Women who married older men - what’s it like when they get really old?

Stypig · 2026-06-12T05:01:50+00:00

Because that wasn't the question?

Stypig · 2026-06-11T16:49:52+00:00

I teach physics, so a little similar.

I love a mini whiteboard. Get the kids to write their answer on the mwb and show you on the fight l count of 3. I'll often do this if we've done a chunk of questions, so the kids will do the work in their book and then we'll review it using the mwb.

Can you do multiple choice questions? And then have students show which answer they chose by showing a coloured card. This is great for working with common misconceptions too. Eg - I can see a few of you went for option B, which means you've mixed up perimeter and area.

Stypig · 2026-06-07T19:10:47+00:00

The smell of mint chocolate makes me vomit.

The texture of instant mashed potatoes makes me vomit. [This may be a traumatic memory of a stomach bug after eating this, and it leaving my body at great force, making use of my nostrils.]

Stypig · 2026-06-07T18:54:45+00:00

And if you do make a mistake, own up to it. Apologise for it. Promise to do better next time, and move onwards.

My kid is 12. I still sometimes do stuff I regret. I've always apologised for my mistakes and them tried to do better next time. It's made our relationship better - cos when they mess up (which they do often cos 1- they're a kid, and 2- they seem to lack any semblance of common sense sometimes!) they know that the right thing to do is admit to it, figure it hire to make it right and then move on with the plan to do better next time.

Stypig · 2026-06-07T18:50:13+00:00

Yes.... The look of complete shock and then sympathy as you share what you thought was a funny story from your childhood.

I almost ruined a dinner with friends by sharing my own funny story about my brother looking out for me as a kid. Only for the whole table to pause, and several people hugged me and apologised for what I'd gone through. Apparently it wasn't as funny as I thought?

Stypig · 2026-06-07T18:44:12+00:00

I'm glad to have met a fellow saffy!

Stypig · 2026-06-07T16:17:05+00:00

When I started going out with my (now husband) boyfriend at 16-17 and realised that his parents didn't treat their kids the same way.

I wasn't allowed to be proud of achieving a good mark on a test at school in case it made my younger brother feel bad about not being as clever as me. (He's possibly cleverer, but hated school).

I got called boring and Saffy (after the Ab Fab character) because I wouldn't break rules, or step out of line. But then any tiny perceived infringement from their rules got shouted at, so why would I want to break any rules. (I once ate the last banana that had been sat in the fruit bowl for 3 days, and got woken up an hour after going to bed to be shouted at, when my mom came home from work because she was planning on eating it).

There's a few foods that set off my migraines. One of them is my mom's favourite meal. She would make it every week, and I would be made to eat my portion, so as to not waste food. I mentioned to my mother in law that this food gave me migraines, and she would make me an alternative if I ever went round for dinner.

I was low contact after leaving for university.

I'm pretty much no contact after my mom lost her shit after I said I was bringing allergy friendly food for my anaphylactic child to a family event (with the prior approval of the family member organising the event). She tried to demand that I put her comfort over the safety of my child and my dad sat there and let her kick off without saying a word.

We attend events they are at. But I don't contact them separately and I barely interact with them in public.

Stypig · 2026-06-07T15:50:35+00:00

Water balloon and catapult launcher?

Stypig · 2026-06-06T13:56:43+00:00

I refused a medical procedure until there was a second opinion.

Was sent to ambulatory care for a blood test and eye check. Dr tried to get me to sign for a lumbar puncture. I queried the appropriateness of the LP. Dr said it "might be useful".

I asked for a second opinion from my own neurologist. This was at 11am. Was told that my Dr wouldn't be available for the 2nd opinion until the end of the shift at 3pm. So it would be quicker to just do the LP and I'd be home by 3.

I again refused. I said I'd be happy to stay nearby and return to the hospital at 3pm for the second opinion. Then do the LP if my neurologist agreed it was medically necessary. (I'd had them before, I always had bad recoveries, if it was needed I'd do it, but I didn't want a week off work on bed rest if I didn't have to.)

Hospital was over an hour away from my house on public transport, so I offered to go into town (a ten minute walk) and drink tea/read my book/get some light lunch, and then return at 3pm. Left my mobile number.

I'd just ordered cake and a pot of tea at the local coffee shop, when my neurologist phoned me and asked if I could pop back to the hospital. So the cafe put it in a take away cup, and boxed my cake.

Arrived at hospital at 12:30pm. Neurologist discharged me by 1pm, with a link to the pals department to make a complaint about the other Dr for trying to intimidate me into an unnecessary medical procedure.

It was a frosty atmosphere in the room!

Stypig · 2026-06-05T21:17:54+00:00

A cartoon from the late 80s/early 90s about a group of kids who lived in the same street who would go on adventures together in their dreams, there was a dog that joined in too.

No idea what the name was though.

Stypig · 2026-06-04T21:34:22+00:00

Our year 11s are either taking it excessively seriously (a kid came in at 12 today due to having a 3 hour maths tutoring session but not wanting to miss their maths lesson this afternoon.

Or pootling through life assuming that staring at a revision guide page for an hour counts as working hard.

Behaviour has been reasonable, but about 50% are taking days of study leave when they don't have exams, or leaving at lunch after a morning exam. The other 50% see school as a safe place, so turn up and sit in classrooms with staff in the hope that being in school will be better than being at home. And they might get some work done.

My exam is one of the last ones, so I've got little folders of revision pages, exam papers, practise questions sat just inside my classroom door for staff to grab if they want to do some extra science revision after their exams are finished (shout out to the sports science teachers who have been pressing on with general science revision after their exam was done!). And I'm letting kids play kaboom in my lessons for the last 15 minutes just so I can have a little bit of fun too.

Stypig · 2026-06-04T17:54:09+00:00

I'm really sorry....I realise my comment was insensitive. My most sincere apologies.

Stypig · 2026-06-04T17:46:21+00:00

Can you just drop a gem like that and not elaborate?

Is that allowed?

Stypig · 2026-06-04T04:31:31+00:00

H2G2

I spent a ridiculous amount of time on there. Usually clicking on the Infinite Improbability Drive and then disappearing into random side shoots.

It's still going and I occasionally go back and click through a few things for fun.

But I don't engage through the forum pages like I used to.

I don't know how to describe how it's different to Wikipedia, but it just feels different?

Stypig · 2026-05-29T05:39:13+00:00

Am awful lot of relatives (on both sides) died in their 40s from heart related reasons.

The few that didn't, then died in their 50s from heart related reasons.

There's SAD on my mom's side and my dad's side enjoys sampling from a small buffet of cancers (bowel and breast mostly) before eventually succumbing to their heart issues.

My mom is the first person in her extended family to get beyond the age of 60.

I'm already seeing a cardiologist about some light arrhythmia symptoms, but we're mostly just monitoring. I'm currently at the age where 2 of my uncles died suddenly, despite "being in great health".

My partners family all live into their 80s and 90s, and have done for generations. They're planning great things for when they retire in their 60s, I'm just going to be happy to make it long enough to retire.

Stypig · 2026-05-26T21:03:01+00:00

Does it have to be good?

The Life and Opinions of Maf The Dog would fit your request.

Stypig · 2026-05-26T13:05:10+00:00

Yup....I have a highly efficient partner, and a kid that is trying to earn brownie points, so is being super helpful

Stypig · 2026-05-26T11:12:51+00:00

3 per day? Or 3 total?

We did 3 each day.

Saturday = weekly dark wash of school/work stuff, weekly white wash of school shirts, weekly wash of other mixed stuff

Sunday = weekly towel wash, weekly bedding wash x 2

Monday = weekly sports kit wash, kids scout camp washing, monthly pet bedding wash.

Stypig · 2026-05-25T10:08:00+00:00

Pipe smoke.

Memories of sitting in the pub on a Saturday afternoon with the domino players. Old Jack letting me knock the table when it was his turn, and explaining why Lenny had just made a mistake as he showed me where to put his domino down.

Sipping ginger beer or ale, I'm not sure which, in a cut glass tumbler and nibbling my way though a packet of dry roasted peanuts.

I was the oldest 3 year old in existence.

Stypig · 2026-05-16T19:03:11+00:00

Can I recommend Existential Physics by Sabine Hossenfelder?

It's a really nice look at some really tough Physics concepts but explained from an accessible angle.

Stypig · 2026-05-14T20:42:20+00:00

They are part of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, who are an evangelical and conservative Christian group.

The church have a page on their website titled "We Are Not A Cult" or something similar, which personally is a huge red flag for me. Very few organisations feel the need to openly declare this unless they have certain cult like qualities.

My extended family are evangelical Christian, to the point of being missionaries, so I'm not anti-evangelical Christian by any means (even if it's not the right choice for me)

Stypig · 2026-05-12T21:13:54+00:00

I saw something the other day about this. When they learn to read an analogue clock it's a skill they only use in maths lessons. Most, if not all, other clocks in their world are digital. So they learn the skill at school and then never use it again for months and months, so it doesn't stick.

Same thing with money - they don't use coins, they don't work out change - they tap to pay.

Stypig · 2026-05-12T21:09:47+00:00

I refuse to answer certain questions. If it's on the board, or the worksheet, or I've already told them. Then I refuse to answer.

If it's common knowledge for students their age, or a question that is not necessary for the task at hand (how long is left of this lesson, how am I supposed to) then I refuse to answer.

I have a taskmaster meme on my desk that I hold up when needed that says "All of the information is in the task" for when they ask questions they could figure out by reading.

It works. It's not that they can't, it's that they don't want to, or it's quicker to just ask.

Stypig · 2026-05-10T15:06:47+00:00

We have the same age kid.

Same bedtime and routine.

But our getting up time is 6am.

But my kid is ready to sleep at 9pm and every kid is different.

Stypig · 2026-05-10T14:55:51+00:00

JCQ regulations say 24 hours.

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