*, for the very thing that most of them will spend years paying off. It's a weird thing, but it makes me absolutely nuts.

Haha, that's all for today. I had fun reading all of y'all's. :p

I have to say email language is my biggest pet peeve. I have people who respond to emails in enormous letters or all caps. Better yet one person puts a question mark at the end of every sentence when the response is not a question. I have someone at my work that does that all the time and it drives me nuts. Just because your confused in your head doesn't mean you have to respond with a question mark.

Fun tip for those endless phone trees: Cussing into the phone usually gets you a human being, and it's therapeutic :D I also can't stand the ones that make you talk, I feel like an idiot knowing I'm talking to nobody. Just let me push the button and save me the embarassment.

Grammar: its and it's... jeez just sound it out. If "it is" doesn't sound right don't use the friggin apostrophe.

Packaging that is obviously meant to be one serving, like a can of pop, listing 2 or more servings on the back.

Husbands who leave just enough TP on the roll so you can't see the cardboard, and who now leave 2 icecubes in the tray since being yelled at that if there's only 1 icecube left, fill it up. Or if the trash is full, empty it instead of putting the empty milk in front of it. Opening the new chips/bread/cookies before the old ones are empty...OK those are personal but still... :p He is a great guy really but 18 years with anyone is going to lead to some pet peeves.:D

i can't believe this has not been said yet.

What peevs me off is how junk food is cheaper and easier to get than the good food we all need.

All I can say is that just reading all of these is giving me something like a runner's high, and I haven't even had a second cup of coffee yet! I must be a real snit picker, because I can relate to every last one, and still add new ones to the list.

1. Driving: All of the above + getting behind a vehicle that is clearly not road worthy, going at a snail's pace, simultaneously throwing off debris so I end up having to make a damage claim on my insurance (which will force me to spend QT on the phone with "Bob" from Calcutta). Vehicles that have exhaust pipes spitting out black noxious fumes at just the right level so that my ventilation system can draw it all into the interior of my vehicle. For crying out loud why doesn't the exhaust vent come out the top so the stuff is away from the clean air intake of 99% of all the other vehicles on the road?

2. Dirty laundry trailed through the house.

3. Road salt. The hubs is NUTS for the stuff, sprinkles it all over the driveway and sidewalk EVERY chance he gets. Actually it's not the salt that makes me crazy, it's the feet that walk it into the house and dribble it all over the wood floors that I could live without. Okay it is both the salt and the feet that make me insane. And don't even get me started on the hay for the rabbit that lives on our front porch. Hay seems to be magnetic to a point. It's attracted to salty wet boots and then becomes non-magnetic the minute it hits hard wood floors and/or carpet. Come on people, take your freaking boots off on the front porch!!!!

4. Whining/tattling/fake crying. It's really more than a pet peeve to me, I have strong HATE feelings about any of those behaviors. In this house you get in bigger trouble for whining/tattling/fake crying than you do for a closed fist smack down (especially if you gave a closed fist smack down to someone that was whining/tattling/fake crying).

5. Disrespect.

6. Dishonesty.

7. Disloyalty

8. People that do not exercise their elective franchise and then have the nerve to bitch about the current state of affairs. If you do not make it to the polls, your bitching license is null and void, so sit down and SHUT UP. I'm also highly annoyed by people that bitch non-stop about the state of affairs, but won't even consider writing a letter to a political official, let alone running for election or speaking before a governing body about their problem. I'm not going to write your letter for you so complaining to me is not going to fix your problem, it's only going to give me a headache.

9. The annual gyn exam.

Wow, I must have PMS or something. Now I'm all worked up and pissy, this would probably be a good time for me to shut off the computer and get that workout started.

Oooooooh, I need this today!

A lot of mine have to do with teaching college classes (other teachers, relate?)

1) Students who do not ask questions in class, do not respond to e-mails, and then the day before the exam e-mail me to say "I dont understand nething can we meet today after 6 i cant make it 2 ur office ours i need xtra help plz :) i cant fail i want 2 go 2 med school"

No, I can't make a special appointment for you today, and I can't go over all of the material. It is my responsibility to teach and it is YOUR responsibility to learn, not to wait until the last minute and put all your hopes on my charitable mood. The smiley face does not make us friends and doesn't make it all better. Also, I hope you're not my future doctor.

2) Bad teaching reviews because you failed my class. Once again: It is my responsibility to teach, and your responsibility to learn. Telling me that I suck and am unfair does nothing to help my teaching strategy, it just makes me frustrated and angry at you.

3) Students who show up to my classes in pajama pants, dirty sweatshirts, and UGG boots. I understand it's a 9:00am class and you had to roll out of your bunk to make it on time, but somehow, I managed to put a decent outfit together, and I have a 30 minute commute. It must be magic! By the way, your underwear is showing, and I find it disrespectful.

4) Attendance of the first class is mandatory and worth some credit. Somehow I don't believe that twenty-seven students magically had flat tires on the first day of class, but that's what my e-mails tell me. Really, you couldn't show up for some easy credit? I also find that disrespectful.

5) I know that you're not typing notes on your open laptop. Don't blame me when your "well-spent" time on Facebook means you don't understand today's lecture topic.

And, I think my biggest teaching pet-peeve:

6) Texting and/or taking cell phone calls in my class. I feel like that one cell phone commercial: "REALLY?!"

Other pet peeves:

Driving: ALL OF THE ABOVE. I think my hugest driving peeve, really, is when someone is coming up on a yellow light, accelerates to go through, but then at the last moment chickens out and slams on their brakes, making me have to brake much harder than I thought. Make up your mind, dude! You're a rebel or a safe driver, pick one!

Gum-snapping or twirling gum on the fingers. Ugh.

Someone whipping out a cell phone to take that "urgent" call when we're in the middle of a face-to-face conversation, or worse, a business meeting.

Not turning sprinklers off when it's just rained all day. Wasteful!

The dog barking and barking and barking and barking...

Also, the roll of toilet paper thing, with leaving just like two squares? HATE IT. Also, certain members of the male species spilling things and just leaving them there, looking at me like "you gonna get that, pudding?" Grrr! :)

In my area, there are four grammar issues that drive me insane:
1. Using the wrong grammatical tense of a word. "His shirt was tore."
2. Improper use of the word "got". "He don't got any."
3. The use of the word "youse". "Thank youse for coming to my party." Although I heard it in Europe, not quite so charming here.
4. The Canadian "eh". "You didn't like your lunch, eh?"

Oh, and why am I the only one in the family who replaces the paper toweling, tp, Dixie Cups, paper plates, napkins, etc. I bet if I didn't replace a toilet paper roll, it would sit empty for months!

quinn

Great topic!

Daily household peeves:

I do all the dishes at home--why, why, why can't anyone else (who doesn't do the dishes) be bothered to take five seconds and RINSE THEM before tossing them into the sink so they sit for the day and the food becomes permanently bonded to them?

Why can't ANYONE put an object BACK where they found it?

MUST every single light in the house be left on? We don't own stock in the power company!

And today's special peeve: why could the town (in which I pay taxes) NOT get around to plowing the sidewalks on my lunch time walking route? I had to walk most of the way in the messy street with cars and trucks spraying salty, muddy slush at me. :mad:

Ah, that feels better already!

Regards,
Michael

Aaaaaahhhh...people who talk to you on their cell phones WHILE THEY ARE IN THE BATHROOM...Aaaahhhh, ew, ew, ew!

The doctors at my internship would dictate while they were peeing. The transcriptionists had a fit!

Kids (and grownups) who can never find anything and always ask you where it is. HINT: sometimes in order to find something in a drawer, for instance, you have to lift up what is on the top to see what is underneath!

hahaha....this is great! Just what I needed to get a good laugh in.

A few of mine:
Husband leaves the lid to the indoor trash can up. Really? It takes all but a sec to put it down!

My kids always feeling sick...when it's time to pick up the toy room.

easy solution... throw away all they toys and tell them that they were infected. I bet that will straighten them up quickly.:D

Ok, I do have a few pet peeves... :D

Driving... I drive A LOT! One word people... MOVE!!! The NJTP is where I make up time and the slow drivers not only cause back ups they cause accidents! Since when did the far right lane become the passing lane??? :confused:

And litter bugs? Don't even get me started on the idiots that throw trash out of a moving car! And the even bigger jerks, stop throwing those lit cigs out of your window!!!

A what's up with those "Dayum girl" dudes?! Makes me want to hit something!

Irresponsible animal owners... I won't even start on this one... :(

When people expect you to be a mind reader. If you don't tell me then no, I didn't know what you meant!

When people say they are sick all the time, when they are not. Yeah, we all have allergies, are sore from working out, have a headache, etc.

People who complain about how "poor" they are but still go out to eat every week and buy a bunch of crap they don't need when they do their weekly walmart trip.

People who make fun of people for handicaps, deformities or just because they are "different looking". (not talking about the walmart creatures, talking about the ones that are made fun of for being "ugly")

I have more but starting to get mad thinking about the ones I didn't list and I would rather stay in a good mood so... :p

I'll do you one better on that one. My oldest DD automatically starts doing the potty dance the second you ask her to do any work. So she dashes into the bathroom and low and behold FORGETS to do whatever it is you asked her to do.

Ok, my turn.

#1 husband pet peeve. We have been married for nearly 34 years, so I am being nice only mentioning one.
Driving pet peeve - Cyclists on the wrong side of the road and even moreso if they are on the sidewalk.

Society in general - People who get away with crimes, even when they are caught in the act, because they are mentally unstable, but then released to re-offend.

What about people that complain that everyone is in their business? It cracks me up when people complain about others being in their business, then they rush to facebook to let the world know what they are doing.
"Headed to Wal Mart."
"Feel like crap today."
"Just took a big dump."

NOBODY CARES!!!!

How about posting "I'm not going to update everything I do every 5 minutes on facebook b/c I'm about to get a life!"


Food: people that talk with food in their mouth, people that smack when they chew or slurp when they drink.

That one doesn't bother me.

The one that gets me is "It's not who you know..."
I what to yell "It's not who you know, it's WHOM you know!"

I find this quite fun

I fine that people that eat with there mouth open and food drops out ..I just want to go over and tell them that I really do not wish to see there food being chewed.
and people that shuffle there feet ..it reminds me of people that are not proud of them self. not sure why but it just does

In no particular order:

'Off of' just gets right under my skin - e.g. 'go jump off of a bridge'.

People who, while talking, correct their speech in a manner such as this:
"Oh, I ran down . . . run down to the shops yesterday"

There, they're and their. Your and you're. Two, too and to. Loose and lose. Its and it's. Bought and brought. This list could go on interminably, so I'll stop now. :p

Dusty footprints on my clean floor, and a nonchalant shrug when it's pointed out.

The 'dot-dot-dot' being used in place of all other punctuation.

Beard trimmings left in the sink.

Drivers who don't move over for merging traffic.

Lights turned on while it's sunny and bright.

The Wii on, the Playstation on, the DVD player on, the TV on, the sound system on . . . and no one in sight.

The person in the 'technical support' department of the call centre getting poopy with me because I've politely asked too many times for them to repeat themselves as their accent is very thick.

Parents who don't reply to kids' party invitations.

Really, I guess, my most intense pet peeve is people who don't do things the way I'd do them. :D

How about people that wait for the bus, stand there, doing nothing and when the bus finally arrives they don't have their bus pass out. So they are digging in their purse, pockets, backpack or wallet while the rest of us are standing in the cold waiting for them to move out of the darn way!

Also, when it comes to grammer, the biggest one that drives me crazy is people that use "real" instead of "really" i.e. "It's real cold outside" seriously? as opposed to it being "fake" cold outside? I hear news casters do it. So many people. Makes me a little crazy.

How about "I could care less"? Well, if you could care less, that means you care some. I think the phrase you're looking for is "I couldn't care less". Right?

Oh my god, I cannot believe I forgot that one!! Every time I hear that, I want to slap someone.

Right? It's so annoying!

It's only "insure" if you are spending money on a policy, otherwise it's "ensure". Thank you. ;)

Coffee!

Our (large) office now has a coffee maker with three burners. One where the coffee is brewed and two just for warming. One pot is for decaf (hardly gets used). How many people had to avoid making a pot of coffee for me to find the two regular pots with less than a cup of coffee in each? Even worse the warming burner is turned off on one of the pots denoting that someone knew it needed attention.

If you take coffee and there is less than a cup left in the pot, make another one! (Even if this means pouring out the last few ounces and even if there is still another pot full.)

Sorry, for the rant. Wish I had a way to convey this to the people that need to hear it.

Why do people shorten things they say or type? Are people so obsessed with texting that they shorten everything?

Since when did the show "Who wants to be a millionaire?" become "Millionaire", what about "American Idol" now referred to as "Idol"? Today I log on to Yahoo and there is an article that reads "Charlie Sheen reacts to 'Men' Suspension", they aren't talking about "Men" but actually "Two and a Half Men".

My absolute biggest pet peeves:

1. Putting ANYTHING back in the fridge with less then a usable amount left. Especailly the brita water filter! It takes 3 seconds to refill it! I get so pissed when there is only 1 oz of water left.

2. People who scrap their teeth on their forks or spoons while eating. The sound makes me cringe and want to stab everyone including myself in the face!

3. Leaving water on the floor. Whether you've spilled, splashed, or showered, mop that puddle up!!!!! I hate walking into a puddle and having to go change my socks because of some butthead :(

4. People who complain about having to do housechores, and expect all the cleaning to be done for them.

5. When somebody is doing their laundry and just leaves it, fills the washing machine, has stuff in the dryer, stuff on top of the dryer in their basket then just decides they are finished their laundry for the day. Forcing someone else to do their laundry for them if anyone else needs to use the laundry machines. Not sure if this is common in other households.

6. People who aren't open minded to trying healthier foods, or personal hygeine products.

One thing that is so much more then a peeve. Some people may be offended by this one, sorry. Need to vent this. This is something I can not stand.

Parents who plan absolutely nothing about parenting. They do not do any research about how to be the best parents, what products to use on their children, which foods the children will need. They don't research about human bahavior and how children will learn. Women who during pregnancy and breastfeeding eat junk-food. People, especailly women who have children after 35 yrs old. Parents who don't teach their children to be active, healthy, respectful and successful. People who have children with someone who is abusive or unstable DID YOU REALLY THINK THEY WOULD BE A GOOD PARENT ? Women who blame a pregnancy on the men. Basically I hate anyone who can't reproduce responcibly and be the absolute best parent they can be. If someone can't be a great parent, they need to make sure they do not have children. No excuses. I think being a bad parent should be a crime. It's a deep form of child abuse that will pretty much dictate the children's entire lives.

Well, in all fairness, if my mom had quit having kids at 35, I wouldn't be here, and I kinda like it here. :)

People at the office who don't seem to notice when they've used the last toilet paper roll in the cupboard, or who leave two sheets on the roll...or who splash water all over the counter and don't bother to clean it up...or who leave dirty dishes in the sink after lunch...or who raid the office refrigerator and eat other people's lunch! (Ye gods, buy your own.)

People who think the F word is punctuation, and who believe that they need to punctuate loudly in public places.

People who walk in the street, daring drivers to do anything about it.

I have more. LOL

I hate to say this, but the tone of this post bothers me some. I'm a pretty darn good mom, and "research" doesn't have a whole lot to do with what makes me successful at it. Mostly being a good mom is about unconditional love and by living your life in such a fashion as to be a good example to your children. And there is something to be said about being aware and consistent with the basics, food, clothing, shelter, etc. On top of that we have a lot of discussions with the kids about respect, loyalty, faith, courtesy, humility, courage, trustworthiness, compassion, generosity, oh the list goes on and on. Another thing that I think makes a good parent is to be interested and involved in your child's or children lives, not to take over, just to be involved, attend games, special events, celebrations, performances, help them study for tests, know their friends, their friends parents, etc.

BTW being a bad parent is a crime, at least here in MI it is. But I don't think it would be all bad if you had to pass a test and get a license before procreating.

I am a bit put off by the tone of the parenting rant also. I agree with almeeker's response. Parenting is not about researching. Making informed decisions, yes, educated guesses, yes, weighing options, yes, but sometimes all you have is a gut feeling and you have to do the best you can. Sometimes you are in a position where you have no good options. Shoot, part of my job is performing parental fitness evaluations and giving expert witness in court about my findings, and I've never "researched" parenting. And I would rather see a mom over 35 than one who is 16 and has no stability in life. Yes, I hate to see a toddler sipping Coke out of a bottle and chewing on gummy worms, but we all have our strengths and weaknesses as parents and as humans.

Sometimes our pet peeves are issues we're having stumbling blocks with in our own lives, but not everyone shares that experience.

I fully agree with you almeeker. You sound like a wonderful parent.
Sorry if the tone was misleading, or made some people defencive.

What I mean is that there are many irresponsible parents, and neglected children. People who just 'wing it'. People who don't even try to teach their kids anything, let them do whatever they want. Don't provide them with healthy foods, clothes, dentist, doctor, safe home. Parents who give up and leave their children are on a whole other level of hate with me. When I said they need to do some research, I meant they need to at least read a few baby books and health books (or web-search). Maybe look into child development and behavior. Just any knowledge to have an idea about how to be a good parent.

Also it's common knowledge that after 35 the chances your baby will be healthy go way down, and keep going down the older you get. Maybe I was a bit too harsh with that opinion, but those ladies seriously need to make sure they are in great health, I personally don't like that they are taking the risk.

The real peeve (what I truely meant...reworded and shortened) =
Parents who don't even try to be amazing. People who put their children (unborn included) at risk for bad health or a sad life where those can be prevented. Not saying parents should be, or can be perfect. Just really hate it when they don't bother to try.


If any of you still are upset about my opinions I am very sorry, I'm just being honest. I'll keep quiet about the subject from here on.

This certainly is a controversial post.

I can see where you're coming from here, but at the same time, parenting is absolute guesswork. You can research how-to books until your eyes turn inside out, but every book is going to have conflicting advice, and each child is very, very different in behaviour and learning skills and how they take to different forms of discipline. I'm not quite sure what you mean by, 'what products to use on your children' . . . ? :confused:

I was 18 when I had my first, and I can tell you, everything myself and my partner did was guessing, experimenting, hit-and-miss-ing. Our son, now 8 (almost 9) is an intelligent, well-adjusted little boy (who is given to episodes of frustratingly boyish behaviour) and I did not read a single word on how-to. Call me irresponsible if you will, but I did a damn good job and didn't need to research the sage advice of a faceless 'expert' to tell me how to do it.

Regarding the age for having babies, I don't think, again, that it's a one-size-fits-all scenario. There are some women who have taken excellent care of themselves, are fit, healthy and at 35 are ready to spend the next eighteen years putting someone else before themselves. I do understand medical risks increase the older a woman gets, but a younger mother can have a medically disabled child, or complications during the pregnancy, too. It's not all about age.

I get the bit about parents who don't teach their kids how to be active, responsible, etc., and I do agree with you on this one. Not sure if you were being quite rigid in your meaning of 'successful'. I'd prefer my kids to be happy with whatever they choose to do with their lives, no matter how many peanuts they're paid, than be miserable on the endless quest for the almighty dollar (unless they're happy on that quest . . . then they can set me up for retirement :)).

Am thinking your anger is more directed at the parents who continue to breed without actually 'raising' their children. But know that it's not about being 'parentally educated', it's about parenting with common sense. Everything that worked for your first child might not work at all for your second, or your third or whatever, so we're back to guesswork.

Curious - do you have kids?

You posted just before me, so I didn't see yours. :o

I think you reworded it to reflect more accurately what you were trying to say.

Behaze thanks for the replies I think you really understand where I'm coming from, to answer your question = No, I don't have kids. But if/when I do I'd make sure I'm ready and making the best choices I can for their future :) some of my self-set rules are that I'd have to have a steady career, money enough to support a child obviously, be extremely fit and healthy (mentally and physically), have a stable home, and a stable, successful, responsible partner. Before I decide to have a child :) And again sorry for any offense earlier.