Well I live in a really hot place, so when I go to my nearest city, I see plenty of older dudes on skateboards but none of them are in suits. Because their suits would be covered in sweat by the time they got to work. And maybe rain and pollen too, depending on time of year. It’s like going to the gym- you don’t wear…

Well... I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s the point. I mean, the only thing worse than people trying really hard to be cool is people who are so “genuinely” cool that they are preoccupied by people trying hard. I mean, at worst, it’s a middle aged dude who suddenly realized his youth is behind him and he thinks, man,…

I just love aunts and uncles like that. They just tell it. I’m trying to be that sort of aunt, but my bro-in-law isn’t really digging it.

Sign of the times. Economic downturns and all. A skateboard and a “chick” who is attracted to it are cheaper than a sports car and a trophy wife. If men like that gotta mid life crisis, I think this is a better way to do it. Maybe some of them might even learn something or get into shape?

While I agree with that, it’s friggin’ cold in the classrooms.

OK, granted we don’t know the context here, but why is she teaching about sexuality in an early childhood education class? I get that there would be some content about sexuality, especially when discussing child development (includes sexual development) and issues around child abuse, but why would she need to talk…

I dunno. You really shouldn’t be giving your students sex advice. I mean, that’s out of line. But as for saying “fuck no”- well if we are going to fire people over that, OK, but I hope the same applies to students. Can we expel from college every student who drops the f-bomb in class?

I got as far as “Ross Poldark” in the sentence just below the pic of him standing in the water, and then I moved over to Google and spent another 10 minutes or so on an image search, so I’m not really sure what the article is about, but I think my comment is relevant since “licking abs” is in the title. Everyone right…

We eloped. We didn’t run away or anything, but we just went and did it. The marriage license cost thirty bucks. I had a coworker friend who just happened to also be minister of some sort, and he told me he’d do it for free if we wanted to do it right then. I was with my husband’s best friend, and we called up my…

Look, I get the point of this advice- gratitude, polite manners, etc. But it’s totally not practical. Maybe you are a super parent and a super human, but most of us are just average folks doing the best we can, and we don’t have time to dress a child up in an unsolicited gift every time someone sends one. Moreover,…

The problem with this is that people buy gifts anyway. Even when the invitations say “please don’t send gifts”, people do it anyway. You do have to take a hard line sometimes.

But they specifically asked people NOT to get the child anything and said that if someone does anyway, they should include a receipt so that they could exchange it and buy something they do need. It’s slightly snarky, but legitimate. I don’t know why people insist on buying gifts when you tell them not to.

No, a wedding is a one-off thing. Imagine if that same scenario were repeated at least twice a year- birthday and Christmas- and maybe more often if the child has a sibling. It can drive you insane really fast. I get that the tone is out of line and the name-on-shirt hysteria is stupid, but they have a totally…

Yeah I was just about to say the same thing. They never said this kid was one formula.

Totally one of these.

Really? I agree that part of the note was the craziest. But I didn’t even know that this shirt with the name on it thing is a thing. I mean, I’ve never even seen a shirt with my name on it, and I don’t have an unusual name. Why did your clothes all have your name on them? Is it like that gal in Laverne and Shirley?

Loads of friends and cousins call themselves “aunt” and “uncle”. Also, families that include remarriages and step-siblings have aunts and uncles. Then there are aunts and uncles by marriage. For example, in my own family, I have one full blood sibling, one cousin who grew up like a sibling, two step-sisters, two…

Yes this is what I’m thinking as well. The tone of the letter is entitled and rude, but we have no idea what the background story is. It could be that the parents have repeatedly tried nicer ways to control their families’ gift giving.

All we know is that he’s under three but old enough to crawl (so between 1-3). Kids go through all sorts of phases, including phases in which they won’t sit in your lap for a read. Kids have all sorts of temperaments too. And yes, there can be such a thing as too many books, especially if it’s more than you can get…

Though it is really annoying how much junk people buy for other people’s kids. Especially if you have a small house or want to raise a child that isn’t a consumer or that learns to play with an attention span, etc. Parents/family members/friends will insist on buying stuff anyway, even when you tell them not to bring…