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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feel sorry for the children of these women?

127 replies

featherbag · 13/03/2012 16:23

Before I start, I know I'm going to get flamed for having my judgypants hoiked up so high they're in danger of choking me, but I just can't help it!

I got on the bus with baby DS - a couple of mahogany women were sitting in the seats in the buggy area, and as the other one was full I had to stand. That's fine, although the rest of the bus was empty and they had no buggy, I know I have no god-given right to sit there, but I wanted to explain how I came to overhear their conversation.

They were on their way to collect their children from the primary school near my house. They were trying out their excuses to the teachers for being late on each other, trying to come up with something believable and not the truth, which was that they'd been 'on the lash' since 10am, and were now shit-faced. They'd gotten the money for this escapade by flogging an iPhone 4S that one of them had stolen the night before. She'd only gotten £140 for it as the local CEX wouldn't take it without ID and she didn't want a criminal record when it was revealed as stolen. The other one said she wished she'd known as she already had a 'long as fuck' record and didn't care about adding to it. She'd sold 2 stolen blackberries last week, which paid for her weekend.

The school called one of them while they were still on the bus - she calmly told them that she'd been to the hospital and had waited ages past her appointment time, and not to ring Kai's mum as she was with her, having accompanied her for moral support. They then decided they'd have to stop at a shop on the way to the school for mints as 'that stupid bitch doesn't let you take the kids if you're pissed'. Kai and his classmate are being dumped on unsuspecting grandparents tonight who will be told mummy is poorly - well, now that they've got a drink in them they're in the mood for getting 'properly hammered', aren't they, and SS get the arse if they find out you've left the kids in on their own?!

OP posts:
thebody · 13/03/2012 17:26

What makes me laugh is how many posters immediately jumped on the word mahogany as a reference as possibly racist!!! Seriously watch towie a bit more and read less guardian!!! Ha ha!

Op I guess they may have been showing off but if not then very sad for Kai and Tulsa...

Birdsgottafly · 13/03/2012 17:29

I find it really hard to believe anyone would talk SO openly about thieving on the bus, TBH.

Try stepping out of your ivory towers once in a while and you will hear conversations such as these, regulary, on certain routes.

The grandparents are enabling the behaviour and more than likely colluding to keep the truth from the authorities.

Lots of children are brought up (loosely speaking) in homes such as these, mind you gives MN something to laugh about when they do watch JK, lets hope the oral hygeine isn't up to much, either, bad teeth always add extra comedy value.

Roseformeplease · 13/03/2012 17:30

Once saw women of mahogany tango fake tan on telly. Child with me loudly said, "look, an oompa loompa." You have got to love children.

Pandemoniaa · 13/03/2012 17:31

I thank yew, anothersplace.

DarrowbyEightFive · 13/03/2012 17:34

I can well believe it. Some people are so stupid it wouldn't occur to them that they could be sitting next to an off-duty police officer on the bus. We once spent a very frustrating night at a campsite failing to sleep because our next-door neighbours were having a loud and drunken competitive 'best ways to fiddle the dole' conversation.

Disclaimer: I absolutely don't believe the Daily Mail guff about hordes of benefit claimants on the fiddle. I'm not even sure I believed everything this lot said, but they were so proud of what they claimed to have got away with. It was tragic really.

Agincourt · 13/03/2012 17:36

when i was at work last weekend someone said to their child

'i am fucking sick of you, why do you have to act like retard all the time? are you a fucking retard???'

and i was just so aghast and I aint posh me love:(

I do think there is section of society that has not been taught how to
behave me dear

i don't think having a fake tan makes you a criminal, mind :o nor does catching the bus

ChaosTrulyReigns · 13/03/2012 17:37

I'd like to hear the stuff that you didn't add to the OP if I may please, featherbag.

Smile
Original poster
featherbag · 13/03/2012 17:39

Wouldn't bloody dare Chaos, I'd probably have a load of Boden-clad middle class mums standing on my lawn chanting 'Troll! Troll! Troll!' by midnight!

OP posts:
ChaosTrulyReigns · 13/03/2012 17:44

I'm sure they wouldn't. Smile

OhChristFENTON · 13/03/2012 17:45

I was walking through the covered arcade in our town today and a toddler was shouting 'pow, pow, pow' the whole length of the walk, because the acoustics are irresistible in there ( I used to do similar as a child in that very place ). It made me smile, he was a little cutey and it reminded me of my youf, until his mother shouted at him (remember the acoustics) 'fakkin' shu-Up will ya, I've fakkin' 'ad eenaff'

Poor little fella Sad

welliesandpyjamas · 13/03/2012 17:46

No reason why it wouldn't be real. It's shocking and horrible but no reason it should be made up.

Heard two teenage girls waffling and swearing for ages recently in a small busy post office about all the people they'd beaten up, all the drink and drugs they'd had, all about their time inside. Bragging and daring anyone to confront them or tell the to shut the F up Sad but true.

Agincourt · 13/03/2012 17:48

god i sound like my gran on this thread,sorry

TheProvincialLady · 13/03/2012 18:03

I was in the lift at TK Maxx when two women with babies had a very frank discussion about the stuff they were planning to nick and how they needed to sell the hundreds of pounds worth of stuff they had stolen from John Lewis quickly as no one would want it after Christmas. You don't even need to catch a bus to hear this kind of thing...and even shopping at JL is no protection, clearly.

francis1978 · 13/03/2012 18:04

Hi,
I do believe you heard this conversation, but I also believe that they were exaggerating, people do this on buses where they know people can hear.
It's because they have naff-all else to do and think it's funny, it makes them look like they have interesting lives, but they don't. Just laugh it off as ridiculous.

Groovee · 13/03/2012 18:20

Oh god... we had mums like this who kept getting hammered and turning up pissed to school. One got arrested for drink driving and social services were called cause one was too drunk and the teacher didn't want to hand the child over especially when she was 45 minutes late!

SnapesMistress · 13/03/2012 18:29

I also want to hear what the OP left out, I won't call troll I promise!

Eglu · 13/03/2012 18:43

I think I would have called the school too.

Also very nosy amd wanting to know the rest of the conversation.

It does astonish me that people can be so blatant in having conversations about criminal activities. Particularly the one in the lift, where clearly people are able to hear your every word.

TheCrackFox · 13/03/2012 18:44

I have heard worse on the bus:

Discussing the finer points of dog fighting
Someone shouting to his mates that he had just been to court and got away with a £300 fine
Overheard a phone call where every 2nd word was"fanny, cunt, fuck" for the entire 20 minute phone call.
A man, in the middle of the day, taking a huge piss in the middle of the bus
Various children being called "bastard", "fuckers" and "arseholes".

I just love public transport. Not.

(if they were pissed I'm sure the teacher would smell it)

DesperatelySeekingSedatives · 13/03/2012 18:46

I can totally believe this. From the conversation about thieving, the drinking all day long and the shade of fake tan. There are some shite parents out there.

A woman my sister knew used to regularly either not feed her DD any tea or only give her pot noodle so she'd have more time to get ready for her night out. She'd then be too hungover the next day to get her DD any breakfast or put a clean nappy on her. Angry

She used to nick stuff to pay for her nights out too. Everyone knew to never let her borrow their phone, even for a minute coz you'd never see it again.

CremeEggThief · 13/03/2012 18:47

I have lived in Ireland, London, Bristol and Durham and sadly, I have heard several conversations similar to this on buses in all those places, so I find it strange a few people refused to believe the OP. I don't think some of the people involved have any sense of right and wrong, so it's not even a question of shame for some of them. They are just talking about their life events in the same way some of us might talk about our jobs or friends weddings. Others like to exaggerate and derive some satisfaction from scaring strangers with their lurid tales.
I suppose at least the women involved had the sense not to leave their children alone when they go out drinking tonight , although this doesn't excuse their behaviour.

hackmum · 13/03/2012 18:52

I would certainly contact the school, for the sake of the children.

DebbieD78 · 13/03/2012 18:55

I hear stuff like this all the time and it sickens me.

MissBetsyTrotwood · 13/03/2012 19:03

I could believe this story, given some of the parents at our school. And FWIW I saw Michael Winner on the beach in Barbados once. 'Mahogany' fits the bill pretty exactly.

MamaMary · 13/03/2012 19:10

I think you need to contact the school and SS.

morethanpotatoprints · 13/03/2012 19:10

Unfortunately there are a few of these in most nurseries, school and after school facilities. Our children are faced by them repeating their parents exploits.