Posts by Drew Ross2

I suppose I should offer some praise to you all as well—winning isn't everything, after all; just showing up matters more than I’d like to admit 😁

Where have I been? Well, stuck in a cubicle in Chicago 😁

Congrats, Freya 👋
I mean, if anyone wants to argue that women don't understand soccer—well, you just shut them down. You absolutely crushed them. 👋
😁

Bruce Lee😳

Alien or Predator?

Flourless bread 😕
It’s gotta be some kind of magic, I guess 😲

Timothy Turner5 said:Who’s actually keeping track here? Some intern at FedEx?
One probably needs to be careful 🧐

Thomas Doubting😁
feel free to play backup then 😁

Austin Bailey3 said:It’s tied up at 2-2 for our side.

🙂

Larry Perez69 said:Where are all the distractions when it’s actually time for a serious conversation? 🙂

Richard Sanders7 👋

It’s nothing more than deceptive marketing—pure fluff. 😁

Fine, whatever—welcome to the club, I guess. 😳

It was ep 2021 😉

Larry Perez69 Asks:
I guess I’d only place a bet if the US and Mexico made it all the way to the finals. 🎉

Richard Sanders7 said:I nailed the outcome of the Kolinda vs Josipović election almost to a T—so you might as well just declare a winner already. 🥳

The two of you. 🙂
This is where the serious discussions happen—and the forecasts. 😳

Zachary Booth36 said:Well, that sounds like a lovely little way to kill time while the SP is going on. I might just join in. 👍

🙂

That's the way to do it, guys 👋

Quote : Mother of Pearl

William Thompson10 said:Quote: Mother of Pearl

I’m just sitting here, patiently waiting for someone to actually weigh in. Still waiting on that first comment to drop. 🍿

Quote : Mother of Pearl

Melissa Rogers4 said:Since you already weighed in... I was just wondering how many minutes it would take 😁
...

Quote : Mother of Pearl

feralmoose32 said:Honestly, it’s just too funny ☕

Quote : Mother of Pearl

Melissa Rogers4 said:It’s actually pretty funny. It’s only been three minutes...

Quote : Mother of Pearl

Melissa Rivera said:Alright, fine...😁

I'm ready. Send over the content you need rewritten. I'll ensure everything is localized to the US, maintains that specific cynical and measured tone, and follows all your substitution rules strictly. No preamble, just the finished work. 🙂

Look, once the games kick off in ten days, you'll finally have your answer 😁

The first match is set for November 20th at 5 PM—Qatar vs. Ecuador.

The next SP adventure kicks off in ten days.🙂
As per tradition, I’m opening the thread where we can all play along and guess the scores. To recap the rules:
post your score predictions on match day—no later than kickoff.
Once things wrap up, we tally the points: 3 points if you nail the exact score, 1 point if you at least pick the winner.
Extra time counts, but penalties don't. We're looking for the result at the end of 90 or 120 minutes.

The winner gets the title of the forum's resident soccer wizard—notarized, of course—so they can officially brag about it to their coworkers back in the States.👋

jadeowl2 said:Yeah, that whole "how would I feel" technique is solid. It really makes you realize how often people just act completely reckless with kids—ignoring their feelings and what they actually need.

Exactly. Adults spend way too much time doing things to children that they wouldn't dream of putting up with themselves.
Especially when it comes to actually acknowledging and respecting their emotions and needs.

jadeowl2 said:I don't even know which one is the absolute worst, but man, there are just so many... Using a kid as some kind of extension of yourself, totally ignoring what they actually need, and just straight-up disrespecting who they are as an individual.

Then you've got the more practical stuff, like being totally inconsistent or refusing to let them make their own mistakes and actually live their own lives.
And then there's forcing your own choices down their throats—that's mostly an issue with the older kids.

Look, I agree you gotta spend time with your kids, but you also have to give them space to just be themselves (or hang out with friends for a bit). A kid needs to build their own life on their own terms... the main thing is just making sure they know we're always here if they ever need us or just want to talk.

just like we do as adults 😳

I think it’s useful during parenting to ask oneself: would I be okay with this?
Like, you try telling your partner about your day, but they’re just staring at their iPhone, giving you some half-hearted "uh-huh" while they zone out.

Or maybe you’re feeling down and you open up to someone important, only for them to brush you off with, "Come on, it's not a big deal, don't be so dramatic."

Or you make plans with someone close to go somewhere together, they flake, and then when you try to address it, they just shut you down and tell you to stop overreacting.

Or you’ve been working all day and just want to come home and relax with your partner, but they tell you: "Go play in your room, I don't have time right now."

And so on. 😳

I was hanging out with an acquaintance, her husband, and their three-year-old son. The little guy absolutely lost it when a pigeon landed right next to him 🤣—sounds ridiculous when I put it like that, but he genuinely panicked, screaming his head off and crying hysterically. His parents? Not a single reaction.
When I asked why they weren't comforting him, she just shrugged and said, "Come on, it’s just a pigeon. He needs to toughen up a bit; we can't have him acting like a little girl."

The way she handled that... 😱
it honestly made my skin crawl.
Women expect their partners to be gentle, polite, and romantic—but how can we expect that if we're teaching boys from the ground up to be total jerks?
I think it’s perfectly fine to comfort a toddler who’s legitimately terrified of a damn pigeon. To adults, it looks silly, but to him, that fear is very real.

Once they weren't looking, I gave him a hug, stroked his hair, and wiped away his tears. 😳

William Thompson10 said:In my opinion, the single biggest mistake a parent can make is failing to spend quality time with their child. There really isn't any excuse for that. You have to talk to them constantly—really engage—and truly listen when they bring their problems to you.

I see so many divorced fathers who just don't seem to grasp that being physically and emotionally present whenever possible is what actually matters. A child might act like they’re fine on the surface, but deep down, they’re struggling. They end up just settling for whatever scraps of attention they can get. Some of these parents act like they're providing everything, but in reality, they barely see their kids even twice a month.

When they're little, all they really need is warmth and affection. We shouldn't leave them feeling isolated or forced to fight for a parent's attention from the moment they take their first steps. During those early years, a mother's presence and care are absolutely vital.

Exactly.
Spending time together like you described—talking, listening, playing, exploring, or just being ridiculous together.
It’s often difficult; I get home from work completely drained, and then there's dinner to cook and cleaning to do, yet the kids still demand their time.
They want my undivided attention when showing me their drawings, they want my input on their little projects, they want interaction—they want 150% of me. 😁
Some days I tell myself, "Okay, today gets a mark against my parenting record." Those are the days when I'm just exhausted, and even if I'm physically there, I'm mentally checked out. I'm sitting next to them, but I lack my usual energy.
I suspect they feel it, but I guess you can't avoid having those kinds of days.
Still, when I look at the big picture, I think the successes tend to outweigh the failures.
No parent is perfect—and if there are any, I certainly am not one of them. There isn't some manual on how to raise a child to become a happy, fulfilled adult.
I've made mistakes along the way, and I'll probably make more, but I do reflect on my parenting quite often. I weigh my wins against my losses and try to figure out how to avoid repeating the same errors.
Only time will tell what my biggest mistakes will be, but I hope—really hope—that despite the stumbles, they grow up to be happy, capable people with the right tools to navigate the jungle of life.
They'll always have my support and love, so I suppose, in the end, it all works out. 😳

*Regarding the needs of a mother or father, I think after the first year, they need both equally. That first year is a bit different—the baby needs the mother most during that specific window.

Maybe we should talk about these football influencers—specifically how much those wealthy sheiks are probably paying them to claim that the USA 2026 World Cup is such a brilliant idea. 😳

Honestly, I just can't get used to the fact that the World Cup is starting again. 😵

Thomas Hernandez4 said:Nov 3. Topic of the day: How often do you actually hang out?

Do you get out much? Are you someone who hits up big groups, or do you prefer keeping things low-key with just a few people?
Try to put some actual numbers to it—how many people are you realistically seeing on a monthly basis?

__________________________________
This thread was pulled from the 62nd post within the topic of the day.

I rarely socialize
don't go out at all
don't see a large circle of people
prefer smaller gatherings
excluding work, my partner, and the kids—maybe 4 people a month

Nicholas King said:Socializing is overrated, if you ask me.

if the company is good, then it isn't😳