What are these mummy clicks everyone talks about?

[emilytankengine]

My kids aren't at school yet. But have friends who have schoolchildren and they say the playground is a horrible place cos of these clicks. What is a click?

[LadyOfWaffle]

Clique... it's a group.

[lilolilmanchester]

A tight group of people who think they rule the playground, have a superior attitude and exclude others. Think they're the bees knees. I suspect they exist in every school. The answer? a) ensure you don't accidentally become a member of one b) look out for people who are stood on their own and go introduce yourself.

[TheDuchess]

You see I've been accused of being in a clique. We certainly don't see ourselves as superior, we just had babies at the same time and enjoy each other's company. We've known each other for so long and usually have lots to catch up on/plan when we meet.

As we usually meet up at baby groups I guess we can look a bit exclusive, but it certainly isn't deliberate and we do try and draw others into conversation. But we haven't reached the school stage yet so maybe these things do exist...

[paddyclamp]

Hard to describe. I call them the mummy mafia. A group of people who stand together having idle chit chat about whether little Marmaduke is in size 9F or 9G shoes and if someone who isn't one of the chosen few tries to join in they give you a one word answer then turn their back on you. Horrible things!

[LittleBella]

I think they exist in people's minds

Who can possilby aspire to rule the playground?

What a bizarre idea

[loveverona]

If we're talking here about bitchy groups then they aren't worth knowing anyway. TheDuchess this is NOT you! You sound lovely and just like the rest of us, chatting with our friends and getting on with life. x

[DaphneHarvey]

Clique. Pronounced "cleek". Its simply a group of friends, thats all.

Sometimes people can appear to be in a clique when really they aren't that way inclined at all. They just happen to like standing around with people they are friends with and don't much notice grinning bystanders trying to get a word in.

Sometimes (although I can hardly believe this happens) cliquey people deliberately "freeze out" others who try to make inroads into their circle.

Either way, if not a part of a clique, best not to try to become part of one.

Make your own groovily alternative group of friends, I say.

[lilolilmanchester]

disagree littlebella, it's not in people's minds. We've one or two nasty little cliques at our school, definitely think they're superior. Can't go into too many details to back that up as suspect one or two might be MNetters. Thankfully lots of other lovely Mums too.