Parents Vs Non Parents- Anyone Else Find This Funny

In India, how did your parents react when they found out about your girlfriend or boyfriend?

My father never heard about most of my "boyfriends". I put that word in inverted commas because they were transient. For the most part, I found men wanting in their abilities to converse and be generally brilliant company. I have a very low boredom threshold even now. One day, I did decide to introduce my father to my boyfriend. "This be the boy I will marry. You better come and meet him!", said the letter. Yes, this was before email was widely available. I had email, my father did not. I worked in a large metropolitan city and lived alone. My father duly arrived to meet the boyfriend. I cooked a meal and invited the boyfriend over to meet my father in a civilised setup. He has exceptional manners, and they were soon chatting like they were old friends. Afterwards, I did dishes while they both conversed on the terrace about who-knows-what. Yes, it was my house. My control issues are greater than my feminist convictions. After boyfriend left, my father said, "He seems like a good person. If only he would give up smoking!" Smoking? Smoking? Where did that come from? The boyfriend had been instructed not to smoke for two days prior and he had complied. Then again my father had smoked for a better part of 4 decades and there is no fooling a smoker identifying another. I had made my bed on the floor of my room, and my father was to sleep on my bed. Before he went to bed, he started looking at the CD boxes lying on top of my 3-CD changer. Yes, I was ueber cool! I had a proper and then shockingly expensive 3-CD changer stereo system. "Are these yours?", he asked holding the red and blue box sets of Beatles. "No", I absent-mindedly replied, "they are the boyfriend's." My father smiled: "A boy after my own heart! Good taste."And that was that. Over sixteen years ago. I wish we had remained boyfriend-girlfriend forever. It was fun.I still hate smoking. My father has quit.

What are some things parents wish non-parents would stop saying to them?

"Just wait until he's a teenager."  I've been tremendously lucky, or maybe I did things right as a Mom, or maybe a combination of both, but my son has been wonderful and easy, and although I empathize with so many things others have posted here, I've been blessed with the kid who doesn't kick the seat in front of him on a plane, and doesn't melt down in Target for a toy, and doesn't wipe his nose then rub his hand on a stranger's Chanel suit.  And I think because there have been so few opportunities to glory in how difficult parenting is, the button a few people have found on me is that line.  Just that one.  "Just wait until he's a teenager." Now, I've lived through a teenage stepson already.  A hormonal, oppositional, aggressive, "you-aren't-the-boss-of-me," "you're-not-my-Mom," play-Dad-against-stepmom, smooth-with-the-ladies teenage stepson.  Been there.  Done that.  So glad it's over.  And these folks have figured out that threatening it all over again with my son who is my heart and soul is the single most terrifying concept I can imagine.  But I think there is a significant difference between step-parenting a teen dealing with estranged but coparenting parents, moving back and forth between homes and the complete chaos of different rules and expectations in each house, and residual resentment against probably all 3 of us adults, versus parenting a child you gave birth to, have held and nurtured and coached and counseled and loved every day of his 12 years, with the certain knowledge that the objective of the teen years is to ensure that you, as the Mom, are ready for him to please please move out and get on with his life, before those years are over.  But I'm NOT looking forward to those teen years.  I'll miss having my small companion with me, and the sticky kisses and muddy, stinky feet and cuddles on the couch watching cartoons.  It's like reminding you that your spouse will die one day, these "Just wait until he's a teenager" reminders.  Why would you say such a thing?  That's the one I can do without.

How can we handle a 27-month-old who hits and kicks his parents for fun?

Even though he is grinning he's not doing it because he is happy, he's doing it because he is upset, tired as you said or grumpy, in other words, he is doing it in anger, and he doesn't yet have another, safer for everyone, way of venting.  If you don't manage to do something soon to redirect his response to his anger, the aggressive behavior could be directed at the new sibling once mommy gives birth. Consistancy is key with toddlers, don't say no and continue to let him do it. Also making sure he knows the consequences of his actions, before dinner say "if you kick mommy, she will get up and move to the other side of the table" and then have her do that with the very first kick. He wants her undivided attention and even though he is only 2, I'm betting that he's aware that mommy's pregnancy is going to change his ability to have her all to himself. Try and find another way for him to safely express his anger or frustration. Maybe a pillow that he can kick and bite to his hearts content if he has lost all control (draw an angry face on it with fabric pens and let him help you! It's his angry pillow after all), give it to him and have him carry it to bed (keeping those little hands occupied!) Make sure that you tell him as you make his angry pillow that hitting kicking and biting people (or animals) is not allowed but hitting or even yelling at the pillow is ok. Maybe do it with him and make a big show of it the first time? Tell the pillow "I'm so angry because....... and I know that hurting people is not allowed, so I'm going to pinch Mr. Angry Pillow's cheeks right off him!" and then do it! Your 2 year old will probably laugh and join right in. Keep the pillow handy for him throughout the day and every single time he goes for you or your wife hand him the pillow after telling him it's not ok to hurt people, then stand back a safe distance because at some point he will figure out that he can throw it at you! He's 2 and he'll test your boundries, he might try and hit other objects, a lamp or the TV, do the same thing, give him the pillow and explain that hitting it is ok, but not anything or anyone else.Good luck! They call it the terrible 2's and you are right in the thick of it!

What do parents think about childless people who find children annoying?

I am one of them. To give you the other side’s perspective. Never wanted or had children. But I highly respect people who do, and raise their children to the best of their ability. I also accept that kids will be kids. What I find much more annoying is parents who do not take into consideration other people’s needs while letting their child run rampant.If I am some place that is very child friendly, and kids are being kids, I may still find it annoying, but I will swallow those feelings because this is their place, not mine.But in a nice restaurant, theater, coffee shop, or store, and a child is going nuts, and the parent is largely ignoring them, I get very annoyed, at the parent. The kid is just doing what comes naturally to them, but the parent is not doing anything to to teach that child proper ways of behaving in different situations. If the parent is trying, and the kid is just being difficult, then compassion and tolerance is the proper response from me.But in general, I do tend to avoid places where kids congregate. When I was younger and my friends started having kids, our relationships suffered because I did not want to spend time with them and their young child very often. Is that my fault, well, yes, of course. I did not blame them, I knew it was my issue, but our friendship suffered anyway because of my hangups.I am now turning 50, single, no kids, no brothers or sisters (so no extended family). It is lonely. As I type this I see my Christmas tree with no gifts under it. My house is utterly silent (unless my Siamese is talkative). I do not regret my decision, but I am at least responsible enough to see the downsides to not having children.I still find kids annoying. Many of them anyways. I do take the time to compliment parents when I encounter ones that have very well behaved kids and very involved parents in public places.You can hate me, love me, or let me be. That is your choice. If you are in public and your kids are acting up, you may be desensitized to it, but others are not.