A demand too far?

What next the thought police .

I think Keeleklogger has it, only safe topics, weather and how boring life is (because you're not allowed to talk about anything someone might felt left out of or disagree with). I'm glad I have retired and can talk to myself about whatever I choose. ?

Hi. New to the forum. Just wanted to put the feelers out and ask advice. I have 1 grandchild age 1 Yr. My daughter is returning to work one day per week. It's obvious she was thinking I would childmind as she has made zero arrangements. Problem is that I work p/t and will not be able to retire for about another 10 years with the way pensions are going. I'm not keen to give up work even for 1 day as I will lose earnings and may not get my job back as it currently is. When my grandchild is age 3 she will be eligible for free nursery care. How do I confront my daughter with arranging for her child herself..... And am I being a bad grandmother... I feel very guilty

The world going mad!
I like some sport, especially football as I used to take my son to his matches when he was younger. He then went on to coach and now my grandson plays....in youth team for Portsmouth!

Utter rubbish.where will all this nonsense end.

We are moving rapidly into La La Land here - what would happen if a man inadvertantly uttered the 'F' word in the office - would he have any season ticket he might hold torn up and thrown over him, or perhaps lose his job instantly as a suitable punishment for infringing these lunatic rules? It is time that the small group of people who seem to have little to do but cause trouble, stir up dissent and utter ridiculous statements realise that they cause problems for the very 'cause' they are seemingly trying to help.

We will never gain true equality until we achieve a balanced approach to both women and men without extreme allowances having to be made for either sex.

For goodness sake!!! Trouble is we are all discussing it and it made the news, she got what she wanted!! Even though it made her look ridiculous!

I frequently came across 'men only 'type both in my work and social life .Who defines what is only for men and what is only for women.?

Surely any talk anywhere, that pointedly excludes some of those present is ill-mannered and a form of exclusion whether you do it in the office, at a social gathering or in your own home.

Bunytypoochon, I don’t think you are being a bad mother.
How to tell her? perhaps a text or phone call saying ....We need to talk .. best wishes

I really don't like watching sports except ice skating and gymnastics and then only take a mild interest. So, if I had to work with a group of people who talked all day about football (or any subject for that matter) it would drive me nuts and I would feel isolated. I think there is a time and place for everything. I wouldn't talk about baking, sewing or crafting excessively unless I knew they shared interests. Some people are fanatical about some things and find it difficult to talk about anything else. I know someone who talks about her grandchildren and nothing else, doesn't matter what the conversation is about (once our conversation was about vaginas!!) she will always brings it back to her grandchildren!!

I am a Manchester United season ticket holder and love talking about football

I heard this on the radio on Monday morning, when snoozing before getting up and thought I was dreaming! It's the silliest thing I've heard in a long time!

I can talk about football (3 football mad brothers and Dad plus ow DH and DS) and cars (DH and DS!) but realise that not all women can or want to. Not everyone is interested in soaps, Strictly, cricket, DGC, pets but we all have to listen when someone starts a conversation about them and be polite or excuse ourselves from the discussion!

Ridiculous! Apart from the fact I know just as many female sports fans - Six Nations starts at the weekend! Why should people be ordered what to talk about?

Buntypoochon, you need to start your own thread, then you’ll get ( hopefully), more replies.

Oh lord! Are we trying to show men how pathetic women are? What a crazy idea and how will it be enforced?

Why can’t people who are not interested in a topic find someone else to chat to? Where I live (NZ) women are just as crazy about sport as the men.

Nontanan2 - Unfortunately there are no rules that can keep someone from being a jerk!

Notanan2 - sorry I got your name wrong in my previous post.

I grew up in an all-male household who all loved football. Then had sons who were equally passionate about the sport. So my knowledge of it is patchily good. And will join in with conversation to go with the flow. But do find the game itself rather boring. Now, if it’s anything to do with horses, I’m in with a passion!

I think she has a valid point. As the only woman on a senior management team I found all the football talk tedious and excluding, and there was plenty of it.

It is the case in our office that the only time that any non-work related conversation takes place is when any employee may meet another at the water cooler. Those "water tower conversations" are always short, and even then it is often in regard to how in general work on any matter is going that several members of staff may be working on jointly.

So, it does make me smile when people paint a picture of staff in an office or any workplace in general just sauntering over to another person's workstation and starting a long-winded conversation in regard to any matter under the sun. Sadly that is not how employment is carried on in today's working world.

All businesses and offices are monitored with budgets and time schedules set for virtually all tasks that staff are required to maintain as an essential part of their everyday duties.

Most people do not take lunch breaks these days preferring instead to take a number of very short breaks at their workstation and finish a half hour early or "more commonly allow those breaks to accumulate and take a few hours of when the work allows.

Long conversations about football or anything else is always reserved for the pub following when a team has had a very long day or a week, and then I or one of the other partners in the business take them down there to show our appreciation of what they have carried out and achieved, and so it is with the vast majority of successful businesses today.

Grandad

It’s quite possible to work and chat you know

If the football chat goes on and on and gets boring, what is to stop people starting up new subjects whenever there is a long enough pause to get a word in edgeways?

If they want to make a point about boring subjects, they could launch into a row by row account of their latest complicated knitting project. Better still, they could take that to work with them next day and demonstrate it. That should bore the footballers into stunned silence. It might not help office relations, but if one half of the workforce is bored already, at least it would equalise things.