This might be completely offbase, but assuming (?) that most posters here are from first world countries, I believe the US still has a pretty high birth rate compared to other first world countries…so maybe Americans (sorry, USAnians hurts my ears :() just have more kids to talk about??
I get the impression that American society is much more kid-centric than it was just a few generations ago. The whole “soccer mom” phenomenon – I don’t really picture housewifes in the 50s micro-managing their kids schedules, hauling them from soccer practice to violin lessons to SAT test prep, etc.
Bah. I’d rather hear about someone’s kids than the perennial Doper favorite, “What’s this green fungus growing on my penis?”, or whatever other thread concerning fungus, penis, or any combination thereof. Talk about TMI. Ewww.
In fact, I love seeing announcements about engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and new babies. These things are part of life. I think it’s very good for the overall mood of the board. Even the sadder stuff, like funerals or divorces, are part of life and have their place.
I know! They got to sit around playing canasta, smoking cigarettes and drinking martinis. Man, there are some things about the 50’s we should have kept around.
It is a stage we are at in our lives right now, and it is important for us, right now. I too read a lot of the kid and parenting or allergy related stuff, and last year I followed Whynot’s birth story with bated breath.
Another thing that I was musing on, is that if I had met either Dangermom or Whynot in real life, I would not have made much effort to make friends with either of you, because I’d have seen “Mormon” and “Hippy type” (I hope this confession isn’t going to get me into trouble!) and you in your turn would have seen “opinionated ex-pat” and all three of us would have thought there was nothing in common to start a relationship.
But having all the external visuals stripped away has resulted in the fact that we are all fully involved in raising our kids and being entertained/horrified by them by turns. I really like a lot of Whynot’s advice and experience as a nanny, and I like Dangermom’s calm accpetance of the fact that kids will be kids.
So, I would say that in this case, mutual ramblings about our kids has resulted in a significant reduction in ignorance of a number of peripheral matters…
Wow, am I calm? You make me sound like I should have 6 kids (as per my stereotype). Thanks!
I also enjoy hearing about everyone’s lives. Btw, Brit, I probably haven’t ever mentioned that my BIL lives in Kobe; so you never know, I’m always daydreaming about visiting Japan and we might get there someday. (For a California Mormon, I have an awful lot of family connections to Asia.) I’d also settle for a trip to the UK, as I’m an awful Anglophile.
Thanks!