No offense intended, but you have an awfully old-fashioned idea of women.

Rikkitic:

 

No offense intended, but you have an awfully old-fashioned idea of women.

 

 

 

I'm not sure how you can infer that from what I said. I said that in my experience no woman who has ever said that to me actually meant that. How is that old fashioned?

What is your sample size?

Rikkitic:

 

What is your sample size?

 

 

 

At the least, 3 so far - the OP, Geektastic, and myself :-).

Wimmen are fickle, say one thing, mean another.

"What's wrong hun? "

her - "Oh, nothing much"

"OK, sweet ...<,pause> ... what's for dinner ?"

Bzzztt - wrong answer .... 

SepticSceptic:

 

Rikkitic:

 

What is your sample size?

 

 

 

 

At the least, 3 so far - the OP, Geektastic, and myself :-).

 

Wimmen are fickle, say one thing, mean another.

 

"What's wrong hun? "

 

her - "Oh, nothing much"

 

"OK, sweet ...<,pause> ... what's for dinner ?"

 

Bzzztt - wrong answer .... 

 

Well, I'd prefer not to mention my sample size (it was fairly reasonable in my younger years), but I have had a few similar experiences with gift buying. My wife is a very straightforward lady, but during a "discussion" in September she made me aware she wasn't happy having not gotten something "not even a card" under the tree last year, despite having multiple times asked her and had her tell me she didn't want me to spend money on her for gifts. It's unusual for her to not say what she means as well.

A couple of years ago instead of a present I gave her a dancing card, for 10 sessions/lessons with me, which was massive for me since I *HATE* dancing, which she didn't use, and she is still pissy about it now, saying she wouldn't have used it because she knew I wouldn't enjoy it! I was genuine in my making of the card and would have sucked it up, but apparently, it wasn't ok!

We do home made consumable gifts for friends and relatives -- my wife makes amazing chocolate truffles and I make ginger beer, both of which are very popular.

We try to do "big gifts are for birthdays."  We don't want the focus to be on the presents. This is for a bunch of reasons but the big one is that <religion>Christmas is supposed to be about our Lord and Saviour being brought into the world as a tiny defenceless baby born to a couple of Jewish peasants,</religion> not landfills worth of cheap plastic crap from China.

The grandparents and aunts/uncles are getting quite good at clearing ideas for gifts for the children through us.  This year our daughter has got a swingball set which was most exciting.  Last year they got a trampoline from the inlaws.

Yeah, the kids know that Santa isn't real.  They're still excited to see someone dressed as Santa at the preschool Christmas party handing out parcels.

We buy for the kids. But it took a long campaign to convince my mother that we didn't need to buy for the adults in the family. Secret Santa was a good transition measure, but it quickly turned into "I pulled X's name out of the hat. Right, phone X's partner and ask what to buy." This will be year 2 of Dirty Santa (though we don't play by these exact rules) with a $ limit. It was lots of fun last year and almost everyone ended up with something they wanted/could laugh at.

networkn:

 

SepticSceptic:

 

Rikkitic:

 

What is your sample size?

 

 

 

 

At the least, 3 so far - the OP, Geektastic, and myself :-).

 

Wimmen are fickle, say one thing, mean another.

 

"What's wrong hun? "

 

her - "Oh, nothing much"

 

"OK, sweet ...<,pause> ... what's for dinner ?"

 

Bzzztt - wrong answer .... 

 

 

 

 

Well, I'd prefer not to mention my sample size (it was fairly reasonable in my younger years), but I have had a few similar experiences with gift buying. My wife is a very straightforward lady, but during a "discussion" in September she made me aware she wasn't happy having not gotten something "not even a card" under the tree last year, despite having multiple times asked her and had her tell me she didn't want me to spend money on her for gifts. It's unusual for her to not say what she means as well.

 

A couple of years ago instead of a present I gave her a dancing card, for 10 sessions/lessons with me, which was massive for me since I *HATE* dancing, which she didn't use, and she is still pissy about it now, saying she wouldn't have used it because she knew I wouldn't enjoy it! I was genuine in my making of the card and would have sucked it up, but apparently, it wasn't ok!

 

 

 

Just buy them what they want; it's far easier in the long run...!! 

Just don't copy my dear departed father - he used to buy Mum new saucepans, new hoovers and that sort of thing when we were kids so that we had something to give her. Not that she did not need them, but she probably didn't want them for Christmas.

The other big fail is to buy SWMBO something YOU want instead. This is IME equally doomed to fail.

"What do you mean, you didn't want to go heli-hunting on the South Island? I'm sure you mentioned it?" 

Rikkitic:

 

No offense intended, but you have an awfully old-fashioned idea of women.

 

 

 

There is nothing old fashioned about what was said, it was a factual observation about what happened.

Anyone who thinks males and females are the same is delusional!

Females tend to not say what they mean, males tend more to say nothing in fear of being wrong or say what they mean.

dickytim:

 

Rikkitic:

 

No offense intended, but you have an awfully old-fashioned idea of women.

 

 

 

 

There is nothing old fashioned about what was said, it was a factual observation about what happened.

 

Anyone who thinks males and females are the same is delusional!

 

Females tend to not say what they mean, males tend more to say nothing in fear of being wrong or say what they mean.

 

 

 

It sounded a lot to me like that old chestnut about women not being able to parallel park. It is a stereotype from an era when men made offhand condescending remarks that belittled women, portraying them as flaky or irrational as a consequence of their gender. It reminds me of those 1950s films that presume the ultimate ambition of every woman is to have a diamond or mink coat presented to her by a man. I would hope we have moved on from that.

time to rename the thread???

Rikkitic:

 

dickytim:

 

Rikkitic:

 

No offense intended, but you have an awfully old-fashioned idea of women.

 

 

 

 

There is nothing old fashioned about what was said, it was a factual observation about what happened.

 

Anyone who thinks males and females are the same is delusional!

 

Females tend to not say what they mean, males tend more to say nothing in fear of being wrong or say what they mean.

 

 

 

 

It sounded a lot to me like that old chestnut about women not being able to parallel park. It is a stereotype from an era when men made offhand condescending remarks that belittled women, portraying them as flaky or irrational as a consequence of their gender. It reminds me of those 1950s films that presume the ultimate ambition of every woman is to have a diamond or mink coat presented to her by a man. I would hope we have moved on from that.

 

 

 

In my sample size of 11 women who are currently in my life (closely) (Wife, sisters, SIL, Mothers etc) and of legal driving age, 9 would do almost anything to avoid parallel parking (or won't ever do it ever), 2 of them can do it but would prefer not to and certainly aren't proficient with it. 

I can recall maybe 1 woman that stands out as someone I considered a good driver who was confident with parking and driving in general, esp at night. 

I can name any number of men who can't drive at all. Not sure what it proves, though.