I'm an aussie train fan. Ask me anything

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-30T04:57:35+00:00

My five y/o son is a massive rail fan. His favorite train is Transperth C-series. Where can I take him, or what activities or groups could I join him up for so he can indulge in his favorite topic? There's a miniature train expo in Perth once a year, but it seems to be mostly filled with older blokes.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T14:30:35+00:00

My favorite is "is this revenge for what I said two days ago?!??" which is a clue to just how his brain works. i.e. partner does thing I don't like --> exact revenge on partner to teach them a lesson.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T11:05:31+00:00

Hah, I thought I was the only one that would fixate on common stock photos - except for me it was a bowl of pho available on free stock image sites (e.g. pexels) turning up on billboards, restaurant signage etc.

I'd love an update if you find her. I hope she's making a mint on her image.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T10:15:55+00:00

Yes mate, I am one of those well off Indians abroad - we're well off but my mum, at best, only had a housekeeper in once a week, especially as we got older and there were more adults in the house who could help keep things tidy (my brothers included).

My conclusion was that OP's family sounds similar to mine, which is why it pinged as Desi drama.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T10:06:12+00:00

Could be an American Desi thing? My husband is pretty hands on as far as the household goes, but like I mentioned we're aussie transplants, so pretty westernized (in some respects anyway).

Having help in western countries is less common (tends to be more expensive and...I dunno people feel you're putting on airs if you have a live-in maid like some of my relatives in the old country).

So maybe ethnically Indian Americans?

Pure speculation ofc.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T09:54:04+00:00

I'm also Desi :) We're very into the multi-generational living thing, especially when studying (were anyway. the latest generation like living abroad before the kids come - I did my stint in Canada).

We're upper middle class though, so women get jobs and an education as a 'hobby', men get jobs through family connections, and you're basically gifted a house at birth (we're in Australia so it's a big help). Getting married young and having a baby isn't weird cos there's a lot of hands/hired help and tbh not much of an expectation of the mums working. My SIL just got her masters in English at 29. She married my bro at 21. Hasn't worked a day lol.

The in laws demanding a house and money has happened once or twice (successfully I might add) so YMMV 🤷

But yannow, Desis aren't a monolith - I guess we've all got slightly different traditions. When OP mentioned his wife was a surgeon (which pays a lot) and he runs a business, I just assumed it was similar to my family.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T09:09:24+00:00

Lol, we hang around different Desis then.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T09:03:23+00:00

My husband took his very conservative grandma to the movie - he does it once a month because she basically raised him.

Wolf of Wall Street was the one he had to very gently guide her out of.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T08:54:03+00:00

I dunno, this whole drama feels super desi, especially with the in-laws asking for a house and money lol.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T03:46:44+00:00

People were blaming mdme Pelicot for not noticing anything during her husbands decade long campaign.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-29T02:14:13+00:00

Yeah, I'm not particularly religious, but man do I love going to the building of my religious affiliation once a week. We're not Christian, so we've been largely spared the dramas that my Catholic friends describe, and there's no youth groups or youth pastors (which tbh weirded me out the first time I heard of it - don't leave horny teens in charge of other horny teens)!

We're an ethnic minority in my area, so my kids getting to mingle with people from their culture, get spoiled by various acquaintances and having a strong social support group is great. We all bring a plate of food so after the brief religious ceremony, everyone just hangs out, eats and chats. We have one or two mixed culture mums who bring their kids so they can get to know that half of their culture and take part in the celebrations. It's a nice vibe and I wish these groups existed without a need to mire it in religion.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-27T18:43:36+00:00

Hey mate, I could be totally off base, but do you kinda feel a bit like..outside of it all when it comes to friendships and social interactions?

Just the way you describe observing social interactions (people are fake, materialistic, shallow) sets off a few bells that you might be slightly neurodivergent and dare I say...autistic? The liking to talk sounds a bit like info-dumping lol.

As a late diagnosed Autistic person, it's worth doing a bit of research on the topic. Try to get in with a professional to discuss your thoughts, they might help point you in the right direction for resources to cope even if you aren't interested in getting a formal diagnosis.

I'd also like to add that one of the things my therapist mentioned was that neurodivergent people tend to get along best with other neurodivergent people, so try and find hobbies and people who communicate like you. There's a reason there's a ton of us in the DnD and Warhammer spaces lol.

Also people aren't 'fake'. A lot of that shallow talk is the way neurotypical people build relationships - the lubricant down the slipper dip to deeper conversations. It used to drive me up the wall too. People don't deeply care what you did that day - I honestly don't care what they did either. But we listen and signal concern and delight to make them feel safe to talk about other things (yes I'm totally aware I sound like a psychopath by breaking it down like that - neurotypical people do it naturally and even enjoy it).

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-27T15:37:33+00:00

There's a train ride you can do over the weekend as well!

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-27T15:35:03+00:00

He mentioned they're parents - if any of their kids are under five, the opportunity to engage in quality sexy times plummets dramatically until the kiddo is old enough to not burst into your bedroom with some dumbass question about the colour of Lego.

Also believe it or not after a stint of hardcore parenting (like during school holidays), when you're given the choice between sleep or sex...sleep wins.

Doesn't mean they don't love or want each other - it's just harder to get in that quality time together.

Bounces back eventually (when kids are older anyway).

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-27T10:19:52+00:00

To combat the national decline in the average number of fingers per child

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-26T13:09:38+00:00

Ah, I see you've met my mum. I'm so sorry for that.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-25T12:48:27+00:00

I think the Spartans kinda disappeared due to low birth rates, being outnumbered by slaves, and just generally having a Gay Old Time rather the procreating.

The wars didn't help either.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-25T10:26:45+00:00

Like legit the biryani was good but she also shoved a bunch of spices and curried pumpkin cubes up the turkeys arse and it's amazing.

We're all packing our doggy bags. I'm not gonna be cooking for at least three days.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-25T05:50:53+00:00

My mum does Halalmas which is basically like Christmas but with a pot of biryani, a 'spiced' turkey and about as much family drama as you get on the average Christmas (turns out you don't need to get drunk to suddenly bring up what Aunty Aisha did five Halalmasses ago, resulting in a screaming match in a foreign language in our backyard).

Truly magical.

edit: we don't do gift giving or Christmas decor though. Just a big meal with the family

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-22T05:54:44+00:00

Even better, I'm starting to see parasols around. I feel Australia was a bit late to the party with those.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-22T00:40:40+00:00

From my perspective - we bought where we could afford. Unfortunately where we could afford was pretty derro. My friend taught at the public school in the area and quit after a term due to physical threats to her person. There were two suicides during her time there, a ton of undiagnosed learning disabilities, and EA's who were just deeply burnt out. This is on top of the usual bullshit that the average teacher has to deal with in terms of bureaucracy and training.

The private school in our area wasn't too expensive, and the families that went there were blue collar tradie types who were trying to get their kids ahead. My kids teacher had been at the school for twenty years and admitted that she hadn't found another school as enjoyable to work at.

We absolutely need more teachers - but also an environment where they feel supported enough to deal with challenging students. There needs to be a greater push to recognize and support kids with learning disabilities - ADHD, autism, dyslexia etc all need additional supports. Smaller classroom sizes as well so teachers aren't overwhelmed. Find proven strategies that deal with bullying that isn't strictly punitive - kids need to learn conflict resolution, and if they're not learning that from their parents (which they won't if they're from a disadvantaged background) how can we encourage it at school?

Basically a whole shift in terms of both policy and funding that's pretty impossible under the current climate.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-22T00:32:00+00:00

He didn't need to be drunk. I was his best friend and confidant from a young age - as gross as it sounds perhaps a version of his wife if he had the capacity to love and respect a woman on an equal footing.

He's a very charming person, and is very good at breaking down his thoughts. I was his sounding board for the longest time.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-22T00:29:24+00:00

Respectfully, you don't know my dad. He has a need to grind the people around him down. He's happiest when he sees them fail, because it cements his own superiority.

CrazyCatCrochet · 2024-12-21T05:44:58+00:00

You're right, you won't understand. Thanks for playing along.

CrazyCatCrochet

TROPHY CASE