bazzz

Isn't that what dogs are for?

iaink

Not even remotely the same. Sorry.

daft batty

- Til they grow up. Then the balance changes.

dbd33

My dog wins hands, or paws, down over my children in terms of offering unconditional love. The dog is loyal friendly affectionate and rather dumb. He'll do anything within his ability for you so long as you frequently handle his balls. He wants little else from life, any sort of food welcome.

The relationship with the children is more nuanced, they're intellectually demanding, witty, shocking in their antics and occasionally quite warm in their social interactions. They're frighteningly expensive to maintain but offer the chance to live vicariously through them.

I'm not sure why there's such a difference, the dog is male, the children female, but perhaps more importantly the dog is Canadian, the children Europeans.

daft batty

I think the difference is that pet dogs stay as puppies mentally, depending on their owner/parent for food, shelter, approval etc. Children, however, grow up and develop their own thoughts, values, opinions and so eventually grow away from parents and learn to criticise and judge. There are plenty of comments on here about parent/child relationships that show that unconditional love doesnt last. Conditional love may last, but even so you dont even have to like your parents.

Iain's children are still young, teenage rebellion and disgust has yet to happen.

hot wasabi peas

Yes, exactly. If dogs typed, I don't think there would be canine version of Oliver James' 'They F*&$ You Up'.

Being an Aunt/Uncle or similar is where it's at... all the perks, none of the crap (literally). In fact I loved getting my nephews totally amped on sugar and adrenalin and then sending them back to my sister... I'm never the baddie, I'm always 'fun' and supportive, I'm emotionally there for my nephews without much baggage and domestic druggery and I have no social reprocussions for their ***** ups. And I maintain my personal freedom and bladder control.

Howard1944

Those of us that have been able to share in the life of an offspring, to feel pride at their accomplishments, to nurture as necessary, to provide guidance as needed, do not need to explain to those who somehow equate the emotional response to an animal as the same thing.

I just shake my head at these so called experts who will never be called Nanny or Grand Dad, they will never be called.

dbd33

Larkin, innit?

hot wasabi peas

Oliver James. I've got it right here.

dbd33

That's the yuppie version, his title is a reference to Philip Larkin's poem.

hot wasabi peas

Obviously. 'This Be the Verse' is on the first page.

daft batty

• "They" will never be called: worn out, disappointed, let down, abandoned.Having children doesnt mean you get to be a grandparent.
• It was the emotional response of an animal that was being compared.
• You may love your children, they may love you, but children often dont like their parents.

dbd33

Then I'm perplexed as to why you mention a little known and derivative figure rather than the source for the idea, it seems like mentioning Dr. Phil's thoughts on the Oedipal complex. Then again, I've been in Canada for yonks, I have rather lost track of society, perhaps Mr. James is now an iconic figure central to western thought, another Homer Simpson.

Surrey Expat

London 'is second most expensive city'

Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 13/11/2007

London is the second most expensive city in the world, according to the latest study to show that British consumers pay more for weekly shopping, transport, and entertainment.

A morning journey to work, a cup of coffee and a pint of milk cost more in London than in 27 other cities. Only Oslo manages to pip Britain's capital when it comes to prices.

The research, from the shopping comparison website PriceRunner, examined 27 goods, including a can of Coca-Cola, an Apple iPod, a litre of petrol and a cinema ticket.
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Londoners suffer particularly from high transport costs, with petrol touching £1 a litre and a one-way bus ticket costing £2, compared with 9p in Beijing.

Britain is also one of the most expensive places to buy electrical gadgets. A Nokia N95 mobile phone costs twice as much in London as in Tokyo. A flatscreen Panasonic Viera LCD television, at £699, costs £275 more than in Houston, Texas.

Combined with the weak dollar, this has encouraged growing numbers of shoppers to buy their digital cameras, games consoles and music players from US websites.

PriceRunner points out that the Government has benefited from sky-high prices on many key items, such as cigarettes and petrol, thanks to the amount of tax on them. The Treasury is estimated to earn an extra £12?million a day in fuel duties compared with a year ago.

Mattias Berg, the UK managing director of PriceRunner, said: "It's clear to see that the UK continues to pay more for taxable items than other countries."

Harry Wallop - The Telegraph

Dave+Jules

My Dad used to run a corner store and he told me there were two types of senior citizens.

1. Those that didnt have kids and wished they had so they could share their life with the children and grandchildren.

2. Those that had children and wished they would call and visit so they could share their life with the children and grandchildren