That is sad and obviously this woman needs help. I don't know her circumstances or whether these were planned pregnancies or failed contraceptives or religious fervor but I feel sympathy for her and her children.

Bwaaahahahaha!!!!
Good one Miss Ruthie!

oops - I didn't realize it was a joke.

I'm puzzled. I didn't read this as a joke. If it is, I don't get it.Would someone clue me in...joke or not??? It sounds like a very sad situation to me. Dottie

I don't know if it was a joke Mcmann. There are SO many of these requests for people looking for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING on free classified ads I get tired of them. I KNOW there are some that need it but there are some requests so general or requesting things that IMO only are not associated with need vs want. I thought Ruthie's tongue in cheek comment was appropriate.

Ruthie's posting made me want to open this for sure!
There are posts regularly on our Freecycle from young people who have no money and need everything for a baby. One just this week was from a 17 year old who's having a baby in a couple months. She doesn't know what she needs, but she needs everything related to a new baby.
I honestly don't understand why young people are still getting pregnant. Birth control is readily available, and it's far cheaper than getting pregnant!

Count me in as another one who does not get the 'punch line'. Or the "funny".

This looks like a real post by someone who is requesting baby items. Or of course it could be one of those scams where the person is going to resell the items on eBay.

Upon re-reading it the only part I see that may be the "funny" part is that the woman is requesting items for a newborn and if she has a 1y/o she would already own them. And that is the part put in bold text in the post. But do consider.........maybe she gave them away already to a friend who was expecting and did not expect another pregnancy or the friend was suppose to return the newborn items and did not. I just don't think someone's hard luck is funny.

My siblings and I were all born less than a year apart or just little over a year (religious ferver and gullibility on the part of my parents). Baby items were always traded or given/received with other neighborhood families and relatives. It's how we survived. There is nothing wrong with using second hand items for the family.

Maybe try connecting the woman who posted the Freecycle ad with a social services group. They can visit the woman's home and ferret out whether it is a scam or a true need.

I think the laughers are referring to the Subject line (Do you have any condoms to donate?), not the contents of the post. I think they think that OP's subject line was funny. I could be wrong.

Ruthie's just trying to keep Two plus Two at Four. If they can't afford these two kids the thing they need most is to stop having children for a while.

Is it true, as I heard somewhere, that sometimes two plus two can be made to equal ... five?

Taking the message as genuine - maybe income was adequate at the time of conception, a number of months ago.

As neighbourhood talk used to be, "There's many a slip 'tween the cup and the lip".

As I referred to here a couple of weeks ago ... though none of us would want to be in handcuffs, many folks put themselves into financial handcuffs, which is easily done: they live paycheque to paycheque.

A couple of paycheques disappear, due to layoff, illness, or whatever ... and the barnyard by-product hits the fan, big time.

Sure is always nice to have a financial cushion available in case of emergency.

(Don't got no condoms, sorry ... let alone any to spare!).

ole joyful

I for one object to the subject line inappropriate IMHO

Yes, Ruthie is right. The gal needs condoms! Or, maybe we can pool our resources and get her, her tubes tied?

Moni, who is fresh out of condoms

I object to anyone objecting......

Now you can object for me objecting anyone that objects.

If I objected to a subject line I would not open the thread, but that's just me.

What she really needs is a referral to Planned Parenthood. Why rely on a man; it apparently hasn't worked so far.

Call me cold and heartless but I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who have more children than they can afford to take care of - especially when they have one every year. There almost seems to be an entitlement mentality about having children. People need to take more personal responsibility for their behaviors and actions.

Can't feed them then don't breed them.

Ok guys,give the girl a break.She did say their income was down to a third of what it was.Maybe they used birth control and it obviously failed.Happens to lots of people for many reasons beyond control.We don't know this person or her circumstances so why jump to the conclusion that she shouldn't breed or that she doesn't have access to social services or birth control counseling! I wish I lived there.I would be more than happy to donate what we have from our two.It's hard to clothe and provide the things a little one needs,even when you have a pretty good income.Lots of people from DIL's work passed their baby stuff on to our two.I see nothing wrong with that nor do I see anything wrong with asking for things on free cycle.Isn't that what it's for?

Amen to Lilliepad. It's easy to be self-righteous and condemning toward others when you really know nothing of their life circumstance.

Sometimes birth control fails. Sometimes people unexpectedly lose their jobs. Sometimes, people get sick and everything goes wrong. Sometimes, stuff just happens.

It's a different world today for people under 30. Statistics show that the average person born in the 1960s will have EIGHT careers before his/her retirement. That's not jobs, but CAREERS.

I think today's retirees (ie: older folks) forget that it is a different world today. As an example, perhaps someone went to work in 1962 for a company and worked there for 32 years and then retired with full benefits and lots of social security income and medicare and no real medical expenses and life is sweet and good.

My heart goes out to young people today. Finding a decent job is tough and finding a decent wage is tougher and when it's time to retire, social security and medicare will be bankrupt. So those over 60 need to understand that the thousands of dollars that THEY paid into social security over the course of their lifetime was repaid to them within 14 months of their retirement (according to current stats). And that's if they don't get sick. For many of today's retirees, ONE WEEK in the hospital can erase the financial contribution they paid into social security/medicare after a LIFETIME of working and paying taxes.

True story.

Those social security checks that show up in your mailbox each month are courtesy of the young people in the work force, who are not able to make ends meet because of the excessive tax burden imposed on the working poor.

It's today's workers that are paying for YOUR social security and when those workers retire, social security will be bankrupt.

I've got no patience for the retirees who whine and complain about how young people are reckless and irresponsible with their wages. The entire social security system is being bankrolled by the current crop of workers (and the Chinese). It is NOT a savings account. Your social security (and Medicare) is a freebie, a gift to you from today's workers.

Old people do NOT seem to understand - they're riding a gravy train with biscuit wheels - and they're getting free money every month. Money they did not earn and did not save and yet feel entitled to receive.

Here is a link that might be useful: It ain't like it used to be

In this particular instance it might be something that just bad times for them, and an accident.
I see so many requests for baby items on our Freecycle group, as I mentioned, from people who are so young, who have nothing.If she doesn't even know what she "needs" for a baby in the way of items, how is she going to be responsible for caring for one? What's wrong with putting the baby up for adoption until they are older and have some maturity to take care of it.

Jasdip, where did she say that she doesn't know what she needs? And how do you know she's young, immature, and irresponsible? I get none of that from her well-worded post.

I have mixed feelings about this. This isn't one of those nearly illiterate posts that you have to figure out what each misspelled word is or what she's trying to say. She sounds intelligent enough and sincere that their income has dwindled because of the economy. Who can't understand that these days?

Perhaps they intended to have another child this quickly; lots of people have kids a year apart. Perhaps their income was fine at that time. I seldom buy a "the birth control failed" argument; it's pretty darned easy to not get pregnant these days, so I doubt that that's the case here.

What I'm wondering is why she doesn't already have baby things since she just had one less than a year ago. Her daughter is now 10 months old; where are her baby things? Of course, perhaps she's still using some of them so duplicates are needed, but not sure about that.

Anyway, sad.

Curiosity ordered a look

Suzieque, I wasn't talking about the girl on this post, who is young and doesn't know what she needs.
I said that this girl ran into hard times.

I was talking about the number of Freecycle postings where young people are having babies. The latest request (in my Freecycle area) was from a young girl who is 17 and is having her baby in a month. She has nothing for it, and is asking for anything for a newborn. She said in her post that she doesn't even know what she needs for a baby.

Suzie, Jasdip is speaking of another request from a 17 year old girl. not this one that Ruthi posted. I for one, found the title funny. worth a chuckle, and it sure got everyone in here! lol Humor is humor, just like people are people. we're all different and different things make us chuckle.

And I came in here thinking that someone was ACTUALLY asking from free condoms from Craigs list! lol I thought.. wow... lol

I don't find this funny. Guess I'm too old to appreciate the "humor". By the way, I have no condoms. I'm 57 and I'm thru with Menopause.

Oh, sorry Jasdip. Thanks, Kat_was for correcting me. I thought I'd read all responses but must've skimmed over that. I didn't realize that Jasdip's post wasn't about the original.

Planned Parenthood offers birth control and sterilization for those who have no money. Birth control that is 99% effective has been around for too many years for people to keep having more kids than they can afford. I, too, can't understand why so many teens are getting pregnant when there is effective birth control available to them.

:^) Ruthie

So I'm warped. Post caught my attention and brought a smirk to my face after reading it. While I feel for this young gal's plight, there is no question that a year apart for babies is less than ideal. Condoms are in order...right on Ruthie!

Dottie

I think the fact that we went from babies to condoms to seniors getting a free ride (????) in the same post is hysterical.

Good for you, magic.... Unfortunately, I still cannot see anything funny here...

I agree with Ruthie's point -- That although she is in need of many things, one of the needs is some kind of birth control. I guess that would be a basic need for this woman no matter what her age or circumstances.

Yes, I know where the money is coming from for our SS checks, but I also think it comes from the mega bucks we put into the fund all those years.

The subject line is very funny, and yes..I opened this thread to see what Ruthie was talking about...funny

I see so many postings similar to this girl's on CL and similar sites almost everyday. They post over and over for days using different circumstances, but posting the same telephone number or contact method. It is difficult to know what is truly a need or what is a "hustle"job.

ruthieg used a "tongue in cheek" attention subject but she then stated.....just how sad is this. Personaly, I do not think she is malicious nor immature.

Those who feel compelled to respond to such requests should do so without being judged, and those who have different feelings should not be judged either.

Hey - - - at least one post has disappeared .....

"Good for you, magic.... Unfortunately, I still cannot see anything funny here..."

I guess I just have a great sense of humor :)

It wasn't meant to be funny...I think it is beyond sad...Her oldest child was two months old when she conceived the second one that is due in April....Feecycle is a biggie in our area...Many people use it and it is often in reference to needing baby things...

My thoughts were that she needs the baby things..yes for sure lets help them out...but her life didn't reach "turmoil" stage in a short 6 months and I was being critical for allowing the situation...

Most women wouldn't want to do another baby so close just because of the amount of work, energy, and expense not to mention fairness to the child...so I was just saying that yes lets all donate the baby things but she needs condoms as well. I posted this on other boards and have been given a rough time because of it but truthfully....I think she needs help with planning her family...1 year apart is just too close for children...if only for health reasons for mom, child and family.

Sadly, life can reach "turmoil" stage in 6 months! Very easily; ask my unemployed dh and my check book! And we even had an "emergency fund".......... Luckily, no new babies on the horizon! :)

Let me say that when I read the title of Ruthie's post,then read the post it did strike me as funny.However some of the comments made about this woman/girl upset me.As I said before,we have no idea what the circumstances are with her,therefore how can we jump to the conclusion that she is irresponsible,shouldn't "breed",should put her baby up for adoption,get her tubes tied,etc.??
As juellie said,"Sadly life can reach turmoil stage in 6 months!" My son and DIL didn't expect him to be diagnosed with cancer in a matter of days when they had the twins but,it happened! Never say never!
I know this originated as a funny circustance but I'm really dissapointed that so many have not shown at least a little compassion for this young lady and that there are so many with such annimosity toward her situation.That's all I have to say on the subject.
Everyone have a great day!

Errrrrrr I think that is the reason for Free Cycle, to give something to someone who wants it. Nothing wrong with that.It could be someone genuine and what's wrong with having two children. We don't have any idea of another person's circumstance.

Your subject line got my hopes up, Ruthie -- do you think Good Will might want them?