Mumsnet members get a 10% discount from Boden (including free returns and free delivery), The White Company, sweaty Betty, Luxury Family Hotels, JoJo Maman Bebe, Siblu, Blooming Marvellous, GLTC, Bump to 3 (the official online shop for Grobags) and more. Click here for more info Join mumsnet here.
I hardly get to mix with DS's class mate's parents as I'm at work before he starts school and immediately after, so rarely get to meet them in the playground. I always try to make a really good impression if I have any contact with them as I am just about the only mum that doesn't collect her DC from school (Most of the other children have SAHMs), and am constantly paranoid that I will be seen as a bad mother because of this and because I'm a single mum. (I like to beat myself up about this as often as possible!). Cue DS getting a Birthday party invitation from a little girl whose parents I have never met. Called just now to confirm, phone was answered by 'little girl', so I put on a voice about 10 octaves higher than my own. 'Oh Hello, is your mummy or daddy home?' I asked in my most patronising child friendly voice. 'Yes, I am Mummy' came the reply. I am mortified, but couldn't think of anything to say that would improve the situation on the spot, so just mumbled an apology and said it was a bad line. What a terrible start to a possible friendship - she was a really lovely lady too!
PMSL - Oh I do that sort of thing all the time - don't worry - she must be used to it! I once had a phone conversation with a client's daughter - I said "Can you tell Mummy..." in this patronising-unless-you-are-5 voice. ~I congratulated her on taking the message and later found out she was 18
This happened to me once - someone phoned for DH and asked me if my daddy was in!!! To be fair to me, I had just run down the stairs and had a really out of breath, high pitched voice on. Still, I was v
Me too - i wouldn't let my teenaged daughter stay over for a sleepover cos i was convinced that the "mother" was actually one of her friends and thought she was pulling a fast one. Huge embarrassment when I met the woman (who is lovely by the way) and realised that she genuinely does have the voice of a 10 year old!
Along the same lines - I have phoned to speak to my (female) friend and when 'she' answered I said 'Hi Jane', only for the 'her' to reply 'it's not Jane, it's John' (i.e. her husband!!)
I've done that twice now.. she tells me he gets it all the time
i really wouldn't worry about it. when you see her at the party just say"oh, i am so sorry about the other day, i was just being a bit thick" she will probably laugh and it will be an ice breaker. ( not saying you were being a bit thick btw)
Hee hee! Thank you, I'm feeling much better now I know I am not on my own with this! Even had a little chuckle about it, counting my blessings that at least I didn't mistake her for her Daddy!
Raspberry, I'd go along with petitmaman's advice and would make a joke about your behaviour the other day a la: I'm not really good on the phone, sorry.
Oh god, I can cap that... Charming young Polish neighbour calls us in to see her new baby. Door is opened by unknown smiling grey-haired woman. Hello, we say cheerily, you must be Jana's mother -- nice to meet you.
Nope, it's her sister-in-law. Who now presumably hates us for ever.
Ha ha, as I teacher, phone calls home are part of the job. Countless times I have called, and when a deep voice answers, I have said 'is that Mr so-and-so', only to be told 'No, it's Mrs so-and-so'. Oooops, perhaps they ought to cut down on the smoking!
My mum rang my sister and said to my (10 yr old) nephew when he answered the phone "Can I speak to mummy please. She then heard my (45 yr old) brother-in-law saying to my sister in a very resigned voice "It's your mother"
When my brother was a police officer he used to phone my sil at set times, when he was on a break. So when the phone went at one of these set times she answered it in a childish voice, saying " Hello, fluffy bunny here " only to find that it was the Chief Constable on the line not my db. He asked if her mummy was there so she had to go away and then come back with her'normal' voice.
We never did find out if he was aware that they didn't have any dc and thus must have known it was sil all along !
Oh and someone once asked me "when are your twins due" and I wasnt pregnant. She knew that someone her daugher knew was having twins and thought it was me. tbh I thought it was really funny (whilst taking a mental note to do more sit ups and stop wearing really loose clothes) she was soooo mortified.
I have regularly been mistaken for my 20 year old DS1 on the phone .
And someone recently congratulated me on how polite and helpful my 6 year old DS3 had been on the phone when she'd rung recently - I worked out it was in fact my 18 year old DD she'd been speaking to, but I haven't yet told DD she's been mistaken for a 6 year old boy!
I once phoned my 70 year old neighbour and when the phone was answered said "Oh hello John"...silence...."It's his wife, Valerie here, I'll just get him".
