Denyce - You and I are like two peas in a pod! I'm going to PM you that nokidding board URL too. It's worth checking out - seriously! You'd be amazed at how many like-minded people there are there.

And now that you mention Barbie Dolls - oh boy - I was always more of a tomboy growing up - I hated Barbie Dolls - My mother once bought me the "Sunshine Family" doll set and I hated it. I wound up ripping the heads off of the dolls. I much preferred my matchbox cars and my big plastic godzilla doll with the punching fist and the shooting plastic flame thingy...

Ugh... Yes I know exactly what you mean about them touching the stuff with their little germy hands - we call them "germ vectors" among other things over at the NK board. It makes me shudder to think about it as well. Bleh!

And I hate it too when women get condescending and pull that "it's different when it's your owwwwwnnn" or "how could you possibly hate chyyyyyldrun! They are our fyooooture!" It makes me want to be sick. Case in point your reference to this reminds me of the time I went to a fambly reunion down in Florida - I hadn't seen these relatives in years, and I was standing on the beach talking to one of them that had like 3 or 4 kids - I told her I didn't want any, and she looked at me strangely, then said in a heavy southern drawl: "Oh darlin'... don't you worry none - some day some mayun will come and he'll give you a preysunt, and it'll just be the happiest day of yer liyuf!!"

Now mind you she said this IN FRONT OF MY CURRENT BOYFRIEND - within earshot. I nearly decked her right then and there, but BF grabbed my arm and DRAGGED me away as he saw my eyes flash daggers. He was afraid I was going to rip her a new one. And I was just about to - so in essence he saved her. Big time.

And another occasion - on another fambly trip to Florida - we all wanted to go on a drive-through safari, so all of us packed into an S-Moo-V (pun intended), and headed off - there were 9 of us in the car - my parents, me, my sister, my Aunt & Uncle, my Cousin Samantha (she was about 2 or 3 at the time), and her parents...

Now my cousin Samantha is a spoiled rotten little snot. I do not like her at all... She's so used to getting her way, everyone thinks it's cute when she throws a fit if she doesn't, and they all laugh at her, but wind up giving her her way so that they perpetuate the behavior.

Anyway - out of 7 other people in the car - all of whom like kids, whose lap does she choose to sit her smelly little diapered butt on? That's right! MINE! Now after going as rigid as a board in disgust and shoving her off of my lap at least 6 times, she still didn't get the hint - and started to climb up onto my lap a 7th time. I went to shove her off my lap again, but this time my mother had taken notice and she pinched my arm so hard she bruised it and whispered "What's WRONG with you!!! Let her sit on your lap!!!!!" viciously in my ear.

I was disgusted for the entire safari trip - here I am sitting there trying to enjoy the animals and I have this kid who reeks of dirty diapers sitting in my lap with her face literally 1 inch from mine, staring at me and grinning like an idiot. I was stiff as a board the whole time and when we drove past the lion exhibit I seriously entertained thoughts of dumping this kid off my lap and getting out of the car - lions or no lions... I was prepared to take the chance. Anything was better than this.

After the trip my mother gave me a good talking to - and I resent her for it to this day. People shouldn't try to force someone who doesn't like kids to like them. It's not right.