So many people talk about boring things. Trivial, stupid, things. I used to go to work to pick up my freelance stuff and would try hard not to mention my baby to my childless co-workers lest I bore them or make their eye sroll with my mommy obsessiveness. Then I'd listen to them drone on about things like shopping, the last friends episode and I'd wonder why I had a complex. I think a lot of it is just prejudice toward kids, mothers and general child-rearing. If they're talking world politics at a party and I start yammering about strollers, ok. But I don't see why I shouldn't talk about them. It's all encompassing and exhausting and pretty much rules my life and my mental state.

I love this subject I probably drive my friends and fam crazy because I am a MOM and a NANNY so if Im not talking about my daughter I am talking about my charges. Honestly I try not to but when Im not at work Im with my daughter so children is what consumes my life, whether its what my daughter did at school or how well my charges are doing walking or talking. all my funny or strange stories are about kids. If I couldnt talk about kids I dont know what I would talk about. Even when I was single and no children I worked with children so its a constant in my life and you know what Im ok with that. My experiences with children have made me the loving happy person that i am today!

I am with Sevedra on the fact that if I have to listen to you drone on about your freaking DOG or boring JOB then you can listen to me while I talk about my HUMAN CHILDREN. You know, the next generation? The people who will be in charge in the next 20-30 years? Yeah. Them. Being interested in pop culture, politics, money, etc. is the FILLER stuff for me. The important things in my life are my FAMILY. My children, husband, friends, parents, siblings, nieces and nephew. How we are all feeling and whether we are happy and healthy. THAT is the really good stuff of life. Trying to find things to talk about other than your children will come. Your kids are little for a short, SHORT time. Phhhfffttt! It's gone. You no longer have to worry about talking about them too much, because they are suddenly in high school or college and no longer provide you with amusing stories to babble on about. Enjoy it while they're little. Revel in this amazing thing you are doing which is RAISING YOUR CHILDREN. And actually, Rebecca, you'd be surprised at how many people DO want to hear about your children's latest accomplishments or issues. It IS interesting to many people. We are our kids' only champions. If Mom and Dad don't think you're pretty awesome and are willing to tell the world about you, then who will?

Well, I say live and let live. I was my own person before I hade kids and now I am everyone else's person; on a daily basis, 24/7. You know what I mean? Even late at night when sleep has finally found me, only to be brought back to reality by the call of a small voice needing water, someone having a night terror or the man next to me 'needing' something. ;-)~ I would say that, no, I definately do not talk about my kids all of the time in any given conversation, with other moms or parents. Unless, ofcourse that is the reason for the conversation. I would like to think that there are other things we can converse about besides the kids. Being a stay at home mom certainly doesn't mean that kids and kid stuff is all we can talk about. I have other interests and things to offer as a person not just as so and so's mom. We moms are cool and regardless if some of us talk more about our kids than othes as long as we are all talking and listening to one another, that means we are having conversations. That means we are meeting at the parks, at the end of the driveways in our neighborhoods or just on the phone. That in and of itself can be a good thing for us all.

I had my first kiddo as an accident very early in my marriage. Last year of college with a planned career. However, I had goals and dreams for when I had kids as well, and so I followed those. I have NEVER regretted it but I do insist on not being "Mommy" all the time. When I am out with the girls and there are no kids or on a date with the hubs, I strongly dislike baby chatter. Most of my friends are moms but that doesn't mean there isn't more to us. And that is what it all comes down to for me: There is more to me than being a mommy. But seriously, if you ask I will tell. And tell. And tell. Because I think my kids are THAT amazing!

I was once on a rare girls' night out with a friend who is not a mom. And as we were talking, she turned to me and commented, you know, most of my friends who have become moms talk incessantly about their kids. It's all they ever talk about and it drives me crazy. But you don't. How is the kid anyway? I had never noticed it but I think I subconsciously do not talk about my son very much to my childless friends. I just can't imagine that they want to hear about it, just as I wasn't all that interested before I became a mom. Sure, I some updates are fine, but why would I want to hear about their kids all night. I asked my friend if most of her friends who are moms are SAHMs and she said yes (albeit they all have nannies). And I think that is the big link, as some have already said, when your kid is your whole life, naturally that's what you're going to talk about. I work freelance and I try not to talk too much about work when I'm with other people not in the biz. I can only imagine how boring it would be for them if that's what I talked about all the time. I suppose without realizing it, I've adopted this understanding that people would like to discuss things you have in common, and life in general. Not that kids or work talk should be avoided completely, but just think, do they really want to hear all about it? I do find that when I speak to the other parents from my son's school, we of course tend to talk about the kids, school, activities, etc. It's just common ground plus I rely greatly on the other parents to get a feel about things going on in the school and community. Until I get to know them well enough and then our discussions become broader in scope.

I have two groups of girlfriends -- one group all have school-age children and the other group all have toddlers, babies or are currently pregnant. The kid talk is MUCH more prevalent in the latter group, I'm sure because those years of child development are pretty all-encompassing. But overall I would say we're pretty good about balancing our conversations because we have other common denominators that we love chatting about: books and current events and work issues and weight loss and personal triumphs/struggles and OMG, Adam Lambert is SO the next American Idol... you get my drift. But my sister is a whole other ball 'o wax. I LOVE my sister, but ever since she became a mom (her daughter is almost 6, her son almost 2) she is unable to talk about anything other than her kids, to the point where I don't have a desire to interact with her very often. In fact, she doesn't talk WITH me... she talks AT me, NON-STOP, about all the amazing happenings in her kids' lives. She's like a maternal assault rifle, launching a rapid-fire attack of first words and funny faces and other adorable anectodes... and I have to tell ya, it's EXHAUSTING. When we do finally decide to get together for lunch or something the kiddos are always in tow, and it turns into the Niece & Nephew Talent Show, where they are compelled by their mother to tell Auntie all the all the cute words they've learned, and sing all the cute songs they know, etc. etc. ETC. Not only do I feel this is inconsiderate of me and our time together, but I also feel like it's demoralizing for my niece and nephew. I mean, why doesn't she just give them each a little hat and a pair of cymbals while she's at it? BTW, she never asks about me or my family during these get-togethers... I mean why would she? With her children gloriously on display, what else is there to talk about? As the mother of one pre-teen son, I am WAY beyond the baby/toddler phase... and I have filed those years in the same folder as my junior high school years: I wouldn't trade them for anything, but you couldn't pay me enough to repeat them. She and I are at different phases of child-rearing and, as a result, I admit that I have a hard time relating to her life... if I'm being honest, I have a hard time relating to the idea that this is all her life is about. Is it asking too much for her to pull herself out of her self-absorbed SuperMomminess and relate to me once in a while?

OMG I talk about my kids ALL THE TIME. I am a SAHM. My kids are my JOB. I listen to other people talk about their job. Isn't that the same thing? I have to try not to let my eyes glaze over while you go on about some petty office politics that sound like high school all over again and if I manage to succeed, then my reward is you doing the same while I talk about how adorable and irritating my little demon spawn are. It is a fair trade! I can talk about books and tv shows and movies to some extent. But, seriously, the kids are my main profession. I have the most to say about them. Just like everyone else has the most to say about their employment.

This is a tough one but I think for me at least...ultimately it depends on who I am talking to. I have a couple of friends that our friendship's with one another is based on our lives as women and as adults. I also have some friends that MOST of what they talk about is their kids and therefore I do as well. And then I have friends that are Moms that if we DIDN'T talk about kids the conversation goes instantly AWKWARD and DEAD and there's this loooong uncomfortable, "please someone let a loud burp rip or something to end this silence" pause and that's not ideal either. However, I'm in a situation now that the circle of friends I am around (I live in an deep isolated community in northern canada) none of them have kids. And I find them hard to get to know (we've all met just recently) and I then tend to, during those random silences, tell a story about my son. So I guess it can be a good thing...he acts as a good filler. But I often have that same thought of "oh man, I'm talking about the kid again!"

I'm with ladyofnomads -- one talks about what's occupying one's head. With other parents, such talk might get more in-depth (especially when comparing notes about how to deal with some current or looming developmental stage or crisis), but I think that most of my friends who care about *me* also care about that part of my experience that encompasses parenting, even if their interest is more in how I'm holding up than in what the sputum looked like. heh. Sure, getting away from the kids sometimes means wanting to think about other things, whether it's music or sports or politics or whatever, but part of spending time with people means admitting how you spend your energies...