But why would you want someone in your life who says horrible things they don’t mean? And not just to you, but to the other people you love? I’m all for being supportive but there comes a point where a person’s actions, no matter where those actions stem from, are just unacceptable. Mental illness isn’t an excuse to…

I disagree. Sometimes, you don’t realize how toxic a person was for you until you get some time and distance. 25 years ago, one of my best friends and I had a massive falling out. She cut contact with me - because SHE had done something awful and then she got upset that I dared to be angry about the thing she did.

Seriously, it’s such BS. I’m all for positive thinking and visualizing good things in your life, but they lost me when they said that the people who were killed during the Holocaust didn’t REALLY in their heart of hearts want to survive. Victim blaming much?

Or nah.

Sorry about your shitty ex-friend and your illness. Hope you’re feeling okay!

Paraphrasing a comment from another poster:

They call women the weaker sex, but honestly, what is that based on? Women can multitask and keep their shit together during tough times. When a man panics he’s useless. Completely useless.

Now I’m not embarrassed about my period, but in middle school and high school, having heavy period was a son of a bitch. Having free tampons in the bathroom would have saved me so much embarrassment.

This is a fantastic idea and I hope it goes well. Toilet paper is free in schools, and fem hygiene should be no different.

You also have to teach your kids how to handle themselves with assholes, because there will always be assholes. So you running to blab on young children and turning every small thing into a major thing is not helpful.

I work with kids in an athletic environment which is mostly female. We speak to new employees all the time about how to compliment athletes appropriately — compliment the skill or the form, suggest specific form or skill improvements without focusing on physical shortcomings or body types, expect maturity and good…

...but did she actually change any minds? Or did she just convince a group of moms that she’s not a great person to invite to play groups? Because she’d probably get a LOT further with those women if she picked her battles like the rest of us, making the 24/7 fight less effective and therefore less admirable, in my…

I agree. I hate the “kids flirting” thing but I wouldn’t write a passive aggressive email about it. Instead I’d respond to said comment calmy and cheerfully “I didn’t realize three year olds could flirt! I would say the kid’s are just being friendly/having fun playing together.”. That says everything the long-winded…

The feeling alone part sucks, as does the discomfort you and your daughters may experience. You don’t have to argue with the parents just make sure your daughters know your opinion about things. I endured plenty of eye-rolling while raising my kids (as did my Mom), but ultimately they will respect you and likely come…

I don’t like it either, and I visibly cringe and talk to my closer friends about it, BUT I do not publicly complain in an email chain about it with people I just met. This woman seems exhausting to me, even though I agree with her.

Yeah- all of these except the bathroom intrusion were a “deal with your kid by talking about it” thing, NOT a “contact other adults and complain” thing.

Concurred in entirety. The request for censorship troubled me, and the one book is such a tiny drop in the bucket I don’t think it would help anyway. But talking with the child about the messaging was a great way to handle it! She can apply that lesson to everything.

Yep. there aren’t many half German, half Jamaican female super hero books out there for my daughter to enjoy yet. But in time I’m sure...

I’m with the librarian about Point #2. You can’t expect a library to get rid of all the children’s books with subtle sexist messages. Even if the library just got rid of all the books with OVERT sexist messages, it wouldn’t carry any European fairy tales. (Except Hansel and Gretel. Gretel’s a badass.) I think the…

This is something I grapple with all the time. I want it be known I’m not okay with this shit but I don’t want my feelings to end up alienating my daughters because their friend’s parents don’t want to deal with me. My girls are almost four and two so I know it’s coming. The only thing I can think of to solve it is to…