Over the last year I have been moved from one team to another to cover coworker's paternity leaves. Normally I wouldnt have a problem with this but the learning curve is steep in my profession, it takes a few months to get familiar with what you are doing so to be moved every few months and start over just to be moved again is highly stressful. Recently I finished covering what appears to be the last paternity leave for a little while, and now that that is over I am in meetings all day with people that start every meeting asking about each others children. I think people are confused in meetings because I do not engage in conversation about kids. Main reason being we are at work, working with people we dont know personally. You dont know if the person on the call with you has had several miscarraiges, really wants to have children and can't, or has a child that has passed. You bringing up the silly thing your kid just did doesnt always bring the joy you think it will or that it brings you. So, when these conversations start I stop talking I wait until they are finished and I dont say "thats so cute" and laugh or engage in anyway, I wait until I am sure they are done and immediately start talking about the task at hand. Going back to the beginning of the post I also think its incredibly annoying to have to listen to people talk about their kids in meetings while I have been covering their work and know that I wil never get that type of break. People will say its not a "break", but from your job, it is a break. I like kids and enjoy hearing about my friends children and my nieces and nephews, so I really don't hate kids. So am I the asshole for wanting work to be about work and not making pleasantries about peoples kids at work?