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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:
Portofino · 08/02/2012 20:06

MadameCastafiore - I am especially shocked at you! Your post was extremely unpleasant and you sound right up yourself!

nenevomito · 08/02/2012 20:07

Oh she lives in a house, very big house in the country
Hangs around at school gates with her popular mates in the country

Sorry, just channelling Blur there.

MC - you do know you've just come across as rather unpleasant don't you? It can be difficult to notice if you're not very self aware.

MardyBra · 08/02/2012 20:09

Also Shock here.

MissAnnersley · 08/02/2012 20:10

MadameC - I am more than a bit Shock at your posts. Do you honestly think about yourself in those terms?

Because seriously it does not sound good when written down.

MardyBra · 08/02/2012 20:13

"I have a wonderful life, two wonderful kids, a really great husband who is bloody successful, kind, gentle, funny and handsome to boot and have loads of friends at the school gates. A fulfilling job, public sector so shit pay but I like it and don't actually have to go to work and I live in a very big house in the country - soon to be an even bigger house in the country - so no my life is great thank you."

Waiting for the "BUT..."

HurricaneBawbag · 08/02/2012 20:13

Kids are about 8 and you have known the mums since kids were at nursery, I would not have let this go on for 4 years so it does bother you! clearly!

Portofino · 08/02/2012 20:20

Dd has been in school for 6 years nearly. I say hello to other parents when I see them, some of them I am on kissing terms with. When it is parent's evening, I chat to them. Otherwise - I have MY friends, I don't feel obliged to be friends with dd's friends parents. We organise parties and play dates at the weekend. We will maybe have a coffee/wine upon collection and chat for 20 mins. That's that. In my case the language thing gets in the way maybe. That is different from being excluded in the way the OP describes though.

HurricaneBawbag · 08/02/2012 20:27

I'm not so sure Porto. I have relationship with mums at school much like you describe, I have also been for dinner and to a couple of big birthdays with a few of them. I am positive there are other social events happening that I am not invited to but I don't let it bother me! Just like I do things and don't invite them...

historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 20:34

"History no bun fight can't be arsed. Going out with my friendsclique later & bitching about some of the MNers who've not left school behind"

Grin You sound a right laugh. I wish you were my pal Hmm

historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 20:37

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historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 20:38

OP just remember what comes around, goes around. Sit and wait. Smile

runningwilde · 08/02/2012 20:38

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runningwilde · 08/02/2012 20:40

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historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 20:41

I thought you knew something we didn't running Grin We all knew the tit bit. Wink

bibbitybobbityhat · 08/02/2012 20:49

Ahh be fair MmeCastafiore, all of Mumsnet has been treated to images of your fabulous house and fabulous-house-to-be in the country. Its not quite the usual thing to require that level of attention when house selling/buying.

Op, I agree completely with the poster much further down the thread who said why would you want to be part of this clique anyway? Its what I say to my 11 year old dd when some girls are being a bit nasty in the playground ... turn your back on them - if you are in with their crowd then you are behaving just as poorly as they are, and that is never going to make you feel good.

ReduceRecycleRegift · 08/02/2012 20:51

YANBU to avoid, but I don't like the ALWAYS include EVERYONE thing either. I used to be friends with someone in a wider group who would ring round the whole aquaintance group and set up a FB event for ever quiet cup of coffee with 2 or 3 people.

There are times when its nice to go out with a wide group, and other times when you just want to go for a curry and some wine with your actual friends and talk about stuff you don't want to braodcast to every aquaintance.

So OP YANBU but I'm not convinced that the other women are the cast of some bad american clique movie either! It is impossible IMO to be equal friends with everyone in a wide group, I personally cope better in smaller groups or 1:1. And I find it a bit needy and clingey and VERY off putting if an adult gets the hump if they hear you did something without them, the OPs response to the "girls" about not being invited would put me right off a friendship with her, I like to meet people because we want to, not because someone feels entitled!

LydiaWickham · 08/02/2012 20:51

I think there does seem to be an odd thing round motherhood that you are lead to believe that you should be friends and get on really well with other woman who's only connection to you is they got pregnant at a roughly similar time and live relatively close to you.

ReduceRecycleRegift · 08/02/2012 20:54

I never comment on not being invited when mutual friends go out together, just as I do not expect to HAVE to have a big "do" every time I really just want a quiet drink with one or two of them after a shite day/week, sometimes we meet up in a big group, sometimes a small one, sometimes 1:1. Give people some space and they'll want to share yours a bit more!

MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 20:55

I don't think it's needy and clingy, Reduce. It's not a nice feeling to be on a night out and realise that everyone else went on the last one but you weren't invited even though you have been invited to others in the past. It's all or nothing really, I don't see why they invite me on some and not others, yet every other person in the group on the others. It seems rude, unkind and cliquey to me, not needy and clingy on my part. Can't really see the issue in me raising it with them either; if I had said I silently fumed about it, some on here would say I should have said something and said how I felt.

OP posts:
moonblushtomato · 08/02/2012 20:57

LadyWickham that is sooo true!! And when the chat about nappies, weaning and teething runs out, what are you left with?!

I read on another thread that "A school is just another establishment, I wouldn't expect to be friends with the other people who frequent my bank". Very wise words I thought.

ReduceRecycleRegift · 08/02/2012 20:58

because some nights are a "school mums night out" which includes everyone, and other times are just friends going out together, that they happen to have made friends through being school mums doesn't mean they cant sometimes just catch up with just their FRIENDS without aquaintances present.

MomoandTeddington · 08/02/2012 20:59

So all 9 go out together all the time and sometimes invite one acquaintance, ie me? It's not a case of it being a school mums night out or else they would invite other acquaintances, surely? It's a case of "Lets not invite Momo on this one" It's either those 9 on a night out or those 9 + me. There is never anyone else invited.

OP posts:
historyrepeats · 08/02/2012 21:00

I totally get why you are upset OP. I personally don't want to be friends with anyone school, nice to go for a coffee wine but can't be arsed with all the politics that goes with it and I don't do cliques

Also think cliques are different to group of friends. they are a witches coven

ReduceRecycleRegift · 08/02/2012 21:01

I have been in a group which included some of my best lifelong friends, and some other people who I only had in my life because we were all XYZ mums. We would have XYZ mums nights out/in but also why shouldn't I just spend time with my actual friends as well? noone was excluded from XYZ nights.

ReduceRecycleRegift · 08/02/2012 21:03

oh I don't know maybe they enjoyed your company a bit but then got fed up with not being able to mention anything else the did without "hmmm I didn't know about THAT"

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