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Original poster

Competitive parent comments (just for fun)

382 replies

prettymuchapixiegirl · 08/02/2011 21:35

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?

OP posts:
LeQueen · 08/02/2011 23:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Punkatheart · 08/02/2011 23:34

These are all hilarious but sad at the same time.

I once made a comment about my daughter needing to drink a lot because she only has one kidney.

'Oh,' said the mother to whom I was talking. 'My daughter doesn't need to drink a lot - she has TWO kidneys and a perfect bladder.'

Whew - now that was insensitive!

googoomama · 08/02/2011 23:37

"Look. Daniel just sat down quietly yesterday afternoon and drew and labelled a complete naivity scene. We're going to show nursery".

taintedpaint · 08/02/2011 23:55

Some of these are truly shocking.

Punkatheart wins the prize for knowing the most fucking stupid woman ever. Wtf was she thinking saying that?!

I've had a few comments from various people along the lines of "Oh, but he's not your real son, is he? So it's not the same, is it?", said really flippantly when discussing anything to do with DN. I apparently have to cap my pride of him because I didn't give birth to him (for anyone who doesn't know, I inherited him :)). I usually retort with "No, he's a loaner" or "No, he's plastic, I keep the real one locked in the shed".

Some people are just stupid I'm afraid!

AlmightyCitrus · 08/02/2011 23:59

DD2 was about 4 months old and we were out and about when I bumped into an acquaintance who gave birth to her DD exactly 2 days before me. My DD was being a bit vocal and other mum spotted (dramatic dum dum duuuum) a small first tooth.

Acquaintance said "she can't possibly be teething. MY dd is older than her"

Story of the last 9.5 years. She went into school complaining when she found out that my DD was a reading level above hers. Grin

whethergirl · 09/02/2011 00:27

Oh god, I just find it sooo vulgar when people boast & brag about their dc's. Why share your pride out loud? In such a smug and competitive way?

The only person I ever boast about my ds to is my mum cos it makes her happy. To other parent's I prefer to give cute anecdotes on funny (and often nonsense) things ds has said.

I have two friends who are intent on boasting about their dc's, both are same age as my ds and some of their comments are just bloody insensitive as they know my ds is behind with his reading/writing.

One friend is convinced her ds is gifted (and one time when ds was having a tantrum, asked "Do you think he might be autistic") and has taken to correcting my ds when he talks.

Other friend just likes to bore my ds and I when we're supposed to be having a fun day out, pointing to signs every 2 mins "Hey, DC, what does that say?" and everytime my ds says something like "ooh look, that pebble looks like a poo poo" she'll retort with "Ooh DC, can you tell me the difference between pebbles and cobbles?"

Another time she was boasting about her dc not needing training wheels (whilst they were both riding a bike at the time, with DS clearly using training wheels). When we got to the park, she tried to encourage them to have a race but her dc didn't want to. She frowned with concern and said "I just don't understand why he isn't motivated sometimes."

Because he's a fecking kid that's why!!!

whethergirl · 09/02/2011 00:29

And yes, I meant she asked if I thoughy MY ds was autistic, because he was having a tantrum!

onceamai · 09/02/2011 06:50

My mum calls the MIL a kid bragger. The MIL's piece de resistance just after my third miscarriage was "its such a relief that SIL1 can perform" Shock

deepheat · 09/02/2011 07:09

"Your baby's shit. Min is much better. Ha."

deepheat · 09/02/2011 07:09

Ah, mine.

Wallace · 09/02/2011 07:19

marking my place!

HarlotOTara · 09/02/2011 07:22

When my eldest DD was in reception I overheard her best friend's father tell another mum that his DD was reading Oscar Wilde. They had just started books with one word on the page!

Megatron · 09/02/2011 07:31

"I really don't understand why nursery have such a problem with DS's behaviour, surely they realise that he is leaps and bounds ahead of his peers and requires much more stimulation than the average 3 year old. We like to let him do his own thing to encourage his personality. He's SUPER intelligent you know"

No. He has no idea of normal boundaries because YOU don't set them you idiot!

gogoredpanda · 09/02/2011 07:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
prettymuchapixiegirl · 09/02/2011 07:35

Oh god Megatron, I've encountered so many parents like that over the years. Aren't they annoying!

I remember years ago after DD1's first morning at school, one of the other mums was outraged as they had been learning about the letter "S" and her daughter already knew the letter "S". She was ranting and raving "But Hannah will get so bored if she isn't learning new things all the time. She's on a totally different level to all the other children"

My mum tends to say what she thinks and after listening to this mad woman for a few minutes said "Oh well, if you don't like it perhaps you best put her in a private school. Or can't you afford that and that's why you sent her here in the first place?"

Quite what she thought this child would learn after her first morning in Reception I don't know. I honestly think she expected her to come out with a bookbag full of reading books.

OP posts:
FreudianSlippery · 09/02/2011 07:37

Wow, competitive tooth-losing, that's a new one! I believe the appropriate reply is "oh, I thought early tooth loss is a sign of gum disease - perhaps you should see the dentist?"

Just Shock at some of these.

Last week I was with DS and a mum said to her PFB "Oooh look DD, you're younger than LittleFreudianSlippery but you are taller, isn't that funny?" Hmm (to be fair her DD is really tall - must be as my DS is tall too - but why say that? Lame!!!)

Oh and DH swears he heard two mums at DD's preschool locked in a battle of "competitive SEN" - "well MY DS is being tested for such and such" "yes but MINE is under consideration for that AND this..." [weird]

Original poster
prettymuchapixiegirl · 09/02/2011 07:45

Freudian, a woman I know is very competitive about tooth losing. Our DD's are best friends and her DD is taller than mine, so of course we get the "Oh look, you're taller than MiniPixiegirl". My DD has just turned 6 and has lost I think 10 teeth so far, and this mum makes such a big thing about it as her daughter has lost a couple. Someone once said at school pickup that DD looked like she'd lost a fair few teeth and this woman piped up "Oh well I feel sorry for her, getting her adult teeth early will mean they are more likely to get decayed".

Also when my DD went round their for tea she looked in DD's bookbag to check that DD wasn't on a higher level reading book than her DD. As it turned out, my DD was on a higher level and this mum was most put out about it when I turned up to pick DD up.

I know some very odd mums.....

OP posts:
Megatron · 09/02/2011 07:48

Same mum when told of my daughters Type 1 diabetes came out with the gem "Oh I'm sure when you get the hang of things it'll be like she's almost normal again! Anyway, wait til I tell you what DS did blah blah".

This woman is actually very nice she is just moronic to a huge degree on occasion.

Barbeasty · 09/02/2011 08:21

One of my brother's friends had a very competitive mum. When DB went to their house to play, she had them both doing maths tests (practice papers for the 7+ exam her son was going to take). How cross was she when DB did much better... :)

Now my DD (7 months) was the first of our circle of friends to roll and crawl and does some very wierd and dangerous trying to stand stuff. But 1) I know it has absolutely nothing to do with anything I have done, it's just one of those things; and 2) I look back fondly on the days when I didn't need eyes in the back of my head and 8 arms with lighting quick reactions just to change a nappy. I also know that my daughter is far worse at sleeping, and that in a year or two it will all have equalled out!

I love the idea of being in the orchestra and playing the triangle.

Litchick · 09/02/2011 08:44

Same here LQueen. In fact I probably underplay their achievements.

However, another group also make me smile. That's the competitive relaxed mamas. The ones who poo poo homework, extra curricular activities etc as taking away childhood.

They are such fabulous mothers. They just want their children to be happy. They talk up their evenings, as if eating tea and having a chat were of a higher purpose.

They use words like pressure and hothouse. They roll their eyes about other Mothers who are ambitious for their children as if they are sending them down the pit.

GrimmaTheNome · 09/02/2011 08:50

These are the people who write round robins aren't they?

KittaKatta · 09/02/2011 09:02

onceamai OH MY GOD! Shock
I can't believe that someone would think that much less actually say it Shock

Sullwah · 09/02/2011 09:17

At the nursery gate with a random mum I had never met before with a kids in different class ....

"You have twins don't you - how lovely. My two are one year apart - that's much harder than twins.... No really it is"

I just smiled. Cos, you know what - I just don't care. We all just have to do what we have to do and I can't be bothered to compete about who has it hardest.

Yeni · 09/02/2011 09:22

Slightly different, but my DD is quite clumsy in the house and regularly wrecks things. As a result most of my sentences end with "and you simply won't BELIEVE what she did yesterday!". My friend can barely conceal her glee when I describe the latest mishap. Her face lights up, even though she is trying to pull a sympathetic face, and then she scuttles off to tell everybody she meets. Then I hear a wildly exaggerated version of the same story from somebody else a few hours later.

Friend's children have never damaged anything and total strangers stop her on a daily basis to tell her they have never met such well mannered children and how she is doing a fantastic job as a mum Hmm. Good for her, I say Wink

thegreatpudenda · 09/02/2011 09:28

Definitely insecure people who do this - you have to read between the lines. The comment about the child needing too much stimulation to sit in the pushchair can be translated as "I can't go anywhere because my child is a whingeing nightmare" and the comment about doing too many mummy things to look glam can be translated as "I'm jealous because I look like a bag of shit".