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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to not give these women any more opportunities to exclude me?

324 replies

MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 10:04

I have namechanged.

At my 8 year old DD's school there is a group of mums, 9 of them. I have known most of them for several years since DD was at nursery with their DC. A couple of them live in the same road as me. The ones that I haven't known since nursery have been added to their group along the way, one knows one of the mums from tennis club and another lives next door to another one. I have always liked them all and got on well with them all, but I always feel they have excluded me a bit.

For example, they will arrange nights out and not invite me, yet invite me to others. Last time I went on a night out with them they were all talking about their previous night out to X restaurant and it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't been invited on that one. I said "Oh, you didn't invite me on that one, girls" and one of them said "oooops probably shouldn't have mentioned that night out". They will invite me if they are having, say, a bodyshop party and want as many attendees as possible, but then other things they exclude me from.

I am probably the closest to one of them who lives a few doors down from me, we text each other occasionally and sometimes meet up for coffee, however for the past few months she has continually said about meeting up and then when I've suggested a day and time she has either been busy or forgotten or cancelled at very short notice. So I have now stopped suggesting meeting up with her, and am leaving the ball in her court.

The other thing they do is if one or two of them talk to me outside the school, they will be very vague with me and keep looking over my shoulder or behind them for other members of their group, and if they see one of them they will start smiling and waving at them and I feel they never listen to what I say, and sometimes are just waiting for me to go so that they can continue their conversation. One morning recently 3 were talking to me, they then all said they had to go, so I went off in my direction and they in theirs. A while later I went out in the car and saw them still talking in a group but they had moved round the corner to the other side of the school where they thought I wouldn't see when I'd gone. this morning two started talking to me and asking me about something that has happened to me recently, and I started talking too and next thing they were both looking over my head waving at someone wildly, totally ignoring what I said so I just said "Oh, bye then" and walked off.

I have decided I am not going to give them any more opportunities to exclude me. I am going to decline all invites out, and will say hello and be polite if I see them but it will be more of a "say hello and carry on walking with the buggy" than a hello and a chat. I am also not going to suggest any meet ups with any of them again. Another one of them and I went to an exercise class together once a week for a while but it dawned on me recently it was me making all the effort and so I stopped contacting her to see what would happen and she hasn't contacted me since. She always says she is busy yet has plenty of time for meet ups with the rest of them, but if I suggested meeting up in the day she would suggest a date in 2 or 3 months time because she's so busy, presumably hoping I would forget.

AIBU to think "stuff the lot of them"? I have other friends at the school, and other friend away from school btw. I don't think its me or anything I do/don't do, I think it's more that I'm not quite good enough for their clique.

OP posts:
JKSLtd · 08/02/2012 21:25

That's my plan. Just goes against my nature, I want to be friends with people, I am naturally quite open and honest but find myself pulling back with this lot.

Sadly DS isn't that friendly with the son of the one nice Mum, sod's law!

JKSLtd · 08/02/2012 21:26

Thanks Historyrepeats :)

MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 21:27

It sounds, JKS, as though there is one ringleader in that group of mums, and none of the others dare cross her. If that wasn't the case you would think that one of the other mums would say "hold on, we need to do a collection for JKS, it isn't fair to not do one for her when we did one for X", but I bet they don't dare cross her.

OP posts:
historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 21:29

I'm the same JKS, I just want to be friends with people really. sadly I learnt from DDs first school that it is probably best to be friendly but not to be friends with other parent's at school. There is a few times that i doubt this choice and think I could see myself being friends but then I cop myself on. Wink

JKSLtd · 08/02/2012 21:30

Momo - you may well be right. There are 2 particular mums in that class that are apparently the school gossips and they have 'taken against' me. I think mostly because I'm not a gossip and once they realised that they mentally crossed me off.

I know, or like to think, that some of the others, who are friendly towards me are 'innocent' in the whole thing but I can't help tar them all with group meanness.

historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 21:31

But they are not innoccent if they go along with it, they are just as bad.

JKSLtd · 08/02/2012 21:33

History - i know! Given that one mum did just go out and get DD a present, surely the others could have done that if they felt strongly enough?

Gah, there is no easy answer. I want to go out on a 'mum's night out' (they do them sometimes) and get pissed and stand on the table and give them all what for Grin but I won't.

btw, are you Irish? I am and rarely hear 'cop on' anymore now i live in the UK.

MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 21:34

I agree with history; the others are just as bad. It's sad that some people are so sheep-like and easily led

OP posts:
historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 21:34

Second generation JKS. Grin I know what you mean, but you know what they aren't worth it fuckers. We should start a support group. Wink

historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 21:36

Funnily enough I often used think baaaaa at my DGs last school.

Whatmeworry · 08/02/2012 21:39

But they are not innoccent if they go along with it, they are just as bad

They are just following orders - they know if they dissent then they are in the firing line.

The best is to just be nowhere near these people, and let them find other victims.

lisylisylou · 08/02/2012 21:39

I had this type of situation and I'd just moved to a whole new part of the country. I was invited along to a mother and toddlers session by a lady along with her friends (clique), I was invited twice and then they blanked me afterwards. Then I set up my own business and sent my kids to a lovely school in the countryside. She was upset that I didn't send my kids to the school down the road like she did and asked what was wrong with the school? I told her nothing and that I just preferred the one in the countryside because me and my hubby fell in love with it. She really got quite funny about it. Then my neighbour had a party and she was invited and she started bitching about the lady (who's a really close friend) I employ part time saying she was a bad mother. I was furious and told her she was out of order and that she was a great mother. However the cliquey lady had also fallen out with another one of her clique and it was quite literally like a bomb exploding! So glad I realised to stay away from them and to be honest I'd rather be spoken about then slag other people off. I just think bugger the lot of them and get on with my own life

pigletmania · 08/02/2012 21:40

Drop them like a hot potato, they sound insincere are rude. why do you want to be friends with people that make you feel bad? Make friends who will be true friends and don't waste more of your time on them.

MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 21:40

I'm all for a support group Grin

OP posts:
JKSLtd · 08/02/2012 21:44

Me too, as long as there's wine and/or cake Grin

MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 21:46

Definitely Grin

OP posts:
historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 21:48

Grin You know what a SG is actually a good idea

God i hate the school run. I love being able to take and pick DGs up but could do with out all the politics. Sad

HE anyone?

historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 21:49

Prehaps we should drink the wine and eat cake before we leave for school run in the morning Grin

JKSLtd · 08/02/2012 21:50
Grin
MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 22:01

Yes wine before 8am is a must!!

OP posts:
charitygirl · 08/02/2012 22:06

Gah - so glad I live in London, and not some ghastly Home Counties village surrounded by noovy naffsters boasting about the size of their houses...

OP - yanbu!

runningwilde · 08/02/2012 22:08

Argh, so this is what I have to look forward to when my dc starts school in sep?! I am definitely staying away from the cliques, there is a little coffee shop on my estate and I already see some mums in there who eye others up and down and seem like total fuckwits!

Jajas · 08/02/2012 22:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Yourefired · 09/02/2012 00:52

Hello, I come late to the debate, but felt need to post as this could have been me a few years ago. I remember the feelings all too well and it took me some time to realise the following. The confusion over me getting on individually with people in the clique and liking them, versus their behaviour as a clique member. From this I learnt that they're not bad people to be feared or railed against. That I wasn't their friend, just a friendly body there for a quick chat and carry on. This was a hard one and it was difficult to understand that people can be super friendly to your face but exclusive behind your back. That I cared far too much about what they thought. Bluntly these people up and down the country are not barack or Dave c. They have no more power over our lives than we give them. And that I had placed myself, albeit unwittingly, as target by stupidly believing they did.

I think it's probably difficult for people who are resilient to this to understand the hurt it causes, and hence the earlier somewhat dismissive posts. So the answer ( I found) is to take a leaf out of their book. Become resilient. In philosophical terms this means, being realistic ( and I must say some of the blunter posters have laid this on the line all too well, which may not be a bad thing). Work on, as an early poster said, whether you like these people, rather than if they like you. There will be something on ego-strengths on the web and this may help ( sorry very mentally ill brother so you learn the lingo).

So that's the deep bit. In terms of what to do day to day the worst thing you can do is be all fuck you about the situation. Always be polite, but minimise your contact. It's simply not good for you, so retreat a bit at the moment. Keep it perspective and think of three good things to say before school run, if you can be bothered. An option, an anecdote, and a question works well. This should get you through. Don't take it personally. Bad things happen to good people ever day. I think of eddie izzard: my mum died when I was six. Shit happens. I said why shit why did you do this. Shit said I just happen. That's what I do.

Hope it all works out.

garlicfrother · 09/02/2012 01:44

There used to be a word, "clubbable". It's an incredibly useful thing to be but, unfortunately, I'm not. Despite having had a long, successful career in an industry that lives and dies by socialising, and nearly all my good friends being clubbable, I either haven't got it or don't care enough - I think it's a bit of both, actually.

My Most Divine Friend charms the boots off everyone she meets, always knows the right thing to talk about, and has dozens of brilliant accomplishments. Doing the 'right' thing is like breathing to her. Her parents were also charmingly clubbable: while I love people and am considered good company, my parents were suspicious of groups and made a big deal out of being 'different'. So I guess their attitude rubbed off on me more than I'd like.

I've got to say, though I understand exactly what Divine Friend does - she's perfectly happy to talk about it and even advise when asked - I just can't bring myself to feel bothered enough about it all. I was going to add that I don't have half her accomplishments, either ... but she hides them within certain groups, so it's not really about that. It's simply a matter of how much you can be bothered with social lubrication. Me, maybe 55%. DF, probably 90%. Just the way it goes