What dumb thing do you not understand...

[ECB]

Jan 3, 2024 9:46:47 GMT -5 jaylea said:

My daughter had regular high school varsity practice on New Years Day. And the players are barred from travel for December vacation (tournament) and Feb vacation (playoffs), which I think is BS if the school is closed. We are already so limited due to school breaks.

Anyway, both my kids are two sport athletes who haven’t done club teams. I think there’s this idea that you have to be to compete, and you don’t. You may not be the best on the team, but multi-sport and giving your body rest are good for you when you are growing. And our goal is to have a well-rounded, healthy childhood, not to go pro or seek an athletic scholarship.

Now that DS is in high school - I think spring break is "out" now.  The teams either practice or have games over break. 

And as a FRESHMAN, there are a number of "prospect camps" where college coaches come and observe. DS likes to do the camps for the experience and to work on his skills.  I don't care about the college component!   I'm like "what about if my kid just wants to play in high school and enjoy it?".  

He talks a talk of being interested in doing to a D1 school for lacrosse, but he's been told that it's basically like having a job in college.  I don't want that for him! He plays LACROSSE.  There is no long term career available to him after college!  

At least with football, baseball and basketball, there is an infinitesimal chance that your kid could really go somewhere with it.  But lacrosse?  No!  College is IT. 

I often ask (in my head) "what do people think the end game is?".

[W.T.Faulkner]

Jan 3, 2024 9:18:44 GMT -5 Eagles said:

Dec 29, 2023 20:30:35 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

Football and the NFL. Dumbest shit ever, sorry.

I thought we were friends.

You know what I married into -- clearly I can love those who disagree with me, lol. 

[CrazyLucky]

It's not just sports with the kids. DS wanted to sign up for marching band, and I was like "Great! He's not athletic and this could be a chance to make some lifelong friends." The time commitment is crazy! They have band camp in the summer, band practice every day after school, competitions every Saturday and some Sundays, parades through December. Now he's on to indoor percussion and pep band. Indoor percussion is 3 hours a day, three days a week, plus 8 hours every Saturday. Who needs family time right?

[jinkies]

I talked a big game about travel sports ("I would NEVER"), and then my kid got super into mountain biking. There are only 6 or 7 big races a year through our state league, and the closest 2 are both 90 minutes away. The other 4 require hotels or (shudder) camping. There are 3 practices a week plus frequent long rides on the weekends before the race season starts. We are driving him 6 or 7 hours to Vermont this summer for a special camp. It's basically our life from mid-July to mid-October. But it brings him more joy than he has ever shown in his life, and mountain biking can be a lifelong hobby, so we are rolling with it. I will be VERY excited for him to get his driver's license this year though.

I totally understand why other people judge this.

[justemily]

Cringing as SD2 is starting travel volleyball this weekend. She's in 6th grade. Sigh.

Someone already mentioned it, but it still just dumbfounds me - my friend and her parents go to the same place in FL every year. Same condo. I asked her and her bf to join me, H, and 2 other couples in Cabo in April - nope, going to FL. Again. Oh, ok. Have fun?

[ECB]

Jan 3, 2024 12:13:22 GMT -5 justemily said:

my friend and her parents go to the same place in FL every year. Same condo. I asked her and her bf to join me, H, and 2 other couples in Cabo in April - nope, going to FL. Again. Oh, ok. Have fun?

What I REALLY don't understand - people who don't travel at all.  As in no desire.  A friend of mine used to have a roommate who would take a week off from work and just hang at home.  Now- that in and of itself, no judgement.  I wouldn't mind some time to just really relax and chill.  BUT he doesn't "see the point in travel". 

He'll save himself some $$, that's for sure.  But I really can't understand having NO desire to travel, at all.  So... I'll take the same location and rental over that any day.  

[silva]

People who post outrageous prices for the most random things on Facebook Marketplace. No one will purchase your old iPhone XR phone case with teddy bear stickers for $10!

[dirtyred]

Dec 31, 2023 11:24:19 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

Cruises. I don’t understand why you would want to be trapped on a hunk of steel in the middle of the ocean, sleeping in a tiny room with mediocre food

The cruise I was on, the food was anything but mediocre ( we were Aqua class on Celebrity, which gave us free access to the premium restaurants). I ate my way across the Caribbean.

[mae0111]

Jan 1, 2024 21:12:50 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

This thread has made me realize that all of my closest friends are very successful working moms and they have never once said to me the whole "I could NEVER be a SAHM" spiel and that has made me love and appreciate them even more! We just support each other.

I had the opposite in my life.  When my kids were little, I worked.  A LOT.  So did DH.  We hired a nanny.  Our plan was that I would work like a crazy person and keep earning 6 figure bonuses that we would bank, and then I would take a step back - either part time or stay home for a little while - when they were school-aged.  I also knew that I wouldn't be very good at staying home with toddlers and babies.  So I left my crazy company when DD2 was 4 and in preschool part time, and DD1 was in 2nd grade.  DH traveled a ton, so I had lots of time with with the kids, managed all things house, projects, etc. while he built a company.  Now I work PT as a consultant with some great clients.

All that to say that all of my HS friends stayed home with their kids.  And THEY COULD NEVER leave their BABIES to be RAISED BY SOMEONE ELSE like I did.  Yes, they said that.

My take is this - you want to work? Great! You have to work?  It will be OK! You want to stay home? Awesome! You HAVE to stay home and don't like it? I will meet you for a walk, or some wine, or to watch your kids while you shower/nap/go to Target in peace when I can, and we will count down the days until you can get back to work together!

[eb777888]

Jan 3, 2024 13:03:33 GMT -5 mae0111 said:

Jan 1, 2024 21:12:50 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

This thread has made me realize that all of my closest friends are very successful working moms and they have never once said to me the whole "I could NEVER be a SAHM" spiel and that has made me love and appreciate them even more! We just support each other.

I had the opposite in my life.  

Which is why I say, kick the assholes out of your life. The SAHM/Working mom conversation is literally something that has never even come up between me and my friends that I can recall. We have many overlapping interests and have lots to talk about so it's not even a thing I thought about until this thread. We don't even talk about our kids very much at all, actually. Also, we're not assholes to each other.