neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 I live on a large property with my GF's family, its not what most of you are thinking, its okay, they're 99% good and dont bother me at all, I actually get on with them all, which is surprising for me . The GF's sister just had a baby, he's about 3 weeks old. Hes a good healthy little baby, no problems whatsoever. After the baby was first born everyone leant a hand as its the sisters first child and thats what people do. The GF's father (the grandfather) decides hes going to do all the babies washing by hand despite the fact that theres a perfectly good washing machine available - No Problem. I began to notice a large amount of baby items hanging around the place, dripping wet for days on end and established that the grandfather was only very lightly wringing out the clothes before hanging them & the baby was running out of stuff to wear. I suggested to the grandfather that in future he 'spin' the babies clothes dry before hanging them and they would dry alot faster, so he starts doing that. The other day the grandfather remarks to me that he notices that the baby is 'twisting' or wriggling about when it first awakes from a sleep and I tell him sure, its hungry, babies do that. Then the grandfather goes to see his father (great grandfather) whos a real nice old guy but without a doubt at 90 odd he never ceases to surprise me with strange ideas. Anyway the two sit and chat and the problem about the baby twisting comes up. The great grandfather asks the grandfather are we 'wringing out the babys clothes after washing' and the grandfather reports that we are spinning them in the washing machine. At that time the great grandfather informs the grandfather that the problem lies with the spinning of the clothes and thats why the baby is twisting. The grandfather races to the house and tells us that we MUST NOT spin the babies clothes and then continues on to explain that its the cause for the baby twisting. Anyway, the GF, GF's sister and I just about piss ourselves laughing and the GF asks her father, "If spinning the clothes is causing this, why doesnt the baby spin?" Anyway the grandfather just gets the shits with the lot of us and orders that the babies clothes/garments are no longer to go into the washing machine. So anyway, once again we have loads and loads of babies stuff hanging around the place, damp and smelly and theres no discussion to be had about it. Have you ever heard anything so bizzare in all your life, keeping in mind where talking about a fully grown man in his fifties? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantiSuk Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 I guess you live in Isaan. Every other day my TW says 'own (old) people say [insert something hilariously superstitious]' in response to some situation. Go with the flow or go nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanook2me Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Hasn't the midwife from social services been around to check everything is okay and have a word with the Gf and GGF? Sounds like you live on a reservation with the elders having a sit down pow wow to sort out them peskie white folk and their scary machines..... Must be idyllic for you Isaan dwellers living in a land time forgot and introducing new fangled dangled ideas and inventions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 No I don't live in Isaan but i may as well. Yes, I do have a few scarey machines one of them is called an air compressor, it actually puts air inside vehiclie tyres so they arnt running around underinflated dont even start on the stuff I keep in my room, like a pc, printer/copier/fax machine.....the monk actually had to come down to the house to check that stuff out, apparently one of them was responsible for disturbing the ghosts in the bannana tree. bloody farangs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaimate Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Does the baby perspire constantly in the hot weather? it could be because the clothes are allowed to DRIP DRY tell the father that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 (edited) ^ Well now that you mention it have you got any idea what clothes end up smelling like when you let them drip dry straight from a bucket in this very humid place.....the kid will probably end up with some mould inhabitied disease or something. I did ask yesterday why none of us were twisting when we woke up and I got one of those looks Edited November 7, 2009 by neverdie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaimate Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Talking about superstition ,my wife comes from a quite well to do familly,yet we have to have a small turtle in the bedroom also the bedroom door has to be kept closed when we are not in there ,so its not just Isaan familys,however my wife says its feng shui. all b-llocks to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 yeah its a bag of laughs this place, as santisuk said, go with the flow or go nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geekfreaklover Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Talking about superstition ,my wife comes from a quite well to do familly,yet we have to have a small turtle in the bedroom also the bedroom door has to be kept closed when we are not in there ,so its not just Isaan familys,however my wife says its feng shui. all b-llocks to me. I bought a book on Feng Shui, when I got home I couldn't decide where to put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 ^can i make a suggestion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHarries Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Wasn't all that long ago people in the west used to think you'd die if you travelled faster than 30 miles per hour (48 kph). Think of the changes the great grand dad has seen in his life and it's no wonder he has odd ideas. The problem in Thailand is the great deference they show to their old folk, good in a way and a shame it's lost in the west, but sometimes they just need to be told to keep out. Respectfully of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronz28 Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 That's the funniest thing I have heard today But, really that can't be healthy for the baby for you all to grow bacteria and mold on its clothes like that. I would spin the clothes in the washer that the baby wears and dry those clothes in the dryer immediately to prevent dressing the baby in any bacteria laden clothes. The younger generation will understand and just have to protect the baby from the grandpa who sounds like he has a touch of old timers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Both Ron and Phil are right of course, but since its not my kid, im not gonna say anything.....afterall, never forget FARANGS know nothing. The world couldnt have made it this far with thai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Thanks for the funny story, neverdie. There is no way to combat Thai superstitions... even if they threaten the existence of children. As someone already said, as a farang you just go with the flow. I see all sorts of dangerous things that Thai children are allowed to do. I often cringe when 2 year old tikes go running into traffic, and being followed by the 6 year old who is in charge of looking after the 2 year old. Most survive, but some don't. I see the same thing happen with First Nations people in Canada. Where is the actual father of the child? Grandfathers, and certainly great grandfathers, very seldom have the duty of looking after Thai children. In the Thai villages I frequent the men have very little to do with the children. It's either the mother, the mother's sister, a grand mother, or an older sister to the child who is in charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harcourt Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Hey ND, Nice to read you again. Firstly, what's the rationale with not wringing the clothes by hand? Find that out first. Is it to preserve delicate baby clothes? I see no problem with hand-wringing. My first baby was born in the tropics and we did not even have electricity....everything was hand-wrung, then hung in the sun if there is a sun out. Secondly, unwrung clothes left to drip-dry, high humidity or not, shouldn't start smelling so quickly. Is there no sunlight available? Are the clothes rinsed thoroughly? A few drops of bleach in a pre-rinse soak may help. Also, poor rinsing can leave a soap-powder residue which can irritate a baby. What's the normal procedure when baby wakes? Change the nappy and probably the whole set of clothes. Clean dry clothes won't irritate as much....hence it's always when baby wakes that he/she wriggles and squirms. Incidentally, spun-dry clothes will have less residue. A fabric softener may make spun-dry clothes softer. How's the hardness of the water there? Thirdly, covertly spin dry a set of clothes. Let them dress the baby in them....see what happens: twisting and squirming or not......this is not to test the theory, but to disprove it. It is hard, if not impossible, to contradict a GGF or a FIL without seeming rude....the secret is in letting them come to the right conclusions; somehow let them see/know that spin-drying is not the culprit, without directly telling them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Where is the actual father of the child? Grandfathers, and certainly great grandfathers, very seldom have the duty of looking after Thai children. In the Thai villages I frequent the men have very little to do with the children. It's either the mother, the mother's sister, a grand mother, or an older sister to the child who is in charge. Hi Ian, You always ask the tough questions......perhaps you were a current affairs reporter in a previous life? Mate the thai father did the bolt about 2 seconds after he found out about the pregnancy (of course). The grandfather (or father of the mother as it was) has been very actively involved in this all because this is the favourite daughter, the one who cannot do wrong nudge nudge, wink, wink. The grandmother lives away from this property and has done so for 20 years or more. The great grandmother who lives on the other end of the property is still actively involved in taking care of the masses of children around here (god love her) but at her age she is generally keeping an eye on the ones that are a bit older than this one. AND THERE IS A MASS OF KIDS living on the farm.(including me ). Hope that clears up some of your questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundman Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Don't worry Neverdie - this is just the tip of the iceberg. PS. Has she had the herbal steaming while sitting on a smoking hot pot therapy yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Harcourt, Hi mate, great to see you too. Wringing the clothes is the start of all evils, apparently it causes ones clothing to possess the mind and cause uncontrollable wriggling. Mate, the baby is fine, it doesnt wriggle around at all, except when it wants a feed, which normally starts with it puckering its lips and making a strange noise which isnt unsimilar to a woman complaining about something. There is no problem except for the masses of wet clothes and garments. There are so many garments because for some reason they prefer to wrap the baby in a flat cloth and let it crap inside that as opposed to putting a nappy on it to take care of the business.....the result, every time the baby takes a crap or leak, a new dirty garment is created. I am constantly moving dripping wet stuff between the various clothes lines as the sun moves & of course you are right about everything you have said. Sadly, irregardless of what I do or say I cant be right, its just the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnmltd Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 What happened after you started drip drying the clothes again? Did the baby stop twisting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHarries Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Don't worry Neverdie - this is just the tip of the iceberg. PS. Has she had the herbal steaming while sitting on a smoking hot pot therapy yet? By the sounds of things ND will be smoking the hot pot soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 (edited) ^^No the baby is the same as before. Don't get excited about this twisting thing, thats their words, Ive studied the baby, its fine, occassionally babies wriggle around, this baby is actually very quite and still in my opinion (for what its worth). Mate I only posted because Ive found the whole thing funny......ie: "If the spinning is causing this, why isnt the baby spinning?" Edited November 7, 2009 by neverdie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Don't worry Neverdie - this is just the tip of the iceberg. PS. Has she had the herbal steaming while sitting on a smoking hot pot therapy yet? Ohhhh baaaahaaaa, tell me ur kidding, theres gonna be more shinanigans, is there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lioness Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Sounds like you are living in Scotland or somewhere cold. I handwash my good clothes and dripping wet they are still dry within a few hours, it is hot here and we have sun, so I can't work out why these baby clothes are wet for days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Don't worry Neverdie - this is just the tip of the iceberg. PS. Has she had the herbal steaming while sitting on a smoking hot pot therapy yet? By the sounds of things ND will be smoking the hot pot soon. Being the anti-drug type, I doubt that would happen Phil, however, I have thought about running away. Maybe the kids father had the right idea by the way, I had him picked as a runner, right from the beginning and when I voiced my opion about it, I was swiftly voted down by other family members......i havent actually reminded them of it, seems the farang was right about something, after all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Sounds like you are living in Scotland or somewhere cold. I handwash my good clothes and dripping wet they are still dry within a few hours, it is hot here and we have sun, so I can't work out why these baby clothes are wet for days? Well maybe I am in Scotland, but im sure i booked a flight to thailand. I could go on about this, but if you wet some clothes and pull them from a bucket soaking wet and hang them on a clothes line in the shade with no wind in 85-90% humidity, they will not be dry in a few hours. Hence one of the reasons I am constantly moving wet items beween the various hanging locations around the house. I live on a farm which has fishfarms everywhere, its also quite dense vegitation, so the very best you can get out of one spot for sun in the immediate area around the house is a couple of hours. You've also got to remember that its not me running this show, im merely a passenger on the ride and whilst it doesnt bother me, if it did it would probably be tough anyway. Not my farm, not my house, not my baby. Theres somethings I just have to stay out of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEENTHEREDONETHAT Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Good post neverdie, maybe you can find one of those old wringer washers? But then you might end up with a flat kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 ^ , don't give me ideas. Or I could feed the grandfather thru it, although at 40 something kg, he'd probably get between the rollers without damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 If it ever comes down to you trying to get something done, and you find an excuse that involves the presence of ghosts, you can use a multiple-exposure photograph showing the ghosts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 If it ever comes down to you trying to get something done, and you find an excuse that involves the presence of ghosts, you can use a multiple-exposure photograph showing the ghosts. Actually, the other night we were playing with time lapse photography and took a scarey pic of a dark field with me using a maglight torch for fill. It was an errie ghostie figure.....i could use that pic. The whole thing will probably back fire with my new camera being thrown into a fire or something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpoint Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 ... I see no problem with hand-wringing... For gods sake, don't wring the clothes! You'll wake up one morning to find the baby has been strangled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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