why do people say it?

example: (in profiles) "i love to laugh" (really? how unusual...)

or this... "i'm just me" (of course you are, who else would you be?)

"my children are my life", " my kids come first"... (yes well, you're their parent! it's supposed to that way! why does anyone feel the need to say this?)

now i understand that with our profiles we are in effect painting a self-portrait, but honestly, if we don't point out these things are the lines really blurred?

is it just me?

I think it is possibly difficult to see who you are and then putting it into words. They cannot find the words they really want to see in front of them.

Have they been sad but now feel the need for laughter in their lives and need to point it out?

Because they have never been seen for who they are inside.

Maybe they have had relationships that ended because their children came first and not the partner.

It may seem blurred to others but quite possibly it is very clear in their eyes. Maybe asking them the reasons they felt they needed to point these things out. This may clear the blurry lines.

do you think it runs that deep or is it people saying things they feel others want to hear?

I think it depends on the person actually. Some may do that while others may actually think it over carefully.

I tend to analyze things and I am a thinker. I can go days and days thinking about something before writing it. So when something is put before me I think about it. The reason it took me 3 days to actually sign up here. I had to think about what I would put in my profile.

i'm sure people's subconscious mind does influence this in some way, but i can't help but think these things are carefully chosen by most. which makes me think it is more an effort to fit within certain parameters. ones that, for the most part, are shared human traits. thus my original question.

I think that could be true as well. Fitting in does make a difference to a lot of people. Some don't like standing out but blending in and feeling accepted.

When they say they love to laugh what they are really saying is they do not want serious minded men.

When they say their kids are their world what they are really saying is their kids will all ways come before you.

i don't agree with your first statement.

as for your second...they should come first. that is kind of the point here.

for me it runs that deep. i dated a guy once who didnt understand that me being a mother meant him not having my full attention or seeing me everytime he wished

this is why i'm asking. (personally i would never expect to be more important than anyone else's children.) i guess i give some people too much credit.

there are mny men (and I figure women too) who want to be at the forefront of their mate's life without fully understanding that person's obligations to family.

It reminds me of a guy who called into a Techie hotline
because his computer would not perform.
The techie went through all the steps with him to try
and figure out why it had stopped working.
An hour went by.
As they were chitchatting in between fix attempts, the
guy mentioned they were having a thunderstorm.

'You should always turn OFF your pc during a thunderstorm'
the techie told him.

'I did' said the customer, about 2 hours ago...
~~~
Easy to give too much credit :-)

I have an excellent sense of humor.

Mmmm....No you don't.

cliches bore me also....your kids have to be your life - the important thing is have you learned to find time to develop a relationship with a new partner? that takes a fair amount of alone / couple time....just as example, with that situation it might be better to say something like...I feel I have learned to balance my responsibilities as a parent with my desire to start dating again...or some such....to make it a positive rather than sounding like a threat lol

yes i do!

It ain't just you...many of these SEEM to come off somewhat bitter or angry. But, I don't reckon anybody would write:

"I'm a miserable human being that dislikes laughing and having fun. i'm just me means you will have to tolerate my mental or mood disorder, bad habits, and relationship baggage.
I'm saying my kids are my life and they come first because i'm uncomfortable just saying - i have kids, please involve yourself with them should we become a couple. plus i want to seem like a good person (especially if the kids read my bio).
However, i can't rationalize how my children being my life allows me to spend hours online chatting up people all over the globe in pursuit of someone to enrich my life so I feel more fulfilled."

Be honest folks! Be direct and don't beat around the bush. If you're fat, be fat. If you're short, be short. If you're bald, be bald. If you're moody, be moody. If you're ugly - hush your mouth - everybody is attractive to somebody.

And I for one won't think you a bad person for saying you love your kids but wish they would get out of your hair once in a while so you can go on a date and that you really want someone to share your life with. and if you find that person you hope they will form a functional relationship with your children.

I haven't met the person yet that was a happy lark 24/7 and wouldn't trust 'em if they were. My credo:

NO FALSE ADVERTISING!

I think sometimes people are describing what they desire instead of what they are like.

You said it jack! i'm kind of amused at how people (myself included) will describe themselves as the "perfect catch" but are unable or unwilling to explain why they got thrown back!

I also agree with Jack, if you read a profile carefully enough, assuming they've taken the time to write something, you see there past.

I love to laugh - want someone who makes me laugh. If you can't do this there is no chance. Possibly, the last one made her/him sad.

I just me - please don't try to change me. Last one tried to remake me in their image of who I should be.

My children come first - last selfish jerk couldn't understand this.

It could be people make these obvious statements because they've been with people who didn't understand these things.

I was just mentioning this in one of my blogs on another site :) You read all of these profiles that look like they were copied and pasted. It gets old. I tried to make my profile sound different. Tried to not bore people with it. It's difficult to know how to word things. But if you're a scammer, you already know what to write. You'd need to, to be clever at roping people in. I was like BrandNewJourney taking days knowing what to put. I always try to put a lot of thought and effort into a profile