1188 Congratulatory Refusals

I love this too, I love waiting until the novelty wears off. Once I saw a friend who spawned, at the mall about 3 months after her daughter was born. There she was, looking haggard, pissed off and just plain unhappy. Snapping at the crying loaf, cursing and slamming things into the diaper bag. I skulked up behind her and said, "SO! How's motherhood?" Boy did her demeanor change. Classic example of pretending the world is perfect because she had a shit loaf to show to everyone.

I don't have any friends who are childed yet, but I find joy in watching parents in general suffering because of the burden of parenthood. I love watching these people get frustrated when their kid whines at them, and then, I'm sure, they put on a happy face for everyone else because they don't want others to know that parenthood isn't perfect and wonderful *gasp*

For these parents, the kid melts their hearts for about a week, and then they start to wonder where the return receipt went to.

Call me a wimp, but I'm just too polite not to say "congratulations", even when what I want to say is "Oh, my god! Stop breeding already! The world doesn't need another resource-sucking mouth to feed!"

I agree, Scorpio...I just have to keep knitting Loaf Clothing so the baybeemoomie will be satisfied...XP

I'm going to a very close family friend's today (their family is super close to my family, so all generations of both familys are going to be there, inc. my parents), and she's just had her 3rd kid, and while I don't want to be offensive or anything, I have no way to turn down the offer, especially since my parents are going to be there. Ack, it's going to be cooing over the baby the whole time. I mean, her and her husband are definite PNBs, but it's still going to drive me nuts there. Help!

you could have a stomach bug and you dont want to pass it on..

if its short notice, car broke down, migraine.



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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

I know this is a little late, but next time, you could take some syrup of Ipecac shortly before it's time to go. Nobody would have to know...

or even shaved candle wax. gives 30 mins of diarrhoea.. and your fine..

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

I am polite and fake the congratulations. But deep down DH and I think breeders are dumb and ruin their lives. A cousin of mine says that his baby doesn't give him trouble... hmmmm But he says that moo and he do not get much sleep and they are always tired but it is a "happy tired". Moo sleeps from 11pm - 3am while he keeps an eye on the brat and doeses off, since she was born 2 1/2 months premature and her intestines haven't developed yet, so she has acid reflex and could choke. Then moo gets up and he sleeps from 3am-7am and then my cousin goes to work, while the moo stays at home! You would not pay me to lose sleep over a brat! Hopefully her intestines develop, or else it's going to be a lot of fun losing sleep and cleaning vomit for many, many years!

"happy tired" ??? WTF? lol... I have never heard that one before

Sounds like some kind of excuse.

Eh, I'm back from it. It was a fair amount of baby cooing, but there's been a lot worse. Well, my dad was going ga ga over it, he loves babies (did I mention I'm an only child? Can you say grandbaby rabies?)

Instead of "congratulations" it's "How are you feeling?" for newborns or "How are you feeling about it?" for pregnancy. It's centred around the mother, but still related to the kid/pregnancy, and neither gushing or rude.

Blossom Wrote:
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> "happy tired" ??? WTF? lol... I have never heard
> that one before


You know what "happy tired" is...like that feeling you get after sex?

in moos its probably sleep deprivation psychosis. (sound like anything we know)

Night 1. Most people are capable of going without sleep for a night. The experience is tolerable if uncomfortable.

Night 2. The urge to sleep is much stronger, particularly between 3-5 a.m., when the body temperature is at its lowest.

Night 3. Tasks requiring sustained attention and mental calculations become seriously impaired. This is particularly the case if the task is repetitious and boring.

Again, the early hours are the most crucial to needing sleep.

Night 4. From this night onwards, periods of micro-sleep occur. People stop what they are doing and stare into space for up to three seconds. The end of micro-sleep is accompanied by a return to full awareness. Confusion, irritability, misperception and the 'hat phenomenon' occur. In this, a tightening around the head is felt as though a hat too small for the head is being worn.

Night 5. On top of the effects previously mentioned, delusions (false beliefs) may be experienced. Intellectual and problem-solving abilities are largely unimpaired.

Night 6. Symptoms of depersonalization occur and a clear sense of identity is lost. This is called sleep deprivation psychosis.

Adapted from Huber-Weidman, 1976

http://www.patienthealthuk.net/news/4146.aspx
Post-delivery psychosis linked to labour-related sleep deprivation


*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

There you go, merc, the scientific backing behind placenta-brain.

yup . ...

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Oh yea mate I know what ya mean but how would a breeder know this - me thinks they would not be getting much of that!

That's exactly what I say Ranter.

First I'll ask how moms doing (if I'm talking to dad) then how the sprog and then they'll launch into the speil so I never get around to saying congrats. Darn. Call me jaded but I'm just not impressed by childbirth. Even though I know mom went through 9 months of hell and is getting ready to do 18+ years of it.

For pregnancy I'll ask "Are you happy?" and if they say yes (they always do) then I'll say congrats just because I'm a wimp like that and I feel it's kind of inappropriate to say what I really think.

I usually do say congrats whether I feel like it or not. After teaching 15 years I've learned to fake it pretty well. My usual plan when family, friends, or coworkers pop one out is to try to avoid them. Lord knows I don't want to seem too interested and get asked to baby sit!!

Thanks, Lactolectra. I agree Shertz. They think everyone owes them that, but they don't. They shouldn't just assume, and always ask first and let the person who may/may not babysit have a say, first.

When I get the ol' "We've sprogged" thing, I just can't bring myself to say "congrats". I do say "Good for you", or inquire as to how they're doing. Since I just don't care about the baby, I just don't ask. I figure if something went wrong, or was unusual, I'd hear about it anyway. Of course, I totally space out when they're complaining or bragging about the kid, but years of phone interviews have taught me how to fake interest pretty convincingly.

Unfortunately (or fortunately perhaps), I think I've developed a sort of reputation among my associates. When they tell me some third party is sprogging, the first thing that almost always flies out of my mouth is "why?", and then they give me the ol' deer in the headlights stare. I think folks have pretty much stopped telling me that particular news item because of that.

Or I would say, "that's really nice." It's polite, but still not up to the whole "breeder pleaser" if you know what I mean. Feh, you have some good advice there!

I've done that too, Feh. My true nature comes out and I've asked, "Why?"!! I also have a hard time saying "congrats," so it's how're you feeling, um hummm, yeah....

My BF's brother and wife just sprogged. The very night it occurred, the BF was on the phone with his brother and then the wife also got on the phone to talk. They were hanging out in the hospital room several hours after delivery and the baby was in the newborn room. (This will be their last moment of peace was all I could think.)