AIBU to blank another parent who witters on?

Verbal incontinence and a rhinoceros hide =/= loneliness

Why don’t you say “Hi, how are you? Good! Look I just need to focus because I want
to see how Annabelle is doing and hear
what the instructor is saying. Catch up later!”

Smile, and then sit forward, elbows on knees,
straining to hear and see, all eyes on Annabelle.

Well, the obvious answer is based on my own experience but ok, fine, if it doesn't apply to you. When my son was learning to ride the instruction was ongoing and not intermittently given. It was also given without his name being used everytime. You seem a bit irked about a very minor point in the overall context of offering a couple of solutions, of which one had no relevance whatsoever to you reading or not.

I guess that says a lot about you...

I know EXACTLY the sort of person you are talking about. I know someone exactly like this.

She tells me about going to Greggs, what she bought, the discount they got, their computers at work, the cat pooping on the floor, what cat litter they use etc... we have nothing in common other than a child the same age. But I chose to listen.

Turns out the reason she witters on is because she is lonely and lacks confidence and is quite shy and isn't the best at social skills.

She is like this because she escaped a relationship of coercive control from a narcissist who still tries to control her via the children.

So my point is, that rather than write someone off as a bore that is "costing me an hour of my time", sometimes there is more to a person and being kind costs nothing.

As a last resort, can you get daughters lesson changed to a different time?.

"You'll have to excuse me but I get a lot of headaches and this is my one opportunity for a bit of peace and quiet"

I might try this actually. It’s polite but firm. Good one!

I get it - I hated small talk at my DCs activities. I enjoyed the down time. I’d either make myself scarce, or if I did have to physically stay I’d have a book/headphones etc. But failing that, just say what you mean - ‘I don’t want to chat, sorry’. Then don’t.

If you're reading your book you can't really listen to your daughter's instructions so you might as well sit in the car. Explain to your daughter that you are interested but x's mummy is a 'chatterbox' and it gives you a headache. But I honestly don't care about appearing mean in this situation because people like this have a hide like a rhino and I'd deal with it head on. I would say, "You'll have to excuse me but I get a lot of headaches and this is my one opportunity for a bit of peace and quiet" and just walk to the opposite side of the paddock. If she follows, move saying, "I'm sorry, but I really need to be on my own, my head is splitting." If I've said it twice politely I have no hesitation in being a bit snappy the third time. It's no skin off my nose if I'm disliked by people like this.

I don't understand why telling her directly you don't want to talk is an issue for you. If you don't want to talk, just say that politely but clearly.

I did read your post. I will be honest, I haven't read every single reply but I get the gist. In what way has it been helpful to you? You'd already decided what you were going to do.

So just don't talk to her then.

Like I said, it doesn't cost anything to be kind but it isn't compulsory.

Wtf?!

We are talking about listening to the dialogue of someone who is likely lonely.

You could do some talking of your own- things you find interesting. Make some jokes. Shes just making small talk to pass the time. Change the subject. You could also sit in your car.

Sometimes people just think this response is really scathing and clever, it isn’t, obviously, it’s just rude.

I worked with someone like this years ago OP. I had to spend three hour shifts in a car with her and she’d just witter endlessly about how she bought lemonade and it was ever so much nicer than coke, cheaper too … my god. It gets so irritating but I didn’t want a bad atmosphere by telling her to be quiet so I just had to tolerate it.

Headphones make no difference to these people; they just make you keep taking the headphones off, witter at you and you put them back on. Repeat ad infinitum!

Ignore it all.
It's the nature of the aibu beast.
If wittering woman had posted she'd have had her arse handed to her.

Can you imagine?
Aibu to expect fellow parent to talk to me for an hour while our children have their lesson?
I like/need/want to talk. Last week I told her all about how doing 4 loads of laundry and watching tv made me late to sleep...

Read your book.

When she interrupts, mark your place with your finger, look at The Witterer and smile and say ‘just one second!’ and keep reading.

Rinse and repeat

Either set out a boundary 'Excuse me but I'd prefer not to talk today' or just allow the conversation to happen and decide not to be bothered by it.
Blanking is not likely to achieve any change, and getting annoyed is a waste of more energy.