Competitive parent comments (just for fun)

[prettymuchapixiegirl]

A few that I've come across:

"I love the way your DS is happy sitting in the buggy. My DS is never happy just sitting there like that, he is so grown up and needs constant stimulation or he gets bored"

"Oh DS, look at that slop that Pixiegirl's DS is eating, you're wondering what it is because you only have big boy food don't you?"

"To be honest I'd much rather have a child who's more average, like your DS. I think being so advanced is going to bring my DS nothing but problems when he gets to school"

All said by a "friend" who is lovely in many ways but also very competitive and our meet ups are frequently spent with her reeling off a list of what her DS is now doing, or by her making out that there's a problem because she thinks he's doing things so early....

What competitive parenting comments have you all come across?

if anyone praises mine I just Smile&Nod and move the conversation on...

Ah, is that the socially acceptable way? Oh dear. When people talk to me about how brainy DD is I don't say "no she's not really, she's thick as pig shit", because she's not. I usually tell them how much DD's brightness scares the pants off me. I hope I don't have a growing reputation as a competitive mum It's not like I bring it up first, people seem to fixate on it. Will start the smile and nod thing tomorrow instead!

Thank god I don't seem to meet the boasty painful types. People tell me good stuff about their kids but in a nice way, not competitive, or maybe my radar is just out?

!! Had a good snigger, reading through these posts, but to my horror have realised that I am also guilty of these types of comments....oh the shame.....

In my defence, my DDs are very good at swimming, but not down to me or their dad, rather solely down to us paying a swimming teacher for the past few years!

And as crackers as it sounds, I am genuinely amazed at their learning to read - how daft does that sound?!!! I know everyone learns to read, but WOW!!! How impressive?!!

I really need to get out more

Will have to be super conscious of not making stupid comments from now on....oh im still embarrased....!! :-)
PS my kids are normal, btw, and drive me nuts at times too!!!

I don't really know why people are being shitty about the comments re: gifted children. Seems to me the posters are stating the facts about their children AND pointing out the down side. No reason to gang up on them. My lovely sister was (is) very bright and struggled in school socially. It's made her lack confidence to this day, and she's in her thirties, professionally successful and a sweetheart.

It is relevant to this thread because some other parents get threatened when confronted with bright children and go weird. Not happening here, is it?

My DS was a tiny one as well and I cried buckets over it. He just wouldn't put on weight. Now (at 16m) he's a chubster. I wailed often here about comments from other mothers comparing him to their younger, bigger children. I just wish everyone could think before they speak.

Hmm, just realised I walked straight into that one!

Miggsie, ain't physics wonderful?

Pagwatch, I used to be a minicab driver, and a lady booked me to take her and her son from her house to a shopping centre. On arrival the son got out of the car. The mothe apologised for him being autistic. Thankfully, my response "wish I could draw" was received gracefully. Actually, she said it was a relief to laugh about it. I still cringe when I think about it though

Bugger. I meant mother, not mothe. Which is a medieval moth, natch

Why can't I have some competitive friends??
Bluemary, youe DD was potty trained at 7 months? Really??

twingirlsmum, there is nothing wrong with taking pride in your DCs' achievements at all. DS is just starting to 'read' and by this I mean recognise the first letter of a word, and based on memory/context/picture, figure out what the word is. I absolutely love it. DD can put DS's pants on perfectly, over her nappy, I think she is incredibly clever. Most people enjoy seeing their children develop, surely - they just don;t get fixated on the competitive angle.

oh and DS is 9 months and DD is 2 weeks

This story made me think of this thread immediately.

Ooeee I love to brag about my children! Although only my eldest DD (9) as the little one who recently started Reception hates school and only started enjoying it on Tuesday when she started digging a hole. Whe I asked her why she said its to escape!

But back to boasting: I normally do it this way - I talk about how good her school is with both special needs and gifted and talented children. I then proceed to tell them how my DD has been chosen as one of only 4 kids in her Year Group to attend a writing workshop at a nearby private school.
But then I am very sure to point at that she is really rubbish at Maths and is only in the middle group. But she has moved up to the second group now though so that won't work anymore.

But she is rubbish at sport - came last in the 800m on sports day and she only finished it because her teacher ran most of the race with her!!!
Forgive me I'm South Africa so love talking and talking straight and all my family are far far away...:(

My Mama friends and I have a laugh at our kids and brag too, but not in a competitive way, thank goodness. We usually congratulate each other on their success' before we brag too. But, being out in public, at places with other moms, we've all had 'run-in's' with this or snide remarks even. I think it comes with the area we live in though; lots of suburban --hyper- moms The other day, at Tumblebums, a place for little ones to run amok and have fun, I had just one snide remark, that normally, I would not even bat an eye at but couldn't resist.

I sat DD down to have a snack, which I'd brought from home. Her DD sat directly across the table, at arm's reach of DD. She was eating a banana, a granola bar and having a drinking box apple juice, all from the snack bar at Tumblebums. I put down DD's juice cup and a homemade mini brownie in front of DD. Her DD's arm shot out to grab DD's brownie and the mother said

'Oh Alexia, we don't eat sweets. They aren't good for you'.
I had to reply. "Well, I made these brownies myself, so have control over the ingredients, which are 100% organic and fairtrade and use goat's milk as it is higher in protein. The juice is pureed blueberries thinned out with fresh squeezed orange juice."
Stunned look turns to attempt at recovery, "I don't think outside food and drink is allowed here."
"Well, they don't offer anything that is acceptable for me to serve my daughter so they can just ask me to leave if that is the case I suppose."
Nothing more.

I'm sure I was deemed the competitive parent by her that day, But it made me laugh, and my Mama friends who were there in ear shot.

Sibella .. its the 'complement sandwich'..lol. Bragging good and bad about your kids. I love it. That's the way to do it. at escaping remark from DD.

Yea, thanks - seems I am extremely good at the compliment sandwich.

And while my youngest might not win any medals her smooth talking will make me proud (in a weird kind of way!).

OMG!! These are so funny! I have a friend like that too - her son (Golden Nappies, we call him) is just so far advanced, well ahead of mine, even though her son is only three weeks older than mine.

At least my son started walking at 10 months and hers didn't walk until well past his first birthday. That shut her up... for a bit.

I'd be slightly worried about the mother who thought that rolling a ball up a hill is breaking the laws of physics. I can only presume she never does things like, oh, drive up hills?

And as for the Hobbit, surely that's child cruelty at any age? Blerg.

Me: 'Would little Lucy like one of Dolly jnr's biscuits?'
NCT mum: 'Umm, ok, I have to relax at other peoples houses, just as long as she knows she won't be getting it at home'
Ouch.

Upon making tea for the NCT kids
NCT mum: 'Oh look little Lucy, baked beans, you've never seen these before have you?'

Mother of a child in reception with my DS actually said to me "Rupert is intellectually superior but socially inept, like me". Quite......

Please please may I join in with a real brag/ I have been thinking baout it sicne reading this thread!!!

My middle lad is a bit of a shit. Unlike his brighter brothers he is also almost illiterate at age 13. But.... on his last big sports event at junior school a lad with severe dyspraxia wanted a go, so was allowed to, competing in the long distance race. Anyway this lad was lapped endless times and was clearly going to run the last lap and a half alone. My boy jumped up, left his classmates (while being called back by the teacher) and ran round with that struggling lad. They both ran over the finish lines to rapturous applause. I cried, my boy's teacher cried. I have never felt so proud of anything in my life.

This is a real brag so does not qualify for thread but I worry so much about boasting in RL I have not shared this with anyone outside of family.

I am having a little tear while remembering - not off to phone the school about his latest detention!

poor kids! With fuckwits for parents...

dontdisstheteensThat is lovely and truely something to be proud of and knocks reading the hobbit aged 6 into nothingness.
My oldest would have been the child running the last lap and a half on his own and i would like to think if the need ever arose there would be another boy like your son who would do the same.

don'tdissthe teens, that brought a tear to my eye, which is welling up even more now. Every right to be proud of him.

The very strangest thing I have had someone be competitive over is preeclampsia. With my second child i was in hospital at 34-35 weeks because i had preeclampsia in the bed directly opposite me wa a woman who was overdue and clearly wanted to be induced so every time they came around to chat in the morning she would say things like " but the woman opposite didn't have a headache - I HAVE a headache) or she would ask me how often my bab moved and the garuntee hers would be much quitter than the " lady on the bed opposite" it was weird as she wasn't even in fo high bp

Oh baby, quieter and other mistakes imagine I didn't make them.