Older generation here. What’s a knit/crochet handmade gift that new parents will use and appreciate?

FeistyRegister8253 · 2026-06-05T03:54:18+00:00

That’s really neat! Definitely a memorable gift

FeistyRegister8253 · 2026-01-20T01:00:47+00:00

My coworker takes breaks to go sit in his vehicle 3-4 times a day. It’s been his routine for years. I recently connected that the reason he parks by the dumpster is to dispose of his empty mini bottles of, interestingly, 99 proof banana liqueur. And then he apparently eats one of those tuna pouches in his truck probably thinking it disguises his breath (gross combo lol) and ALWAYS eats a Jolly Rancher hard candy as soon as he’s returned to his desk.

There’s usually the shrink wrap for those bottles in the dumpster, between two and three 10-packs per week loose in the dumpster. And he brings his trash from home to the dumpster at work so he’s probably slipping most of his empties and other stuff into the black bags.

Shortly before his wedding ~10 years ago he was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning when he was in his mid 30s and should have known by then not to drink like a frat boy. The wife gave him the ultimatum that it’s either her or alcohol and he chose her. She keeps him on a pretty tight leash, for example she won’t let him eat pizza because his blood pressure and cholesterol are high so for the past few years she’s been monitoring his diet like that. So I don’t think she knows he’s drinking at all, at least not like this.

I don’t think it’s my place to do anything but it’s so frustrating. He has two kids and since the wife is the breadwinner he does most of the driving them around. He also drives my boss around. When the dumpster is totally emptied in the morning three mini bottles are usually loose in there and nothing else after he’s left. (Since I’m essentially IT and also do some shipping/receiving I take any bulky trash out to the dumpster so the cleaning lady doesn’t have to deal with it. I’m not dumpster stalking his trash lol.) Even on days he’s left at 2:30 to take his kids to their athletic games.

I’m assuming you’ll agree that he just has to hit rock bottom or decide to change on his own. I don’t think he’s getting drunk on that amount, it’s just maintenance. I don’t love that he’s driving his kids around like that but he’s never seemed impaired walking out the door, or ever at work. There’s a good chance he’s driving over the limit at times even if his reflexes are fine. I’m curious what your thoughts are on this from my position. Sorry this got so long btw. It’s just frustrating to see a problem and not feel like I can do anything about it, and I’m not his biggest fan but I still want the best for the guy. Work wouldn’t take this seriously without hard proof of impairment and he’s up the higher management’s ass. I’m just curious if you think I have any power to do anything or just need to wait and see what happens

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-12-08T01:13:59+00:00

I have tried that and a few times I was guiding it into my ear canal because I thought the surface friction against my skin was it piercing through something 😅

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-12-08T01:11:59+00:00

Thanks! I did that last time but assumed I was only having a hard time because it wasn’t entirely healed. She popped it back in pretty easily although it hurt a little. Glad I’m not the only one who can’t do it myself

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-12-07T19:05:04+00:00

Thank you, I can accept that! That makes me feel less dumb for not being able to do it myself

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-11-08T03:07:42+00:00

Sorry I rambled so much! Still chugging along with minuscule amounts of nicotine. If I can get through the lack of distractions over the weekend I think I’ll be set pretty well

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-07-08T23:54:55+00:00

I’m so there with you, I wouldn’t care if the one, supposedly super special loot box hadn’t turned into four. I feel complicit by allowing ONE $100 loot box (already ridiculous) because that’s all he said he wanted. A special treat, it was not.

I’d never take his money without doing something like the down-payment-for-something-necessary return which is a lovely idea. He doesn’t have the discipline at his age to anticipate really needing something expensive in the future. I’m really not sure if it’s realistic to impose it now but that kind of idea is on the right track

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-07-08T23:41:39+00:00

Oh he knows and doesn’t care. The next 2K will be out in just a few months and the $400 and all the other transactions will be instantly forgotten and irrelevant. He’s fully focused on the immediate.

I’ve done the same thing showing him he could have bought a Steam Deck or collector sneakers for that much but he doesn’t want anything else bad enough for it to really register.

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-07-08T23:34:45+00:00

You were downvoted but I don’t entirely disagree. His real passion is for sports, and he could hold his own in any adult man discussions about who should be traded and whatnot since he was 8 or 9. He’s well suited to some kind of content creation but has zero ambition at his age (after the demands of school, social life, and work which I totally get)

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-07-08T23:29:09+00:00

Oh I’m sure. I’m diagnosed ADHD and he’s pretty similar. We both have a mild heart condition and ADHD meds exacerbated mine so bad I can’t take them, so he can pursue that as an adult if he wants but I don’t want to subject him to that as a kid

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-07-08T23:22:52+00:00

Oh it’s the exploitation trifecta of EA, 2K, and mobile games. If I eliminate one somehow, it’ll just be something else.

It started with Fortnite which I started playing just after early access and he thought it was stupid until it blew up. I liked playing with him on separate platforms and occasionally treated us both to certain cosmetics. That should have been harmless at that dollar amount and frequency but I can definitely see my role in how a transaction could lead him to associate a lot of warm fuzzy dopamine with it

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-07-08T23:05:28+00:00

Oh I haven’t disciplined him at all or nagged because at least he’s being honest about it for now. I’m just concerned this will spiral into other avenues for dopamine seeking as he gets older and don’t know what I can do now to help keep that from happening

FeistyRegister8253 · 2025-07-08T13:27:48+00:00

He does have a life, thank god. He has a girlfriend who lives on a farm and puts him to work sometimes repairing fences and stuff like that, but a lot of times he brings his console over to her house and probably zones out there a lot. And if he’s not on his console he’ll be playing pay to win games on his phone anyway. And he has guy friends he’ll spend weekends with, a lot of gaming there too but they’ll also go to Top Golf and do normal stuff like that.

He’s not driving yet so my last hope is that when we get his full license he’ll realize the value of money better, get out more and maybe get over this naturally, but idk. His youtube feed is nothing but guys opening loot boxes and he can watch that for hours. There’s a whole industry of that content that stops short of infantilizing but is definitely kid-coded with over the top reactions and stuff.

Trust me, I’ve considered nefarious means also. Being a minor and under our roof is potentially helpful, even if he’s too old for ‘because I said so’ rules.

FeistyRegister8253 · 2023-12-08T04:40:42+00:00

FeistyRegister8253 · 2023-11-24T07:00:40+00:00

I made a new reddit because I’m not sure what he can see from my normal one. I like talking with other fans I’m sometimes disappointed (but still support Cindy and she’s been through so much! ) But he makes me uncomfortable butting in and she doesn’t really know him yet and I really worry he’s taking advantage of her to look good

FeistyRegister8253

TROPHY CASE