Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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:
flyingspaghettimonster · 09/02/2012 03:57

We have a group like this here. It seems silly to me... I am not a very sociable person so don't mind not being included most of the time... what bugs me is that they all seem to like me just fine, invite me for girl's nights and chat on Facebook... their clique is purely based on the fact they live on the same street. I live a block away and apparently that is too far for the block parties, impromptu cocktails on the verandas, several holidays together a year etc.

I have no real problem with that, but I am sad when there is something like a snowman contest and a 'hot chocolate with Baileys house crawl' around their little block, because I feel my kids would love the chance to play in the snow with their buddies, but they make it sound like a private event. Why the need to all advertise on Facebook statuses when they could just nip around to each other's homes...

I stopped going on the girls nights as I got sick of feeling like the hired entertainment. It is funny to see how hard they all struggle to maintain their group now a few have moved. The family that moved a block away still sometimes gets included, the ones in other towns and countries desperately post 'miss you guys, when can we visit?' Type updates and get less and less enthusiastic responses. I guess if you leave the block, you lose your clique rights.

lisylisylou · 09/02/2012 10:53

I like to think of myself as the ram, i stand apart from the herd of sheep.

moonblushtomato · 09/02/2012 11:11

Yourefired I think you should be a counsellor. Some very very wise words thereSmile

I don't like everybody so why should everybody like me? A bit difficult to stomach but very true.

OrmIrian · 09/02/2012 11:21

garlic - agree about being clubbable. I am not. I am friendly and approachable and helpful to people who need it, but I don't care enough to make the huge effort that seems to be required to stay near the top of the charts friendship-wise. Actually maybe I am just lazy . I know lots of people who think I'm 'lovely' (whatever that means) but very few of whom I'd consider friends. Real friends are few and far between but very important.

Mumof1plustwins · 09/02/2012 11:37

Oh no bumped into one of the annoying PTAs in the shop and she stands in my path and starts talking about how she wants to bake a cake for the cake sale or just stick icing on the top... I don't care oh how lovely until her real friends turn up and she starts talking to them so I make my escape.
I really want to tell her to stop kidding herself and trying to be something she's not or failing that leave me alone you stupid old hag-yes I am younger than you - get over it!! Grin

JKSLtd · 09/02/2012 11:43

Some very wise words on here :)

I think some of it is that school life - whether PTA, what the kids are up to, what the teachers are up to - is the centre of their world.
They can't cope with some of us having a life outside of school - whether it's work (not me, but one of the others who I'm most inclined to 'forgive' as she's not part of the in crowd) or other DC that aren't in that school (DS2 goes to an SN sch and tends to shift our focus somewhat!) or something else, it's gets their goat I think.

I'm not that bothered about the ins and outs of what the school is up to, as long as DS1 is happy, learning, says he has friends, the teacher smiles when I ask if he's doing ok, etc. then I'm happy. I couldn't care less about gossiping about the staff or what the Head might be thinking of changing.

But then I'm an ex-teacher myself so hope that makes me a more sympathetic parent.

Thistledew · 09/02/2012 12:13

I haven't read the whole thread so apologies if I have missed anything, but a few things sprung out at me from your post:

  • You mention friend A looking over your shoulder and waving at friend B who you assume they want to talk to more than you. You see it as being replaced in friend A's attention rather than "oh good, here is friend B coming to talk to us ".
  • you talk about friends failing to invite you on nights out, but you do not mention getting involved in the organisation of these nights out yourself.

So there are a couple of things that you could change about yourself which may change how people react to you:

  • If you are with someone and another person joins the group, try not to look at it as losing the attention of one person but gaining the attention of another. Instead of being disappointed that someone else is joining your group - see it as a pleasure as it is increasing the people you have to interact with. If you do feel disappointed and a bit resentful, even if you are trying to hide it, it will show in your body language and may put people off.
  • put in the effort to organise things. If you force yourself into a central role by taking charge of plans- obviously liaising with others in your group, it will mean you naturally become more central to the group.

You do have my sympathy though. I am naturally quite insular and tend to retreat to this when I am stressed or don't have the energy to work at being central to a friendship group. For me, maintaining a position in a group such as you describe does not come particularly naturally and is something I have to work hard at. I do have a few close friends but find a group friendship harder to maintain.

However, there have been two periods in my life when I have worked hard and have been a central part of a group, and I have done so through quite a conscious assessment of how I react to other people in the group and the effort I put in to maintaining it.

Ultimately, you have to find a balance between how you are naturally and how much you are prepared to work at a friendship group- so if you are not naturally inclined to make maintaining a central position in a group a major part of your life, you have to adjust your attitude so you don't expect to be in that position.

Garliccheesechips · 09/02/2012 12:55

There is nothing desirable about being in a big gang that needs to exclude others in order to function. To get past the age of 25 and still need/crave the reassurance of numbers, in my opinion, shows a lacking in your own character.

OP please do not let these people get you down. You can have a group of friends that doesn't get its oxygen by making other people feel shit & you don't want to be part of one that does. Consider their exclusion of you as a blessing.

Some of the posts on here are pathetically nasty by the way. Big house, handsome man? Yeah, it's all relative. There's always Beckingham Palace.

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 09/02/2012 13:29

Am I the only one who looked at Madame's photos after she posted about her husband being handsome and thought "Handsome??!! That!!???" ???

valiumredhead · 09/02/2012 13:30
historyrepeats · 09/02/2012 13:47

Me, me . Grin Oh dear madam you were telling more porkies.

MissMap · 09/02/2012 13:49

Well said "Yourefired".

I too sympathise, and hope it works out.

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 09/02/2012 13:50

I was expecting to click on her photos and see photos of Brad Pitt!

EauDeLaPoisson · 09/02/2012 13:57

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer Thu 09-Feb-12 13:29:24

Am I the only one who looked at Madame's photos after she posted about her husband being handsome and thought "Handsome??!! That!!???" ???

Thats well and truly out of order Hexagonal

CarrieInAnotherTWOBabiTWINS · 09/02/2012 13:57

oh yanbu, don't give them another thought, they are clearly not worth the bother

moonblushtomato · 09/02/2012 13:58

Yourefired what do you mean by "an option, an anecdote and a question?" things you have to say before the school run. I'm intrigued!

EauDeLaPoisson · 09/02/2012 13:59

I notice you yourself dont have any photo's for people to slag off your family judge...

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 09/02/2012 14:01

No but then I don't boast saying I'm married to god's gift to women...

historyrepeats · 09/02/2012 14:02

Excuse me Hex was not being out of order, have you actually read what madam wrote? Hmm I agree with Hex

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 09/02/2012 14:02

Thanks historyrepeats Grin

historyrepeats · 09/02/2012 14:03

And don't think I'm sharing any pictures of my delicious DH with you lot to ogle either! Wink

historyrepeats · 09/02/2012 14:03

Your welcome Hex.Smile

EauDeLaPoisson · 09/02/2012 14:04

She said her husband was handsome- she obviously thinks he is and its downright puerile and lacking in common sense to pour through someones photos and make comments like that. But yeah carry on with the 'she started it' bullshit if it makes you feel any better about such behaviour

historyrepeats · 09/02/2012 14:07

Thats eau, glad you saw sense. Grin

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 09/02/2012 14:10

To be fair, Poisson, Madame was inviting that really by all her brags. I (and undoubtedly many others) upon reading that clicked on her photos to see her wonderful big house in the country and the gorgeous, generous kind and funny man. I think that's what she wanted actually