In France, on public transport, the seats near the door are for: wounded soldiers, blind and disabled civilians, pregnant women and mothers with small children. There is a list detailing who exactly is allowed to sit there, and usually little drawings, which are quite a hoot.
:) Trish
You just have to remind them often enough that it becomes THEIR idea - and then it will get done;)
Trish
Yep...it is use it or los it! Most people need to move more not less. When I started having contractions with my first child I did $300 worth of grocery shopping, bagged it myself, toted it to the car and then into my cupboards - no help. When I was 9 months pregnant with my second child I rented a tile cutting saw and I did all the cutting to re-tiled the coutnertops and floor of my kitchen (with my husband). When I was 9 months pregnant with my third child I moved cross country by airplane with 2 small children ages 2 & 4 and a 50 pound dog...by myself (my husband had moved ahead). I packed an entire household and then unpacked it. My life isn't always easy, and often a challenge, but I figure it isn't anything compared to what early settlers went through.
Oh...BIG pet peeve - when people set young children on food service countertops (ie. at McDonalds) while ordering or getting out their money. I know where their tiny bottoms have been and I don't want them on a surface where my food will be exchanged or prepared. I am probably the only person that this bothers though bcause nobody else ever seems to be offended. I never say anything. Joy
If I am behind those people in line and see the child on the counter, I immediately walk out of that restaurant find another place to eat. After all, they are numerous, some as close as next door. Emily
pregnant...(i
------------------------ "Old quilters never die, they just go to pieces."
They have that on the commuter train here, too. It's not a law but they have signs asking you to be considerate and give up the seats to people with mobility problems and young children.
IMS's cat walked across a keyboard and came up with this:
I always found that if there was a line, they'd always cut the pregneant gal to the front... I still offer that.
Speaking of pet peeves, why do people that have little dogs think they are exempt from health department rules regarding dogs in grocery stores etc? ( with the exception of service dogs of course!) I would never consider taking any of my dogs into a department store or supermarket... personally I don't see the difference if they are in a pocketbook, pet sling or the front of the cart. It's still a dog, and does not belong in there.
Peneny
Several years ago a woman who worked for me told me this was her first outside job - her husband wouldn't "let" her work outside the house. I had just given her a well deserved raise, and she came to me crying, because she didn't think she was worthy - her word, not mine. And now that she had a "real" job - her paycheck went straight to him, she signed it but never saw it again. Another woman in one of my departments told me, upon her husband's death, that she had been "his" since she was 13, and she had absolutely no idea of how to get on with a life without him. I was their supervisor, and had no idea what to say to either of them.
Sharon
I was told once that I was a bitch - I turned around and replied that yes, I was, and I had worked d*mned hard for it, too. The women in my group (and several men, too) cheered. Sharon
I saw a lot of those women during the 1990-91 Gulf occupations. These were grown people who didn't know how to write a check or even what bank their husband had an account in. All they ever knew was that they had an allowance and that they better get the receipts. The military post where I worked had to set up classes to teach all these women (and not all were young wives on their first time away from home) how to manage a budget and pay the bills and how to handle credit cards. It was a cryin' shame to see how little some of them knew about their own household business. It was really bad when the husbands were killed because they couldn't locate any of the important papers (one husband had locked his in a safe deposit box with his MOTHER as co-owner).
It really stinks that in this day and age this kind of stuff still goes on! As to what you could say: to the first, time to cash the checks and start putting money away because she is going to need it one day. To the latter, refer her to any of the community education classes that cover household management and advise her to get some counseling.
I would like to see it so that I can match it with my insurer's list of providers. I'm sure I can find better than what I currently have.
Good points, Beth. My late husband and I had a system that worked: he wrote out the checks, I balanced the checkbook. So, we both knew what was going where at all times.
One bittersweet moment was when we were talking to an insurance counselor, and the counselor was discussing women who think, because they worked as secretaries 15 years ago, they could resume their careers in the event of a calamity. With some pride, my husband said, "That's not my wife." End result was that we didn't have enough life insurance, but I will always remember his confidence in my abilities, and he wasn't wrong about that.
I once had a colleague and friend who said she and her husband could never agree on what soap or toothpaste to buy, yet I knew they had separate bank accounts. Her money was hers, his was his. Meanwhile, my husband and I pooled all cash resources, but we stuck to our own soap and toothpaste preferences; it's not as though you go through it faster if you buy Irish Spring _and_ Ivory!
So now I'm widowed, and she's divorced, but at least I can look back on 18 good years.
If anyone is reading this thread, and identifies with the women in the suffocating relationships described -- that is NOT how marriages are supposed to work, I don't care what he's told you. Seek help, now.
All these "hurtful" labels are the result of a previous round of political correctness.
Joy Beeson
Hello one and all :-)) Well I have enjoyed reading each and every post in this thread. My PET PEEVE - hands down the most annoying thing on earth right now::::
Young men who wear their slacks/trousers/pants hanging down to their knees with their underwear/skivvies showing. I HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have absolutely no problem with loose fit trousers - hip riding is OK but when the crack of the a** is showing and I can see the buttocks thru the underwear I just see RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well that is my rant for now.
Abusive husbands/wives (physical, mental, financial, social, psychological, etc, etc, etc) I hate that too but it is past the pet peeve stage. If someone is abusive to their spouse the abuse affects the entire family. If you witness actual physical abuse that can be reported to law enforcement -- REPORT IT!!!! If you are afraid and do not want to get involved - go to a pay phone and make that call. You may just save a life. At the very least you may improve a life.
My generation (50+) had a saying "sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me". Perhaps this was our parents method for helping us overcome hurtful speech. But please everyone remember - words can wound just as much as a knife or a gun -- a different kind of wound to be sure -- but a wound just the same
Handicapped Parking -- There will always be abuses just as there will always be people who break other laws/rules. We do not know the situation for folks who "zip right into the store". Three cheers for the pregnant women who were in "full steam ahead" gear right up until they gave birth. You are in the minority. I worked OB/Labor & Delivery/GYN for 13+ years as a Registered Nurse and most of my patients were quite healthy and physically active during their pregnancies but the last few weeks can be difficult. I teach prepared childbirth and I believe expectant mothers should be pampered. If one of the pregnant families who are in my classes chooses to opt out of the pampering - that is OK and their decisions are respected and encouraged ---- for them. A special parking space is a nicety - If some choose not to use it or believe it is overkill - tis OK but do not begrudge those who like the idea and want that little bit of extra pampering. (By pampering I do not insinuate fainting couches and bon-bons) A pregnant woman and her family are about to give birth to a new life & a true miracle and an important life event.
Weight related disabilities: Yes we do need to loose weight. I forget the numbers but it is something like 50% or more Americans are overweight. This is another "Don't go there" area. If you do not know why a person is FAT then you should not judge. Most of the overweight is due to overeating. In the US some of the overweight folks are victims of "ghetto nutrition" In some inner city markets - the least expensive foods are the highest in calories and fat. If young mothers do not know how to shop and prepare nutritious meals their children will have a higher incidence of obesity. What happened to Home Ec ??? When I was in High School we had Home Economics class. Only girls took the class in those days but it taught balanced nutrition and how to prepare meals correctly. BUT ----- if a person's weight has caused their disability -- THEY ARE STILL disabled. Only the people who have never had a weight problem think weight loss is easy. And folks - being 10-15 pounds overweight is VERY different than 50++ pounds overweight.
Sun
You'll eat McDonalds food - and you're worried about that!? : )
Friends told me last year that they knew a couple where the husband charged his wife rent to stay in the house with him. The house was in his name, so he considered this perfectly reasonable!
:0 Trish
I am not handicapped and I park in handicap spaces *with a handicap tag*. My husband is handicapped and I drop him off as close as possible to where he is going: dr's clinic, hospital, grocery store, office. This may explain some folks not appearing to be handicapped but using the space. My pet peeve: seeing a car without a tag taking one of the few spaces reserved for handicapped *in the parking deck for the clinic and hospital*.
Agreed. I was in excellent shape going into all three of my pregnancies, but the last couple months were uniformly difficult. The slightest movement caused Braxton Hickes contractions, beginning with the fifth month for the last one. By then I also had a toddler, and rarely went out unless I had to. We must go to the grocery!
When I was speaking about overweight issues, I specifically was thinking about a handful of people I know personally whose other physical problems stem entirely from weight issues; these are people I've known (and cared for) my entire life.
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
It's basic insanity! WAAAAAAAAY back in the 1950's my parents got married, established a JOINT bank account, and after the first time Dad went away, taking the cheque book with him in error, Mum became the Household Exchequer! SHE did ALL bills, all money management, everything. Dad would 'borrow' the cheque book to pay things like his mess bill and the tailor, and when he had to he was good at the money stuff, but usually Ma was keeper of the keys! As a result, it struck me as barbarically old fashioned when I discovered in the 70's that not all households were run like this!
Since we got married, DH and I have run a joint account, into which his salary is paid. It does the household stuff. In addition, he has a small savings account, and I have always had my own account into which my salary was paid. It now receives the Child Allowance (a state tax rebate for each child, paid to the primary carer), anything I earn from sewing, and any teaching salary from my KCU tutoring activities. Doing it any other way would be loopy!
Boy, do I agree with this statement. Politically correct, buzz words can make life h*ll, can't they? We no longer have a mailman, it's a mail person; chairperson, sanitary engineer. When I went on disability the term for the person/company you purchased goods from had changed to either supplier or vendor. Which ever, I was always using the wrong term. It was like all the other buzz words - it'll change again within a few years, and who really cares?
Sharon
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