To wonder why acquaintance states that she is a parent whenever she expresses an opinion?

[DaisyLovesMetronidazole]

I met a friend of a friend at a gathering the other day.

As background, she is a full time teacher with three children between the ages of 5 and 10.

Throughout the evening, she expressed quite a few opinions. Most had nothing to do with childrearing at all. However, she began most of these with "as a parent".

Just to clarify, I was not bothered or upset by this. I also did not feel comfortable enough to enquire as to why she would do it.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Odd. Maybe that's just how she begins every sentence.

Perhaps...

I was about to say that she might be making a distinction between her roles as parent and teacher; lots of teacher/parents I know do this, and I do myself.

On the other hand if she starts most of her opinions with this phrase, she might be a tad pompous. Goes with the territory for teachers, you know, loud voice, opinionated ( the latter is me to a T):o

I know someone who does this. Sometimes she goes off script and says, 'before I was a parent...' although says quite a lot, 'as a parent,' 'as a parent of girls,' etc

It's weird. She may not realize she's doing it. Maybe an explanation could be that, 'as a teacher' she's used to repeating herself over and over?

Maybe if you see her again, you could ask her, 'do you have children?'

Well, making the distinction would make sense, but it wasn't a gathering of teachers. I'm not a teacher myself. It is a possibility.

She seemed otherwise lovely, though, so not holding it against her.

that bit about teachers being pompous and loud voice made me laugh my sister is a primaryschool teacher and she corrects everyones grammer and speaks to everybody as though theyare six she has two boys too actually i love her dearly but can she be tad bit pompous at times

Sounds like a teacher to me, who is used to holding forth but tempers it in a social situation by qualifying what she is saying. A bit like saying 'imo' to soften a strong pov.

Hmm, I once encountered a woman (online) who said that "as a mother, I feel.... [blah de blah]" and then went on to suggest that if I, "as a mother" didn't agree, I was plainly A Bad Mother. She was a twat, though.

OldLadyKnowsNothing, was it on MN?

I think that the "as a mother..." prefix to outrageous opinions is parodied on some american show. But one of friends irritates my other (childless) friends with the "you wouldn't understand as you're not a parent". I am now allowed an opinion "as a mother"

LOL I thinks it rather pompous like a way to try and back up you're opinion

frgr, astoundingly, no, it wasn't...

Because obviously the fact you have a fully operational uterus and someone with a sausage squirter makes your opinon worth quadruple anyone elses.

I always find it's being used as the trump card when someone's losing an argument - they break out the reproductive organs.

Reminds me of the very thinly disguised Sharon Osbourne-esqe character in Ben Elton's novel based on Pop Idol type shows! Can't remember the name of it, maybe it was actually called Pop Idol?

It's like the girls I went to school with who were convinced they got extra marks in GCSE RE by prefixing every statement with "as a Christian I believe..."

@ some of those bran !

I used to have a colleague who was like this. Obsessed with her "mother" status and everything seemed guided by it.

On a night out with her and other colleagues, after having drinks a young women we didn't known was completely and utterly drunk to the extent that she could barely walk outside the wine bar.

She had been drinking like a fish all night and had been very loud and rowdy. She was about 26-27.

We wondered whether she'd be able to get home or not and one of us said that at her age, on her own head be it if she must get herself into that state. Mum colleague was incensed and said that "as a mother" she feels an urge to look after people. FFS at 26 you don't need mothering.

Colleague was like this with everything. Obsessed with her motherdom.