The Best Ready Meals

[Joe]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder, as Ernest Dowson put it.

[Marco]

dont think they all work 7 days a week.lol most probably did a 5 day week and a saturday morning.(some switching wed for sat) that was the usual hrs for many. sat pm in pub, sun morn in church and pm in garden

Sounds heavenly, lol... So when did such couples get time to go out for a meal together, or enjoy each other's company in some other way, outside of the same four walls? 5-day week, plus a Saturday morning, then 'he' goes to the pub Sat night, presumably alone to meet 'the lads?

Then Sunday morning it's church time, and "PM in the garden" I presume involves just him, or is 'she' joining him? Then it's Monday again and back to square one....

If that was the extent of my 'life', I'd already have had my head inside a gas oven.....!

Marco.

[Marco]

I've known a few career obsessed 'high fliers', women as well as men, who have similar minded partners, each working maybe up to twelve hours a day. Any children have a carer for the day and the couples see each other for perhaps an hour or two daily apart from time in bed. Not a lifestyle I'd opt for, no matter how rewarding financially.

Me neither, and of course each to his or her own, but in terms of the bit in bold, spare a thought for the kids, who'll grow up not knowing you [adopting the personality of the carer/nanny in the process], as well as most likely resenting you because you weren't there for them when they needed you most!

How NOT to be a parent.

Marco.

[Macca]

Me neither, and of course each to his or her own, but in terms of the bit in bold, spare a thought for the kids, who'll grow up not knowing you [adopting the personality of the carer/nanny in the process], as well as most likely resenting you because you weren't there for them when they needed you most!

How NOT to be a parent.

Marco.

Doesn't tally with my own experience, knowing children who grew up with nannies. It isn't how much time you spend with your children it is the quality of time that counts. If your children see you infrequently and each time you see them you're a bastard to them then yes, that is going to cause them problems. Otherwise they are far more likely to idolise you than if they see you all the time. Obviously there is a balance in the middle somewhere. You don't want them becoming emotionally needy. That seems to be the trend these days and it is very disturbing.

[User211]

My sister works hard, and is out of the country quite a bit on business trips. She's the managing director of a retail store all of you will have heard of. Without exception.

She's a millionaire many times over.

She's pretty normal, really. She's just my sis. No apparent abnormalities, seems really quite happy and is a very nice person.

How the f does she manage it? Beats me

[Marco]

Doesn't tally with my own experience, knowing children who grew up with nannies. It isn't how much time you spend with your children it is the quality of time that counts. If your children see you infrequently and each time you see them you're a bastard to them then yes, that is going to cause them problems. Otherwise they are far more likely to idolise you than if they see you all the time.

I know where you're coming from, and appreciate that may be the case for some, but in my experience (with folk I know like that) it's been the opposite.

They're usually too wrapped up in their careers to give proper love and attention to their children, often trying to substitute that with expensive gifts, thinking that as long as the kid is palmed off with the latest 'must have' toy, they'll be happy, when all the kid really wants is some proper affection.

In my experience too, you don't usually grow up to be a warm, caring human being unless you've been brought up in loving and close family environment. There's almost always an emotional price to pay for any kid who's been neglected (or not as well looked after as it should have been), and I'm not talking about pampering.

YMMV.

Marco.

[walpurgis]

If your children see you infrequently and each time you see them you're a bastard to them then yes, that is going to cause them problems.

That is true!

[struth]

Sounds heavenly, lol... So when did such couples get time to go out for a meal together, or enjoy each other's company in some other way, outside of the same four walls? 5-day week, plus a Saturday morning, then 'he' goes to the pub Sat night, presumably alone to meet 'the lads?

Then Sunday morning it's church time, and "PM in the garden" I presume involves just him, or is 'she' joining him? Then it's Monday again and back to square one....

If that was the extent of my 'life', I'd already have had my head inside a gas oven.....!

Marco.

That was the British way. Rarely did they have time or money for dining out. They weren't overly touchy feely either. Up til end of second war that was just way it was. For older couples who had been adult in war it pretty much stayed that way. Different cultures do things differently

[Marco]

Fair enough. Just glad that my parents weren't like that, and I grew up in a very different environment

In terms of the money thing though, there was obviously enough for him to go to the pub and drink there all night on Saturday!

Marco.

[struth]

lol, not all night.. a couple of hrs was more normal for decent folk. Wife would be making tea and doing her high dusting