Tight Wad friend and Street Party dilemma - quick advice please, have to go soon!!

[VonHerrBurton]

Local-ish street party starting in about half an hour. All lovely stuff planned for dc all around same age (8 9 10 11) Next door neighbour and I with our dc who are good friends, planned a couple of weeks ago to attend, my dh is at work all day as is her dp. Or so I thought. She rocked up about 20 mins ago, said she fancied some kid free time with dp who is off, dumped her 2 (excited beyond belief) dc with me and legged it.

We have to take our own food, drink, seats etc, I was just planning on nipping to Tesco then going straight there with my one dc (street party not actually on our street, a mile or so away) So now they've disappeared and I am ROYALLY pissed off. I'm guess I'm going on my fucking own with 3 kids and now I'm expected to feed and water them. I asked her about food when we spoke about it a couple weeks ago and she seemed a bit miffed that we 'had' to take stuff, she's the type who'd bring a bottle of cheapo wine and drink all the Chablis at parties.

I have to take them and cater for them, don't I? WWYD?

Come back and tell us what she says ...

She back yet??

I LOVE the 'hide the kids' plan

This is an assertiveness issue, I reckon

You didn't want this to happen, you are inwardly seething, but you allowed it to happen. Yes your neighbour is being a PITA, but you had the option to refuse. I think you need to say something when it comes to pickup time.

Where was the option to refuse? The OP was supposed to be going with the mother and the kids, not just the kids. It seems like she was just presented with the kids and the mother buggered off. Difficult to think how to react when put on the spot like that.

it is hard, but you must say something otherwise she'll take it as a green light to do it again.

good luck.

I think you should send Dontmindifido's text - this 'friend's' behaviour is unacceptable, and she needs telling!

If you don't pull her up then she will pull this stunt again.

Have you rung / text her OP?

Dontminds text is perfect - conveys how you we feel

Am so on your behalf

Could you perhaps shave the children? And maybe draw on facial hair with permanent marker?

Draw angry eyebrows on the kids with permanent marker. Seriously though, let her know that she was out of order, otherwise she will do it again.

I'd have text the mum I was going to leave the kids at a local police station and tell them they were abandoned unless she came for them in 10minutes.

worra - i have had xactly the same - and i'm no pushover! My neightbour and i would take turns looking after our pre-schoolers, while we went to the infants school assembly/nativity plays etc. on a few occasions neighbour would be 45mins late picking up, once i saw her running up the road laden with Iceland bags - she'd obvoiusly taken the opportunity to do a bit of shoppping child-free, even knowing I had somewhere else to be.

But as i needed reciprocal childminding, what can you do?

Sorry captain but you said it happened on a 'few occasions'?

It would have happened once only to me if she'd gone off shopping and not phoned or sent me a text...especially if she knew I had somewhere else to be.

Tell her you made some lovely new friends at the party, and that she's sacked.

Oh i NEED to know how this went down.....

Ha ha, pretend you left the kids at street party AND pm her mobile to everyone on this thread to text randomly!!

Oh go on, me and imogengladheart so want to see this happen

Come on OP surely you haven't still got her children??

I have free texts.

I guess that a different way to approach it would be to disappear for a bit: turn off your phone, take the kids to the cinema, fill them full of sweets and coke and then drop them off home at about midnight, full of beans.

She might not consider you suitable to dump them on look after them again.

:o

How did it go Op? Did you speak to her?

Update?

You HAVE to hide the kids or YABU

dontmindifIdo's text is just perfect, you really need to send her this, and you need to tell us what has happened

We need an update!