Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Jimmy Jon on May 03, 2012, 09:47:52 pm
-
My 15 year old son was on his luch break at school today when this newboy wannabe tough guy said to him 'ha, ha, your dad's a window cleaner!' my son is very protective of his family and replied 'what did you say about my dad?' where he swiftly administerd a right hook and laid the loud mouth out on the floor. The teacher on duty came over and said 'what's wrong with him?' My son said 'You know how I get when people say thing's about my family!' The teacher says 'yes, I know, now get on your way!' I don't condone violence but it did make me laugh when he told me, Is window cleaning really that bad that kids use it as a put down? :)
-
rough side of town your in :P :P :P :P
-
it always makes me smile when people get my number from my old plumbing website and before they start i tell them i am a window cleaner and you hear "oooohhoo" and you can just picture them thinking "what?"is he crazy?
buy your son an slx as a thank you present and if he doesn't like it keep for yourself ;D
-
rough side of town your in :P :P :P :P
He lives further up my road! he's at the posh end too! ;D
Oh and Marc - of course kids use "Your Dad's a window cleaner" as a put down; my youngest is so embarrassed at the thought of me being a windy that I use it as a threat to keep her in line.
e.g:-
If you don't do your homework*/go to bed*/stop being lippy* etc - then I'll come round your school in my van and uniform at turning out time. Even worse I'll quote for the cleaning there, tap on your classroom window, hold up an Awake! magazine and ask loudly if you've done your bible study!
;D ;D ;D
-
rough side of town your in :P :P :P :P
He lives further up my road! he's at the posh end too! ;D
theres a posh part,iam :o :o :o :o
-
His area's posher than mine by far! He's got very quiet neighbours opposite ...
The Local Crematorium!
;D
-
Hi Gold are you a witness then??? :)
-
in my area they are impressed the lad's dad works ;D very unusual on my estate
-
That a boy terry!! ;D good to her he takes no sh@t
-
aye sorry well done to terry's lad
-
That a boy terry!! ;D good to her he takes no sh@t
[/quote]
Cheers Colin & Stu, Not only was he sticking up for me but for window cleaners across the land! ;D
-
Why take it as a put down? Would he have reacted if the lad had said 'your dad is self- employed' ?
Unless it was just because the lad was trying to take the mick.
-
The lad WAS trying to take the mick so he WAS put down ;D
-
it always makes me smile when people get my number from my old plumbing website and before they start i tell them i am a window cleaner and you hear "oooohhoo" and you can just picture them thinking "what?"is he crazy?
buy your son an slx as a thank you present and if he doesn't like it keep for yourself ;D
Better lifestyle now tho eh Bob? I know I have since I packed in that plumbing malarky! ;D
Good on your lad Terry!
-
My dad was a window cleaner and I hit out at times because of the micky taking.
-
no one has even brought up the subject with my lad
maybe its because he is a boxer at junior level :)
-
no one has even brought up the subject with my lad
maybe its because he is a boxer at junior level :)
Just a shame that he's 28 years old..
-
no one has even brought up the subject with my lad
maybe its because he is a boxer at junior level :)
Just a shame that he's 28 years old..
you were half right old sheep fiddler! hes 14 ;D
-
I used to get a fair bit of that at school too. My father was a one man band builder but he went window cleaning for a few years in the 60s. He also did a bit of garden work with my grandfather (his father in law) for a while. The teasing was merciless "odd job man", "rag and bone man" etc. I had to smile at Gold's post because my father was (still is) a JW too so the ridicule didn't stop with what he did for work.
Gold put it across in a very humorous way :) but I found that being in school amongst all that merciless teasing was very bad for my self esteem.
I can laugh at it now as it's 40 years since I left school but one of the many immediate consequences was that I left the education system with no qualifications - in spite of being quite bright (it was the last year you could leave at 15).
Not to worry. Living through adversity can be character building and I'm probably a much tougher cookie mentally than I otherwise would have been.
Gold has given me some food for thought if my GF's son starts playing up though ;D (minus the Awake).
-
I was at a family event recently that included some members of the current F1 administration and we all got chatting about what we did and I mentioned that I cleaned windows for a living. Cue silence..(tumbleweed blowing across the background)....followed by an interesting and productive chat about methods and application. I pointed out that although I'm somewhat below their pay scale and don't spend half my life travelling around the world I do live somewhere nice and enjoy what I do. General reaction was that enjoying life was far more important than being exceedingly well off but never having time to enjoy it.
I'd never look down on anyone for the work that they did. How many of the mickey taking kids parent's actually own their own business? How many of them are smart enough and motivated enough to make a success of it?
-
no one has even brought up the subject with my lad
maybe its because he is a boxer at junior level :)
Just a shame that he's 28 years old..
you were half right old sheep fiddler! hes 14 ;D
;D
-
>Paul
I understand where you are coming from - I had little problem at school (I didn't stick my neck out mind) and in some ways with many different races and religions and (no religion) at my daughters' schools they have had a better time of it.
Funnily enough the worst ribbing I got was at a warehouse job working with a dozen or so similar aged (18 to 20) meat-heads. To tell you the mentality of the place if anyone left for a better job they would get "wedged" by the shop steward (aged 21) and his cronies!
-
As far as I'm concerned, if you've got the guts and determination to run your own business then you've got more get up and go than the majority of paper pushing employees. I know, because I was one of them ;D
I got laughed at for leaving my 'good' job and was even told I was mad.
The way I look at it, I'm earning money for us now, not someone else and that's not something to look down on.
-
Much of the mickey taking relates to the old fashioned window cleaner walking around with a ladder on his shoulder, flat cap and fAg hanging out of his mouth working for a couple of bob a house. It just isn't like that for the modern wc, although there are still some of the older type around cleaning for a fiver a house in an affluent area.
-
I would rather be a window cleaner that -
An Estate Agent
A Banker
A Double Glazing Salesman
A Second Hand Car Salesman
A Politician
How many can you think of? 8)
-
My 15 year old son was on his luch break at school today when this newboy wannabe tough guy said to him 'ha, ha, your dad's a window cleaner!' my son is very protective of his family and replied 'what did you say about my dad?' where he swiftly administerd a right hook and laid the loud mouth out on the floor. The teacher on duty came over and said 'what's wrong with him?' My son said 'You know how I get when people say thing's about my family!' The teacher says 'yes, I know, now get on your way!' I don't condone violence but it did make me laugh when he told me,
:-[ :'(
BVC.
-
I would rather be a window cleaner that -
An Estate Agent
A Banker
A Double Glazing Salesman
A Second Hand Car Salesman
A Politician
How many can you think of? 8)
Some mornings I see people in suits driving off to their corporate lives and I just thank my lucky stars that my day is my own.
-
I would rather be a window cleaner that -
An Estate Agent
A Banker
A Double Glazing Salesman
A Second Hand Car Salesman
A Politician
How many can you think of? 8)
Anything connected to Financial Services ;D
-
>Paul
I understand where you are coming from - I had little problem at school (I didn't stick my neck out mind) and in some ways with many different races and religions and (no religion) at my daughters' schools they have had a better time of it.
Funnily enough the worst ribbing I got was at a warehouse job working with a dozen or so similar aged (18 to 20) meat-heads. To tell you the mentality of the place if anyone left for a better job they would get "wedged" by the shop steward (aged 21) and his cronies!
Yeah, I've worked in places like that too Malc :) .
You mention something that I hadn't considered. Schools generally work a lot more these days at stopping victimisation - whatever the reason for it. A large part of that is the gradual swing towards a multi-racial society and the greater amount of religious diversity that is a knock-on effect from that.
Unlike you Malc, I did stick my neck out at school. I quickly found out that this was a bad idea so stopped doing it.