Bringing new baby into work to show colleagues
- Thread starter liaconn
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As long as it's a one off I wouldn't mind. Nothing is as boring to me as other people's kids and all the clucking and ooohhing and ahhhhing that goes with it - that said even I could make nice if they brought in new baby to work - Just the once mind you!
I'm going to have to bring my new smallie into work at some stage in the near future. Number of reasons for it, partially because a lot of the women in the office keep asking me and asking to see pics/updates and partially because I went home with a boot load of pressies and vouchers from them, (bless em) so I think it is good for us as a family to come in and say thanks on a personal level
truthseeker
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It makes me feel awkward. Im the only female in an all male department and sometimes people from other departments give me a shout because someone has brought their new baby in and they assume because Im a woman that Ill be interested.
Im not.
Ive zero interest in peoples babies. I dont 'get' the oohing and aahing thing. It makes me feel a bit like Dexter - I just dont know what Im supposed to do (I dont feel like a serial killer btw - I just feel awkward because I dont know what to do).
Id be happier admiring a photo
That said perhaps Im a weirdo because I cringe to almighty heaven when friends insist their children kiss me goodbye. I shudder internally and find myself driving off scrubbing at my face/lips and am completely grossed out by it.
Its because mostly the children are a bit drooly. Gross factor a million for me.
Which is strange because anyones dog could drool all over me and it wouldnt bother me at all - its just the human saliva, bits of food around the mouth and wet fingers that have been in the mouth trying to grab onto my hair etc that freaks me out.
Im not.
Ive zero interest in peoples babies. I dont 'get' the oohing and aahing thing. It makes me feel a bit like Dexter - I just dont know what Im supposed to do (I dont feel like a serial killer btw - I just feel awkward because I dont know what to do).
Id be happier admiring a photo
That said perhaps Im a weirdo because I cringe to almighty heaven when friends insist their children kiss me goodbye. I shudder internally and find myself driving off scrubbing at my face/lips and am completely grossed out by it.
Its because mostly the children are a bit drooly. Gross factor a million for me.
Which is strange because anyones dog could drool all over me and it wouldnt bother me at all - its just the human saliva, bits of food around the mouth and wet fingers that have been in the mouth trying to grab onto my hair etc that freaks me out.
I'm OK with other peoples kids but I guess it's a lot easier as a male to be more distant and non-committal about the oohing & aahing. I have a few standard responses:
"Ah look at him/her. Who do you reckon s/he's more like? Most babies look the same to me anyway (deliberate malebased self-deprecation - usually gets a laugh) Big enough isn't he/her? ("Enough" is important in case you are interpreted as claiming the baby is fat or something)...and then usually just one of those wry "it's all ahead of you" type of comments, and off I go. 3 minutes tops.
New parents are very excited usually - just polite to engage a bit IMO.
truthseeker
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Oh I do engage, and use roughly similar chit chat as you have outlined - but I guess I feel awkward as I see other women feeling some kind of genuine gushy emotion, and I just dont feel it, then I think Ill be caught out in my non gushyness and arouse suspicion that Im really a robot or something or just some weird male female because I dont get the gushy feeling. So the whole experience makes me feel awkward!
I wear glasses and it's the first thing they go for with their sticky germ laden mits. When I hear one bawlin out of it, all I can say to the parents (apart from a deeply sympathetic look ) is "my don't they have a great pair of lungs! Small kids should be kept in a cat box, bless their little cotton socks
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Wouldnt have any problem with it, but then again I wouldnt be expected to be that interested.
Have brought our own kids in when they were in town with Ma, but wouldnt do a big tour, just the few people I work closely with..... so they know your baby related excuses are at least potentially plausible
Have brought our own kids in when they were in town with Ma, but wouldnt do a big tour, just the few people I work closely with..... so they know your baby related excuses are at least potentially plausible
Ah, the importance of correct puncuation. You missed a quotation mark which put the ****s up me frankly!
Should your "end-quotation" mark have been after "lungs", in which case you're in the clear:
or after socks, in which case you've made a little compliment thingy which is kind of OK:
or after box, in which case the gardai & ISPCC are on the way
I wear glasses and it's the first thing they go for with their sticky germ laden mits. When I hear one ballin out of it, all I can say to the parents (apart from a deeply sympathetic look ) is "my don't they have a great pair of lungs! Small kids should be kept in a cat box, bless their little cotton socks
Should your "end-quotation" mark have been after "lungs", in which case you're in the clear:
or after socks, in which case you've made a little compliment thingy which is kind of OK:
or after box, in which case the gardai & ISPCC are on the way
truthseeker
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I wouldn't worry about it. I'm one of those people who's all 'oh, can I hold her' 'she's goooorgeous' but I know I'm probably in the minority and a lot of people are just making polite comments. I wouldn't really think anything about it or judge them.
truthseeker
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Thanks Liaconn.
People have commented (and not nicely) on my complete lack of interest in kids on occasion. It used to make me very defensive when I was younger but as Ive gotten older and wiser I dont really care.
Y
Yorrick
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As long as they don't bring in photos of its nappies or even a sample it should be allright.
I have no interest in babies at all, never did. All the staff in my office have grown up kids so we don't have the visitors. I don't even leave my office to go to the office next door to ohh and ahh. e did have young one who was coming in weekly for about 2 months and even the nosiest wans lost interest.
Same goes about standing round a PC looking at OP's wedding pics, no interest. I endured the 5 mins in front of a PC last year looking at someones daughter, never met this girl. A massive wedding album was brought in 6 months later.
I refused to give up any more time so put the bag on the floor with a loud mumble of "Did I not stand round the PC and see these already". There was a`puss for a few weeks but they got over it. Felt a bit of a bitch but I never asked to see them.
Same goes about standing round a PC looking at OP's wedding pics, no interest. I endured the 5 mins in front of a PC last year looking at someones daughter, never met this girl. A massive wedding album was brought in 6 months later.
I refused to give up any more time so put the bag on the floor with a loud mumble of "Did I not stand round the PC and see these already". There was a`puss for a few weeks but they got over it. Felt a bit of a bitch but I never asked to see them.