Has Chloe Everton left QVC?

alter ego said:

My friend "hates" her son. She tells me every time she sees me. It's not a roll-her-eyes joke either. It's a lip-curling snarl or defeat if she's been called into the school yet again. Her partner left her soon after the birth and denied being the father. She started dating a few years later and found a wonderful man who fought tooth and nail to adopt him.

However, they have never, ever said the word no to him. The result is a spoilt teen who absolutely knows how to behave (my other friend and I don't take any crap off him so he behaves whenever we've taken him out), but won't. He's smashed iPad after iPad, games console after games console. Threats are made but never followed through. Items are replaced the next day. He'll scream the house down at 3am (fortunately for the neighbour she's deaf) for his parents to get him a snack while he watches telly or games. He also refuses to wipe his own bottom - he's 16! Social services have put a Japanese toilet and a stairlift in for him. I have continence issues and use crutches nd a wheelchair but SS won't put those in for me as I'm over 16.

Neither of them have ever really interacted with him. They've taken him places like Legoland (the husband wanted to go) or Disneyland (my friend wanted to go) and McDonald's is an almost daily meal unless Harvester or a takeaway is on the menu. The child was 14 stone before he was 11. They've sought diagnosis of autism or special needs since he was 6. They even looked for a diagnosis of Prader-Willi for him but he's just a normal kid with lazy parents.

He's 17 soon and wants a car. He'll have one but I'm seriously worried for other road users if he passes. I'm not going to tell her that as I know she knows. Several of the roads within a 20 mile radius have had the speeds lowered to stupid limits (for a normal user) in order to prevent any more deaths - all the deaths have been under 20's, some newly qualified drivers. They've all been caused by doing excessive speeds. I was a teen driver many moons ago. I remember doing over the speed limits and it's sheer luck I didn't kill myself. It's not even a case of passing your test and being the driver as all the accidents have killed friends who were in the car.

We're rural so a car is a necessity. However, I think rules need tightening for young driver to prevent these deaths. Black boxes, curfews, limit people in the car. Whatever it takes. Speed limits don't work for thrill-seeking kids.

I only had one child, C-Lion. I didn't want to be like my mum who was exhausted all the time with not enough to give to each of us. I was lucky as a mistake who arrived well over a decade after the others when my mum had more time and money, but to hear my sisters talk of their childhood and my mum talk of how hard it was with no washing machines and piles of nappies alone was enough to put me off. Thank goodness for the Pill!

TLL - I feel for you. Two of my friends are child-FREE (as one of them says. The other, like you, couldn't have children through various circumstances that just happened. The friend who never wanted children does have a few regrets and wonders about the future but just has a fabulous life instead.

SF - You are so right with your father comment. Two of my nephews have been utter sh!ts as fathers. Donate sperm, leave, claim fatherhood rights down the pub, ignore offspring. Just like my daughter's "father' who also might as well have just been a sperm donor. He made my life miserable as soon as Mr. AE came into it. He wasn't interested in her until his pride as a "dad" was dented by a comment made by one of his friends down the pub.

It beats the cr@p out of me why women have children with these men. So many are men I wouldn't inflict a child on either.

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Suki 1 said:

Are you going to divulge the other one!

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Lord Mark said:

Well it would have to be one from a list of about 15....

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Grizelda said:

There are tens of millions of families who have lovely Christmases. I don't think it's an exaggeration. QVC push it a bit too much just to make sales, however: "spread the joy," etc. But there are many people who are comfortably off but alone for whatever reason. If they choose to be unhappy, that's up to them. I would advise them to get over it! Make a turkey sandwich, buy some mince pies and a bottle of sherry, turn the heating up and put the TV on.

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alter ego said:

Good food and the heating on sounds like the perfect Christmas - with or without family.

I feel for lonely people. I feel lonely sometimes even though Mr. AE is usually under my feet. For me, it's a state of mind a lot of the time. People can feel lonely when they're in the middle of a busy family Christmas but, as you say, many can get over it. Stop putting pressure on themselves to do things that make them unhappy and take no notice of people who say Christmas should be "done"a certain way. Especially ad men!

Life is far from perfect for many of us. It's the only one we have, though. My mum came from poverty but worked hard to make the best of everything. She put so much pressure on herself in ways I refuse to do. However, Christmas to her was family who wanted to share (some didn't, their choice, she couldn't force them), good food and the heating on. Perfect.

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SisterBliss said:

I am flabbergasted that this boy will eventually be in charge of a vehicle, when he is unable to make a simple snack or wipe his own arse ffs!
That ****** up.

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Brissles said:

Being childless aside, I always give a wry smile when it's scatter bombed everywhere that Christmas is about "family" - and for a huge percentage it is. BUT is it all brainwashing ? I spend it on my own with dog since my dad passed 13 years ago. Those that know always admit they wish they could too, instead of spending the day "under sufferance" with inlaws / extended family members they can't stand.

Couples I know have adult kids who refuse to engage with them, so Christmas is miserable as they dont see grandchildren. I will see other singles over the holiday - and whose company I cherish, so "family" is not the be and end all for some !

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C-Lion said:

I have been on my own every Christmas since 2013 and I love it.

I still do the same things that my Mum and Dad did. Good food and comfort. I go to the local Christmas Carol service at the village church on the last Sunday before Christmas.

Christmas Eve I always have fish. Then Christmas begins early evening when I sit and watch BBC2 Carols From Kings. (Kings College Cambridge).

I still cook a traditional Christmas lunch(I buy a turkey breast) and of course my cat and dog have a little bit of it as well.

I love the peace on Christmas Day. I couldn’t be doing with a huge family shin dig - it’s too much for me. Friend invited me to her home in 2012 and there was 12 of us. It’s was epic and not in a good way

In another 100 years I think Christmas will cease to exist. It’s already slowly being ‘rebranded’ the Winter Festival.

That makes me really frustrated as a Christian I find it truly disheartening that it’s slowly but surely being wiped out!

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historymystery said:

Isn't it just! You have to laugh at the mentality of these people - she 'hates him'? She made him the monster he is (ably assisted by her partner, that is)! This is why there are so many of these entitled ar%eh%le kids around, the parents refuse to accept responsibility for what they've created, no boundaries whatsoever.

You used to need a a licence to have a dog, but it's a true saying that any idiot can decide to be a parent.

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alter ego said:

The partner was a waste of space. He'd have never made a decent father in the first place.

My friend had an older daughter with her ex. They managed to bring her up together fine. However, this was a shock pregnancy as she'd tried for years for another child with her ex (until he came home with the news that he was having a baby with another woman!).

She assumed she was the one with the problem so didn't bother making him use a condom as he didn't want to. It would have been no glove, no love for me! Not long into their relationship she developed the worst case of genital herpes the clap clinic nurse had ever seen. When she confronted him he said he'd forgotten to tell her he had it. He left her a few weeks after the baby was born.

See what I mean about a waste of space?

It doesn't give her a free get out of jail card for just throwing her phone or tablet at her child, expecting them to be the parent and not setting boundaries. Her mum tried her best but...

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