Posts by Charles Moore49

northernseal6 said:Look, I really don't like your takes. Honestly, it feels like you're just projecting this onto your husband, your boyfriend, or whatever. You're describing my boyfriend, my friends, most of my friends' partners, and I can't even recognize my own dad in your descriptions! Why would I even consider having a kid with someone who wouldn't step up and say they'll soothe the baby or change a diaper?
It’s not even unrealistic to say there are men out there who wouldn't change their own kid's diaper, because I know plenty of them. It's wild to me that anyone thinks that's okay.
So, basically, a woman is a "bad mother" if she loves her kid less than the man does. Well, is he a "bad father" if he loves the kid less than she does? Or is it just normal and natural for both parents to love them equally?
🤣

listen....based on how you're describing things, I wouldn't say you're just lying around during your whole pregnancy, because if you were actually resting, worrying, and feeling all that anxiety, I’d assume your sacrifice, your stress, and your desires were just a little different from your husband's... I won't even say they're stronger or more intense, because you're the one living through it... but clearly, you haven't a clue what I'm talking about...

I've been homebound since November of 2011, and I don't cook, clean, wash, or iron anything; my husband handles all of that... honestly, not my mom, not my mother-in-law, not anyone else...
My job is to protect this pregnancy and make sure I deliver this baby right on schedule...
So please, don't lecture me or judge when you simply don't understand...

And regarding the diaper changes and soothing the baby, I think you missed the point entirely... I truly believe a woman finds it much easier to "handle" a baby than a man does, simply because it's natural to her, regardless of how much you might dislike or fail to grasp that concept...
Of course, there are women out there who don't have that instinct either...🤷

What I find even harder to stomach are the views of a woman who carries a child for nine months and then claims the difference between her and her partner is just that he doesn't have to breastfeed or give birth; I don't see myself in those descriptions, nor do I see my mother or any of the mothers of my friends and people in my life....
Sorry, but you can love your dad and he can be the greatest guy in the world, but... a mother is a mother!!!

northernseal6 said:Your plan is to involve him as much as possible so he doesn't feel neglected. But when you put it that way, it sounds like you're saying it's "your" plan and he's just following along, as if it all depends on you. Of course, a man can't know exactly how a woman feels during pregnancy, but that doesn't mean he won't be just as attentive and great of a parent once the baby arrives. Plus, a mother can love her child less than a father does. It's about the individual, not gender.

First off: Excuse me? That’s not how it works at all because it really does depend on the woman, and honestly, it depends on who he's going to rely on...I don't think there's a single man out there who is going to grab a screaming infant right out of someone's arms and insist, "let me soothe them," or step up and say, "don't worry, I'll handle this diaper change"...so, in reality, it actually does depend on you, specifically regarding how much space you provide and how much you encourage him to step up...

And personally, I still believe gender plays a role here...since I'm not talking about mothers who happen to love their biological children less than the father does...

northernseal6 said:I don't get the whole thing about the two women. Is tidying up somehow hardwired into female DNA while men are exempt?😕

The way people say "wittle baby," "sweetie pie," or "little munchkin" drives me absolutely crazy. I just say "child," but apparently that isn't "motherly" enough.
Also, hearing the word "mommy" used in every single context—at the doctor, at daycare, even on this forum—really bugs me.
It blows my mind how everyone acts shocked when I say I want my child to take my last name. I honestly don't see any reason why a kid should automatically carry the father's name instead of mine.
It really irritates me when women call their moms to come over and clean or cook after they give birth, yet they rarely mention their husbands, boyfriends, or dads helping out. Sure, not everyone can cook, but anyone can wash dishes, vacuum, or run to the grocery store. Everything else is just an excuse.
And it totally gets under my skin when people claim women are more naturally bonded to kids, or that we want them more, or that we're better at changing and bathing them. From where I'm standing, the only difference between me and a guy is that he can't give birth or breastfeed.
P.S. Obviously, I'm excited about my baby and I love them!🙂
Alright, go ahead and tear me apart.

Regarding that first bolded part—I couldn't agree more...

But I completely disagree with the second point...
Matthew Robinson29 is incredibly excited about our little one, and he plans to be just as hands-on as I am regarding all the caretaking, and his entire face just lights up whenever our baby is mentioned...
I truly believe he is going to be a wonderful father, overflowing with love...
My goal is to involve him as much as possible in every single aspect of our child's life, so that he never feels unnecessary or left out for even a moment...

But... but...
I have been lying down since my twelfth week until, well, almost the very end, and I have spent this entire pregnancy trembling with anxiety, riding through waves of depression, hysteria, and pure euphoria...
I am the one who felt every single tiny movement and kick of my baby against my heart during those moments when I genuinely feared I might not make it through the pregnancy...
I am the one carrying this baby through all these weeks and months... it's me, not Matthew Robinson29...
He loves and he wants this, and he is so empathetic, but he will never truly be able to understand...
My body has endured every single one of these transformations, and I am the one bringing a new life into this world, so in my eyes, there is a much, much deeper divide between me and Matthew Robinson29 than just the fact that he cannot give birth and breastfeed...

Angela Davis74 said:Are we sharing the same mother-in-law?

It’s all waiting for me. Before she even dared to lay a hand on me, she went out and bought these little baby figurines. She bought two, because that's just how she is. Known. Twins are on the way. People are bragging about how they’ll be raised by German grandparents and talking about their future connections. Now, she's suddenly pivoting to wanting a boy. She thinks it'll be better that way. Of course.It’s just being a grandson—that's all there is to it. He just knows..

I’m ready to end it all. I can't stand these nauseatingly sweet, overly sentimental outbursts from some ultra-sentimental Western mother-in-law.🙂🙂

She started calling me at all hours of the morning just to check in. I was seconds away from telling her that if she rings my phone one more time before sunrise, I'll track her down and make her eat that damn cell phone.🙂🙂 She still hasn't accepted that I don't spend my entire day hunched over a toilet bowl. She acts horrified every time I head out to a cafe in downtown Chicago, yet she had the nerve to call me just to ask if I’d bring her an umbrella so she wouldn't get soaked walking to her place. It's exhausting. Truly pathetic.

Ugh, she really needs to get it together... especially since it's my first grandchild... at first, I didn't mind it too much and let her be a bit affectionate because, you know, a woman should be happy, and I didn't know how to tell her that I wasn't going to let her touch my son🙂
I think I mentioned this before, but once she actually told me, "Let me see the grandson," and there I was, lying there in the middle of winter in just a camisole and a t-shirt, tucked under a heavy blanket... and she actually expected me to show off my bare stomach🙂🙂 so I just lifted the blanket slightly and said, "Here he is"...
Goodness, I feel like I'm being a nuisance to everyone by constantly venting about my mother-in-law, even though I've been pouring my heart out here on this forum for months now...
In the end, she just wouldn't leave me alone, constantly dropping by or buzzing my phone—I couldn't even pretend I wasn't home because I spent most of my pregnancy just resting—and she was already making all these grand plans for when I give birth, insisting she'd come over every single day to help me, watch the baby, change diapers... blah, blah, blah... I feel like I'm repeating myself for the hundredth time... eventually, I just snapped, but that's a much longer story... truthfully, our issues ran much deeper than that... and I believe we've finally moved past it for good...

slybadger99 said:I honestly just wear men's clothes because I end up throwing up my own 🙄

and when it comes to being ugly, I’m just as unattractive myself 🤣

I was actually reading some things online and hearing the exact opposite lately... apparently it's not always the case that women carrying boys deal with nausea, and in my own experience, that turned out to be spot on—I haven't had a single bout of vomiting, even if I have dealt with a whole host of other pregnancy hurdles...
yet, I have a close friend who is constantly sick to her stomach while expecting a boy, just like an acquaintance of mine who is having twin boys and is also dealing with constant nausea....
The takeaway here: it's all just a bunch of old wives' tales and nonsense...🙂

Roger Grant84 said:This thread is honestly my favorite part of this whole site 🤣

If I actually sat down and wrote out a full list of everything that gets under my skin, it would be huge. But right now? The absolute worst thing is when people try to lecture me on what I should or shouldn't be doing. Like, "Are you really drinking a Coke?" or "Why are you eating so little? You need more calories!" or even "Don't run for the bus, you're pregnant." Look, don't get me wrong—I value advice from actual doctors or women who have actually been through this recently. But most of these unsolicited comments come from people whose last experience with pregnancy was basically back when they were still in their own moms' wombs 🙂

And as for people touching my belly... honestly, once it gets bigger, I care less about it, but if anyone tries to lift my shirt up? I might actually bite their hand off 🙂

😂😂 my mother-in-law was constantly leaning over and kissing my belly🤮😱🙂

I won't even get started on how much she was touching me, and then, around the ten-week mark, she claimed that just a little longer and she'd be able to tell me if we were having a girl or a boy—as if by some sort of magic or divine prophecy...🤣 She would hover her hands near me, almost like she was walking across my stomach, circling my bump with her palms and insisting, "Oh, it's definitely going to be a boy"...🙂 😂

For a moment, I was actually quite annoyed because she "guessed" correctly, which just made her feel incredibly wise and smug about her own intuition...🙂 🙂

Jamie Wilson76 said:Oh, I second that!
After being active through half of my first pregnancy, I spent the entirety of my second one on complete rest. They finally cleared me to move around, but it hasn't helped. I simply can't walk, I can't sit, and I can't even get some fresh air. When I'm in a car, I have to sit in the passenger seat and recline the back almost all the way, and even then, I feel suffocated.
The only thing that provides relief is lying on my side.
I used to think pregnancy was just like being "normal," just with a larger stomach. 🤣
I would love to tease those lucky souls out hiking in nature or attending Pilates classes. 😛 🙂
38 weeks, hopefully not much longer now...

Me too, oh me too... aaaaaaaaaahahaha!
🤣😂🤣
I second everything she just said... my doctor told me that I should stay resting until my next checkup and then I might be able to move around a bit more, maybe even make a quick trip to the CVS...
What kind of trip? I can barely make it from the couch to the bathroom...
And let me tell you, sitting in the OBGYN waiting room halfway through this pregnancy, I was already breathing heavily just like those women right before they go into labor... 😂😂

From where I’m standing, I find myself wondering why anyone in their third trimester would even attempt to get behind the wheel when I’m currently sitting at twenty-one weeks and practically confined to my bed... over these last five months, I haven't really stepped foot outside unless it was for a doctor's appointment, and even then, someone else had to drive me every single time. Honestly, the idea of driving is completely out of the question for me because just sitting in a car and feeling the bumps in the road is unbearable, let alone trying to adjust the seat back into some sort of reclined position—which isn't exactly comfortable either... I spend most of my day avoiding sitting or standing altogether, just staying horizontal as much as possible... so, I truly can't wrap my head around how there are pregnant women out there who don't find that position agonizing and can just drive around without a second thought... since this level of discomfort has become my "new normal"... it’s hard for me to sit up, lie down, or even get out of bed easily, and once I do sit for a bit, I feel this intense pressure, though it’s not even as if I’ve gained an excessive amount of weight... I don't even know what a "normal" pregnancy feels like anymore because these struggles have just become part of my daily life, so I’m genuinely surprised to hear about people who are practically running marathons right up until their due date...
I wish I could be one of those people, and I’ll admit I feel a little envious of all the healthy, active moms-to-be out there (so please don't take offense at my first sentence)... I suspect that when people comment on this, they aren't trying to be unkind, but rather they just associate pregnancy with being unable to perform certain, or perhaps even all, of our usual everyday activities...😉😁

wearycrane8 said:The other day I was on the phone with my mother-in-law, and she started complaining about her back aching, expressing this sudden anxiety about how she’ll manage once the baby arrives... specifically worrying if she'll even be able to handle changing diapers and such 🙂 🙂 I mean, excuse me??? It’s as if she isn't thinking clearly at all... her own mother will be right there to handle the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, and all those little things, leaving her to just step in if I need a hand—like when I'm hopping in the shower or something—while I remain the one primarily responsible for my own child.
I am truly hoping that my husband can have a serious word with her so she doesn't become an overwhelming presence during this time... though, honestly, I'll probably just have to clarify things with her over the phone myself... if she were a more sensible woman, she wouldn't be stressing herself out over hypothetical scenarios so far in advance

😂😂😂
mine is also planning on watching over and dressing my little one for the first month😂🤣😂 because apparently, I won't even be allowed to get my hands wet😲😲
it's like she thinks I won't even be able to take a shower for an entire month...🤣 🤣

Peter Adams58 said:So, I posted a photo on Facebook today because a coworker hadn't seen me in a while. I wanted her to see me, but then she calls me out and says, 🙏"Hey, your mother-in-law keeps saying you have a huge belly, and I used to think you were shaped like a barrel, but looking at this photo..." Well, I honestly felt like throwing hands. 🙂

😂 😂 😂

jadejackal said:That’s exactly why I don’t post any pregnancy photos on Facebook—I just can't deal with all the unsolicited commentary from strangers...
I haven't even bothered changing my last name since our first year of marriage. 😁
For me, Facebook is just for mindless scrolling and nonsense; anyone who actually wants to see how I'm doing or what I look like—people who are actually close to me—already has my number or my email, so they can just get photos via text or email instead.

Exactly... I stay in regular contact with my true friends, and we see each other whenever our work schedules allow it...
Those who live further away receive photos through email... whether it's me or the ultrasound shots...
But honestly, I have absolutely no desire to let anyone explain to me where I lost weight, how my body is changing, how much I've gained, what I'm eating, and so on.
Since becoming pregnant, I've been avoiding social gatherings just to dodge those endless questions... if someone truly cares, we'll talk on the phone or catch up in person...
And even after the baby arrives, I don't think a single photo of the little one will end up on there... I'm seriously considering just deactivating my account altogether...

Well, my wife actually told me the last time she saw me, "Yeah, you've definitely put on some weight in your backside, and maybe a tiny bit in your chest..."

But honestly, no way... I’ve got about 25 pounds sitting right on my stomach... besides, I have a mirror, I can see myself just fine!!!!
I really can't stand people who feel the need to comment on someone's appearance or their weight, even when they're pregnant...
Look, if you have something genuinely kind or positive to say, then sure, go ahead, but if you don't, just keep it to yourself, for goodness sake!!!!!!!

Or maybe they just resort to that once they've run out of anything else interesting to talk about and start grasping at straws... 🤷

I truly believe that we are standing on the precipice of such a monumental shift in how we perceive our daily connections... it's almost overwhelming when you stop to consider the sheer scale of what's coming next! Charles Moore49 says:
It really gets under my skin... brother-in-law...🙂 Honestly, he was getting under my skin even before I was pregnant... 🙂 She’s honestly better than ten mothers-in-law combined...

So, what exactly constitutes "tomoguce" anyway...?😂 What on earth is he up to now...?

hiddenscout362 said:Well, look, I got married without being pregnant, and let me tell you, it didn't go well at all. When I told people at work I was getting married in September—it was January at the time—they immediately hit me with: "Oh, are you expecting?" As if, if I were actually pregnant, there's no way I would have waited eight months just to tie the knot. 🤣

After six months of marriage passed without a pregnancy, they started asking, "So, what are you waiting for?"
Once we hit the one-year mark, the gossip started: "Poor things, they're probably going to have issues."
By the second year, people were literally inventing diagnoses for us and shoving unsolicited advice on how to conceive down our throats.

Then, when I finally did get pregnant after two and a half years of marriage, suddenly everyone’s tone changed to: "Aww, poor things, I feel so bad for them, they had such a hard time."🤣

It’s a sad reflection of our culture... just pure, unadulterated small-mindedness and provincialism...

Nobody seems to grasp why people even get married if pregnancy isn't the primary motivation—though, perhaps it's because people simply love one another and want to build a life together, whether children are involved or not...
But if a woman happens to get pregnant, suddenly it feels like the child was the only reason for the wedding in the first place...
Well, goodness, if a child is truly someone's sole reason for marrying, then I must be a complete fool for not understanding that logic, because in my view, a child shouldn't be the catalyst for a union... since it would honestly be better for a child to be raised by a single parent than to grow up watching a loveless marriage and, heaven forbid, learning about "love" from such a broken example...

Brian Lopez9 said:The thing that drives me absolutely insane is when people ask, "So, what now? Are you guys getting married just because?"
It makes it sound like I accidentally ended up pregnant and now I’m being forced into a wedding at lightning speed!
I mean, seriously—how much of an idiot do you have to be to have a "surprise" baby after you've been together for seven years?
I honestly hate hearing those comments; I don't even feel like explaining myself to anyone... but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that nobody seems to grasp that we've been in this relationship for seven years already. We had already agreed to get married—it just wasn't happening *this* year—but we decided we wanted a baby right now! And that's it, end of story—I'm already worked up all over again. 😉

I completely understand where you're coming from!! And I truly agree with everything that was said here... because I am actually in the exact same situation myself....

Angela Reed5 said:Ladies, let’s be clear: this is your pregnancy, your baby, and your choices. There is absolutely no reason for some third party to be dictating your shopping list. Do what makes you happy and enjoy the process. This is actually the perfect time to practice setting boundaries for your own independence; from here on out, there will always be someone trying to tell you how to live your life, even if they think they’re doing it with the best intentions.

I have a feeling this comment was directed my way, so let me clarify my perspective...
For instance, if someone offers to help—meaning you realize they are planning to pick up a major item like a crib, a dresser, or a stroller—but they feel it's too early to even bring it up because there's still plenty of time left on the clock, I think that's a bit misplaced... any expectant mother would naturally want to know what's being bought and when, and she’d certainly love to provide some guidance on the style or features... assuming, of course, that you can actually have a say in the selection and reach an agreement...
Whatever I decide to buy for myself, I will handle personally, but if my parents offer to buy the stroller, I’m definitely not going to turn them down... however, I want to be kept in the loop in advance, because it's never "too early" to have a conversation or coordinate plans, and I certainly don't want things being purchased or organized while I'm stuck in a hospital bed...
So, that's really all I meant to say...😉

Jerry Bailey47 said:Charles Moore49—just let her talk and do what she wants. Obviously, you can't just buy everything in a three-day window; it took me three whole months just to pick out a stroller—first browsing online, then hitting the stores, and finally making a call. It’s smart to keep an eye on sales too, since you can snag much better deals that way—something that doesn't happen in a single weekend. And honestly, it's not too early at all; I personally think everything should be ready a month ahead of time because you never truly know when that baby is going to make its appearance. It's all just old wives' tales and superstitions. 😉

Exactly, it's not that I'd ever let her comments sway my plans, but it feels silly because it seems like she doesn't want to talk about it or even listen, even though she claims to be so incredibly excited about her grandchild...🤷
I completely agree that you need to see and test everything out, especially for those major items like strollers, cribs, and changing tables...
For instance, we picked up a crib, bedding, and a mattress as a bundle deal, so we essentially got a four-piece bedding set for free... and why would I wait around... it just doesn't make sense...

As for waiting until seven days before the due date... I simply refuse to put myself through that, as it would cause me far too much pressure and stress, given how long the checklist for baby essentials and hospital bags actually is, regardless of whether the items are small or inexpensive, you really need to prepare... I don't have the luxury of having things handed to me, so I want to purchase everything myself and stay ahead of schedule...
And even if you wait until the very moment you head to the hospital, unfortunately, there's no guarantee you'll be heading home with the baby right away, is there? So, those superstitions are just nonsense to me...
I mean, it didn't occur to me to start buying things the second I found out I was pregnant, but once you approach the 30-week mark, I think it's perfectly reasonable...

It honestly drives me crazy when I try to talk to my mother-in-law about the gear I’ve been browsing for the baby or what I’m planning to buy, because she immediately cuts me off with, "Oh, don't worry, there's plenty of time! How long will you even be in the hospital? Three days? We can just buy everything for you while you're recovering..." I truly don't understand what they think they can accomplish in just three days, considering we have to assemble the nursery furniture, wash all the tiny clothes, and get everything perfectly organized... once the baby arrives, everything needs to be ready to go, and the idea of leaving it all up to someone else during those first three days just goes completely against my nature... so naturally, I've stopped trying to bring it up with her altogether...
Anyway, I’m entering my sixth month now, and since this is my first child—and their first grandchild—everything feels quite significant, though I'm on strict bed rest, so I can't exactly indulge in the luxury of a last-minute shopping spree, which is a situation I definitely want to avoid, making it much easier to just prepare, plan, and organize things bit by bit as I go...
So, my husband went ahead and picked up some essentials the other day—a crib, some bedding, a mattress—and apparently, his mother took it personally and snapped at us, asking, "Why on earth are you rushing everything?" 😲😲
What rush, honey? I just want to make sure we have everything the baby needs so nothing is missing; I'm going to be a new mom, and I want everything to be absolutely perfect and ready...
Besides, I haven't heard from anyone else, nor has anyone suggested that it's too early to start shopping... and I certainly won't wait until after the delivery to see if anyone decides to buy me something... I was actually hoping she might ask if we had looked at anything yet, or if she could help since she insists on doing everything in those three days, so why wouldn't she just ask what I actually want, what I've been looking at, or what I need? 🙂

Tyler Ramos said:Quincy:

I suppose that's all there really is to say, isn't it? Just me. kaže: Another thing that really caught me off guard was this one friend of mine—someone I’ve always considered a "really good" friend—who hasn't even reached out to check in on me for weeks. She hasn't asked how I'm doing, how my doctor's appointments went, or anything about the pregnancy, because honestly, she just doesn't seem interested. She doesn't ask any questions, and she isn't even aware that I've been on strict bed rest for two weeks now. At first, I tried to talk myself down, thinking maybe I was just being dramatic or expecting too much—you know, assuming everyone wants to hear all the details about the pregnancy, how the baby is growing, if there's a new ultrasound photo, or whether the little one is kicking left or right, or high or low. But then again, she isn't even dating, let alone at a stage in her life where she's even thinking about kids. Do you think this kind of distance is forgivable, or is it possible that pregnant women just become way too self-absorbed and obsessed with their own situation?

It’s funny how life works, isn't it? My closest friends just seemed to vanish into thin air the moment I found out I was pregnant for the first time. It makes you wonder where everyone goes when things actually get real.
I didn't exactly have it in my plans to keep drifting through our weekend hangouts like this, though I suppose I didn't foresee us being unable to grab a quick coffee together either. It’s funny how things shift; I wasn't anticipating that our conversations would narrow down solely to pregnancy talk, yet somehow, I didn't see coming that we might just stop talking altogether.
They didn't even bother to reach out to me. Not once.
In the beginning, I was always the one reaching out, the one making every single move to start a conversation or keep things moving, but eventually, I just hit a wall and realized I couldn't be the only one trying anymore. Honestly, I just got tired of being the only one putting in the effort, you know?
I’m really not going to go around begging anyone to hang out with me.
They really did a number on me, I suppose, but what can you do? It is what it is, right? I guess they just weren't the kind of friends I thought they were, at least not in the way I had imagined them being.
Life just keeps moving forward, doesn't it? At the end of the day, the people who truly care about you—the ones who actually see your value—are the ones who will make the effort to stay in your life. 🙂 Whether you’re actually pregnant or not, and whether they're truly biological or not, it really doesn't change the reality of the situation.

I ended up doing much the same thing with a few so-called "friends" of mine recently.
I’ve always felt that true friends are the ones who stick by you regardless of what kind of chaos is unfolding in your world or theirs. It shouldn't matter if you're hitting a massive peak or sliding into a bit of a valley; if the friendship is real, they aren't going anywhere, right? Life gets messy, and people get distracted, but those core connections should remain steady through all the noise.
Some things can be adjusted, I suppose, but you can't just flip a switch and cut someone out of your life if you actually give a damn about them, can you?

I don't think anyone expects to be grilled about their pregnancy and future child every single second,
but it does feel a bit dismissive when close friends ignore the situation entirely or never bother to check in on how you're actually feeling.
At the end of the day, this is a massive part of our lives right now, and it isn't exactly possible to pretend it isn't happening.
It's not like I've passed away—I'm just pregnant. Nothing stops me from grabbing a latte, hitting the shops, or chatting about literally anything else. It's not as if my vocabulary has been limited strictly to diapers and nursery colors.
For heaven's sake, I need a break too, and I still need social interaction and varied conversation topics.
Along with everything else that makes me who I am, I've simply added "mom" to the list.
I honestly can't wrap my head around why they've decided that we can't—or shouldn't—hang out like we used to. 🤷

That is exactly what I was getting at, because I'm certainly not the type of person who makes everything about myself, and in fact, the last time I spoke to this particular friend on the phone, I spent half an hour just waiting for her to tell me what was going on in her own life; I listened, I commented, and I didn't try to interrupt once to pivot back to "oh, my baby..." but when she finally finished, she asked me "how are you" with such a tone that I could hear in her voice that she was expecting a very short, perfunctory answer...
It was just one of those moments where someone asks how you are just to check a box... and after that, a whole month has passed... and there hasn't been a single word since...

Charles Moore49, you sound just like my own folks, because my entire family has always been absolutely devoted to animals, and I personally grew up in a home where our cats were treated as true members of the family and lived incredibly long, pampered lives... I eventually passed that same affection down to my husband and his relatives, so now they have their own pets too, while we enjoy our two little ones here... and honestly, I’ve had to navigate some toxic dynamics myself lately...
It truly gets under my skin when people try to lecture me about something they clearly haven't experienced, especially those who claim to be animal lovers yet have the audacity to ask, "Why would you want cats in the first place?"
Then there is this other situation that really caught me off guard involving a friend I thought was "so close," yet she hasn't even reached out in weeks to see how I'm doing or how my doctor's appointment went, and she shows zero interest in my pregnancy—she doesn't ask questions or even realize that I've been on strict bed rest for two whole weeks now... at first, I wondered if I was being dramatic, thinking maybe I expect too much from people, hoping they'd care about how the baby is growing, if I have a new ultrasound photo, or if the little one is kicking left or right... but she isn't even dating, let alone thinking about kids, so she just doesn't get it... do you all think this behavior is forgivable, or are pregnant women just naturally too self-absorbed in their own condition?
And the third thing that is driving me absolutely crazy is my mother-in-law constantly trying to kiss and touch my belly, topped off by her repeatedly demanding, "Let me see my grandbaby!"😠