Just when I thought she wasn't going to say it!

These people will continue to refer to their family /friends as 'A the B' unless you pull them up on it. I would say, 'Is your other child/friend a lesser being in your eyes then because they don't have a financially rewarding career?

Unless the people are at a professional sherry party or conference it's bad manners to compare people's social status. The proper way to introduce someone is to say something interesting but which will place nobody at a disadvantage.

My MiL always "talked up"my DHs job and him sound very important when talking to her friends. She always referred to my full time responsible job as my "little job" Grrr!

Perhaps the other son has taken up needlework

I used to know a guy who did the most exquisite needlework. When some of the queen's tapestries were damaged he was commissioned to repair them.
He also made hand-embroidered banners for the military.

I dated his son for a while - before I was married of course .

Actually, the 12th June would have been our 49th wedding anniversary.

quizqueen

These people will continue to refer to their family /friends as 'A the B' unless you pull them up on it. I would say, 'Is your other child/friend a lesser being in your eyes then because they don't have a financially rewarding career?

I wouldn't even consider saying such a thing to my friend! She may be annoying in some ways, but she IS a friend, who has been there for me in times when I needed her!

Phoenix, you make me laugh. Thank you.

You're welcome, Auntieflo and thank you!

Looking at this another way, we used to joke in the family about my grandmother who would say: 'This is Dr (insert name), he's my grandson". But it wasn't that she was boastful, she was genuinely proud of her educated grandchildren, because her and my Grandad had very little education and they always impressed on all their grandchildren how important school and university was, in an encouraging way. So we would forgive her and gently tease her about it.

Perhaps it doesn't happen any more, but once upon a time it was quite common at a party to ask someone you had never previously met what she/he "did" (i.e. job/ career). I always had loads of fun with that question with answers that ranged from snake charmer to traffic warden, and from parliamentary undersecretary to undercover police.

Me too! I've been a gardener and an artist. DH would like to be a mystery guest on a cruise ship. Probably hoping for a free ride.

I agree with you pheonix. It is only a friend's foible.

phoenix!

That has given me a good laugh, thank you phoenix

It also reminded me of my late mum who, whenever she mentioned my niece’s boyfriend (now husband), would say ‘He went to Harrow, you know!’

I used to work beside someone who kept referring to his mother, the double professor. For a grown man to talk about his mum so much in the workplace was odd anyway, but his obsession with her being a double professor (is there such a thing? I know nothing...) when it was completely irrelevant to our role caused much hilarity in the team

Very entertaining thread. I’m still wondering, though, why annsixty appears to think that being an academic isn’t work.

Oh dear Grandma70s
Absolutely no intention of upsetting anyone with my ill thought out remark,I meant life at the "coal face", the grind of 7:30am to 5pm for 49 weeks a year. Apologies for slighting anyone else besides you.

I hate on quiz programmes (like Pointless) when people are asked "And what do you do?"

Funny thread and yes I thought of Hyacinth Bucket too.

When I was living in Australia, apparently my mother used to drop into the conversation "my eldest daughter lives in Australia" on a regular basis.
Probably about the only time she had anything good to say about me!

How do you stop friends from showing off and talking about themselves. A friend of mine constantly tells us stories of her extensive travels and her (deceased) husband and how much he loved her. We've heard all the stories many times. We've all travelled and we've all got husbands but you would think she was the only one. It is utterly boring and embarrassing, and sadly people try to avoid her.
Any tips anyone?

My MiL always use to ask after my brother who owned a very successful business but never asked after my sister who was a single mum who lived on a council estate.

I know of someone who could never stop saying "my daughter, X...the one who's at Oxford..." Funny (and rather sad) how she stopped mentioning X, when X dropped out of Uni and had a baby.....

We used to have a friend whom we called "my husband the doctor". She felt that somehow the high status of a doctor brushed off on her and that she knew more about everything than the rest of us.
Also met two women recently who could talk about nothing but their daughters who were doctors, speaking about them as though it was somehow a feather in their own caps - nothing to do with the poor girls having worked their socks off to get where they are.

I guess many people are just proud to have even a loose connection with a barrister, doctor etc.

I remember my (paternal) grandma had to tell everyone that her son in law "had letters after his name" and can distinctly remember my dad (obviously a huge disappointment) muttering under his breath "yes he has..... A. R. S. E"

My MiL wasn't particularly fond of me, but she did like to tell people that I was a teacher. While that's absolutely no big deal, to her it was, as no-one in her family had gone to university. When my DS was born, with Down's Syndrome, she managed to restrain herself from telling anybody!