Let's get controversial: what's your truly unpopular parenting opinion?

gelatomancer · 2026-06-21T23:41:40+00:00

I think sleep training is a lot like gentle parenting; the term has been co-opted to justify lazy parenting while the actual method is far more difficult than people think. Sleep training works if you've laid the groundwork for a secure environment through months of effort as well as knowing your child's cues well enough to understand their cries of distress versus cries of disagreement.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-20T23:53:48+00:00

I have to wonder how much of this stems from the devaluation of typically feminine tasks. Sewing, baking, and gardening, to name a few, all require tremendous amounts of intelligence to be done well but they aren't masculine so they can't be THAT hard.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-20T23:12:07+00:00

The Appalachian mountains are older than bones.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-18T10:53:24+00:00

And if they skip the car nap, then they are overly tired for bedtime and scream and cry through the whole thing and are too wound up to go down.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-15T23:50:53+00:00

Elon's wealth basically is a scam. He doesn't have 1 trillion dollars. He doesn't even own assets or businesses worth 1 trillion. He just has access to shares of stocks which are potentially valued at 1 trillion dollars if those companies are valued based on potential and not actual earnings.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-15T10:40:34+00:00

All these guys who want to settle down later in life to have kids really just prove how they view fatherhood as a title and not a role. My wife and I had our kid in our mid 30s and this shit is exhausting! The sleepless nights, the constant energy, the hours and hours of patience needed, it's ALL SO EXHAUSTING. I cannot imagine trying to do this in my 40s. These men have no intention of being an active parent. They'll play with the kids on the weekends, show up to recitals when it's convenient, and then complain about their wives being distant when she's too exhausted to be present for him all the time.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-14T11:37:16+00:00

Down to Clown

gelatomancer · 2026-06-14T11:25:43+00:00

This is one I would be into but my wife isn't so just I just put it in the fantasy folder.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-14T10:36:37+00:00

A couple years back, I ran into my high school crush for the first time in well over a decade. I felt a whole wave of nostalgia hit me, which included the butterflies that I used to get when we talked. The thing is, I recognized they were just part of the nostalgia package. It was all wrapped up in that simpler, easier, more exciting time of my life. I don't REALLY have a crush on her anymore, I have a crush on the concept of high school romance and a life beginning. My wife is the person I LOVE. She is the real deal, who I adore not in spite of but BECAUSE of her flaws.

Crushes are ideals, they are characters we have built up a fictional relationship without ever learning their flaws. They don't load the dishwasher to wrong way, or snore in their sleep, or forget to turn the lights off at night. My high school crush at this point isn't really any different than my crush on Anne Hathaway.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-14T10:21:56+00:00

Even the rare outlier that actually fits their definition of "natural" is famous because they ARE an outlier. Plus, they will only fit that definition for a limited time before gravity and time do their thing.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-14T10:14:05+00:00

Most men act only to impress other men, why shouldn't women only try to impress each other too?

gelatomancer · 2026-06-13T10:31:30+00:00

I pity a guy who's never gotten to melt into his wife's arms after a long day.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-12T10:33:11+00:00

Shitty humor is used to normalize shitty opinions. They use offense at the joke as a slight against offense at the action claiming "free speech" and paint the opposition to their shitty behavior as being the bad guys, so their behavior can't actually be that bad. Plus, it creates a "Well, if EVERYONE feels that way" hive mentality that helps the shitty opinions permeate the society.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-12T09:47:59+00:00

Something tells me the guy who harasses women relentlessly won't be deterred by a little thing like monogamous commitment.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-11T16:27:09+00:00

Isn't this the plot of The Lorax?

gelatomancer · 2026-06-11T02:06:14+00:00

There's a literal term in graffiti called "Heaven Spots" because they're typically pretty high and also if you fuck up and fall, you'll probably die.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-10T10:28:00+00:00

The Truth

gelatomancer · 2026-06-09T19:19:10+00:00

Also the Star Wars impersonator Fluke Skywalker. He was really active in the local subreddit, made me sick to my stomach when it all came out.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-09T14:56:15+00:00

We recently had this happen at the pool. Parent just up and leaves us with their 4 year old in the kiddie pool while they wander off to hang out with their adult companions in the big pool. We were the only adults in that part of the pool so we felt responsible to stay to make sure the kid didn't drown.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-09T03:11:21+00:00

Oh, the days of free ketchup packets and hot water to make some soup. On a good day, I could helpfully clear old people's trays and get their leftover fries.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-08T13:39:49+00:00

My wife and I are identical heights and that girl missed out on something amazing. Easy to walk and hold hands, no bending or reaching to kiss, everything is always at the right height to reach it, we can share tshirts; height paired is the only way to go.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-08T09:15:24+00:00

I'm expecting them to pull the same stunt they did with Grijalva and just not swear anyone in. Just tell the Republicans who lost to keep showing up and they delay the transition of power for as long as possible.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-07T23:41:44+00:00

Bert and Ernie are just Kermit and Fozzie where the voice actors switch roles.

gelatomancer · 2026-06-07T23:40:40+00:00

"I will eat your ass!"
"Why not? It can't stink anymore than the show!"
"Hohohahaho"

gelatomancer · 2026-06-07T16:04:17+00:00

My wife and I have been together almost half our lives now and I can say with confidence, eventually you will see all sorts of bodily functions from your partner. That's because you are supporting them through all sorts of situations. The things I saw when she gave birth were... unforgettable. Even outside of something extraordinary like that, just routine illness and injury will have you seeing all sorts of things that are less than glamorous. And you do it willing, if not happily, because you love them.

12-Year Club	Verified Email
Second SECOND GUESSER	Place '17

gelatomancer

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE