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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To sometimes feel embarrassed for other people?

82 replies

TeapotsInJune · 31/08/2012 18:29

The gravy covered boon thread inspired this!

I was in Ikea once in the cafe and a lady loaded a tray with food for her and her DCs and (I presume DH.) she turned away with the tray loaded with food and promptly tripped over one of her very young DCs, the tray flew out of hands and the plates, drinks, everything shattered and left such a mess. Crowded restaurant and everyone stopped talking and stared! Poor woman!

Has anyone else ever cringed on another's behalf?

OP posts:

Anonymumous · 31/08/2012 21:50

I was at a soft play centre and a little girl was sitting at the top of the toddler slide when she suddenly realised that she needed the loo. There was a veritable waterfall gushing down the slide and into all the nooks and crannies. The little girl screamed blue murder (no chance of anyone missing what was going on) and her mother was absolutely mortified, desperately trying to apologise to the staff and everyone else whilst sorting out her daughter. I felt so sorry for that poor woman. So much so that I wouldn't let my son go to a soft play centre without a nappy on until he'd been dry for a full six months!

PatFenis · 31/08/2012 22:00

I used to work in a vintage clothes shop, we used to hire out dinner suits and ballgowns to students for their end of term balls etc.

This young man came in one day and asked to be measured for a dinner suit, I found one to fit him and ushered him to the fitting room which was in the main body of the shop and was really nothing more than a curtain on a metal frame. I went back to the counter and was busying myself alongside some colleagues when we heard a bit of a crash bang and the young lad came flying backwards through the curtain in his underpants with one leg in the trousers he was attempting to try on. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life - poor bloke was mortified

YouOldSlag · 31/08/2012 22:03

I have just laughed til my sides hurt at this thread. DH gave me an odd look but I had to run to the toilet with my legs together before I had an accident. Haven't laughed that hard in a long long time.

BrevilleTron · 31/08/2012 22:10

At my wedding I threw my bouquet actually hoofed it backwards really good throw my mate went for it
Tripped
Fell
Faceplanted the grass dress flew up over head revealing Bridget Jones Knickers in the more stylish black thankfully not the Grandmother Beige

She made the wedding!

OAM2009 · 31/08/2012 22:34

OMG, am crying

Sadly, I have only ever embarrassed myself. I was walking thru the St Davids Centre in Cardiff, after having quickly visited the loo, when a kind lady came up and told me I'd tucked my skirt into my jacket and was showing everyone my unimpressive knickers. Thanks love x

UhOhChongo · 31/08/2012 22:42

Visited Southend recently where they've installed some new-fangled loos along the front. Went in one, got all confuddled with the technology and managed not to lock the door. Cue young man opening door, cue me, knickers round knees, toilet paper in hand.

Hard to know who was more horrified/embarrassed.

Serenitysutton · 31/08/2012 22:48

Fuckwittery I'm in pain from laughing so hard at train story. I ache

Goldensunnydays81 · 31/08/2012 22:56

Fuckwittery I was crying with laughing at your train story thank you brightened up my night.

wannabedomesticgoddess · 31/08/2012 23:06

:o :o at the "chasing her as I had safety pins"

I was once in a parked car and happened to look up just as a woman got out of her car, locked it, walked five paces and then tripped right over the kerb.

She jumped right back up, did a meercat glance around to see who saw, brushed herself off and then gave the offending kerb the death stare before scurrying away.

I couldnt help but :o

Oinkypig · 31/08/2012 23:23

I was on a post a-level city break and was sat beside the river in a kind of square/gathering place area with benches and no barrier to the tidal river. It was a lovely sunny day and there some youths about14/15 skateboarding. One of them tried to show off doing a jump thing and failed, the skateboard rolled toward the edge of the river and he chased it. At the very moment it was about to fall in the muddy shallow river he grabbed it... and toppled in after. He was fine and luckily there were some steps for him to climb up, very muddy. I still chuckle 10 years later.

FriedEggsAndHam · 31/08/2012 23:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MadamFolly · 31/08/2012 23:35

Fuckwittery I am crying :o

LegArmpits · 31/08/2012 23:36

Oh dear God Fuckwittery bless you, I am going to wake up the household in a minute. I quite literally can't stop laughing. That proper silent, crying, stuffing fist in mouth thing.

somedayma · 31/08/2012 23:46

I was at the cinema with a friend once to see a screening of Birth of a Nation, which is a MILLION years long. Suddenly he leaps forward, claps his hands really loudly and shouts "woooooow". Turns out he'd fallen asleep and dreamt he was driving and had fallen asleep at the wheel. It was genuinely the funniest thing I've ever witnessed, I had to leave the cinema and wasn't able to go back in cos I couldn't stop laughing. He was mortified

aJumpedUpPantryBoy · 31/08/2012 23:48

This was me, but I know my sister was mortified.

We were walking by the Themes in London. I am a country girl and get very stressed in the city.

Suddenly I heard what I thought was an imminent plane crash (loud whooshing noise in the sky) I grabbed her and shrieked "get down" while flinging myself on the floor.

It was the Red Arrows doing a fly-past down the river.

Two young boys near us were weeping with laughter.

WorraLiberty · 31/08/2012 23:50

fuckwittery that's one of the funniest things I've read in ages

anonacfr · 31/08/2012 23:51

Another one crying at Fuckwittery's story.

Speaking of trendy below bum trousers I remember years ago I was on a skiing holiday. An annoying snowboarder was on the slope in front of me sitting on the snow. He got up and 'accidentally' cut me off as I was about to ski past him (I suspect it was actually a bizarre snowboarding pickup move).
Next thing you know his trousers fell down his ankles and he dove nose first in the snow with his skinny arse sticking up in the air.
I don't think I've laughed so loudly in my life. And I made sure to shower him with snow as I went past.

somedayma · 31/08/2012 23:51

also: a man walking beside me on the street tripped on a paving stone and fell. his automatic reaction to this was to do 3 push ups, jump up, clap his hands once and walk on as if nothing had happened. amazing!

poorbuthappy · 01/09/2012 00:05

I fell off a child's roundabout at the park today.
It was one of those evil circle things which you straddle. My girls had been hanging on for ages so I thought I could join in the fun.
I sat on it, dh started to push it and I realised within a nano second that I was going to fall back wards and roll off, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Apparently it was the funniest thing ever according to my family who I'm sure should love me.
Actually it was damn funny and I was crying with laughter by the time I hit the ground. I think it was the knowledge that it was going to happen and I couldn't stop it!
I hope I cheered everyone else up.

TheTermagantToaster · 01/09/2012 00:10

I dialled into a phone conference recently. We had been given strict instructions to mute our phones after we were connected to prevent interference (lots of people on the call).

As each person dialled in their name was announced and they were greeted by the organiser. The absolute highlight of the call went:

[announcement]: 'John smith has joined the conference'
[organiser]: 'Hi John'
[john]: 'Hi'

[organiser]: 'Er, folks, can I remind you to mute please...'

piprabbit · 01/09/2012 00:17

Threads like this are rather painful to read, so I've skimmed the worst of the stories.

I get hugely embarrassed on other people's behalf, normally when they couldn't give a monkey's themselves.

There's an awful lot of comedy on TV that is unbearable to watch (anything with Ricky Gervais or of the "You've been framed" variety - and that's just for starters). Basically if it involves laughing at somebody's discomfort, I have to leave the room because it makes me feel so horribly embarrassed.

fuckwittery · 01/09/2012 00:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

spiderlight · 01/09/2012 00:26

Oh God, I so needed this thread tonight!!

I still laugh when I remember getting off a bus with my friend when we were about 16 and trying to be oh so cool and she took about two steps and randomly fell over onto her knees in the street. She was laughing too much to get up and I was laughing too much to help her, so we were stuck there for ages. Same friend spectacularly wet herself aged about 13 when we'd managed to get ourselves locked out of both our houses and she was scared to go into the outside loo in my parents' garden in case there were spiders in there.

WorraLiberty · 01/09/2012 00:34

My DH got a lift home from work late one night and his colleague wanted to stop off at McDonalds.

The drive-through queue was so big that DH offered to jump out of the car and run in to get the food for them.

Anyway, there was torrential rain and my DH is blind as a bat without his glasses...so he ran out of McDonalds, jumped into the car with the food and said, "Ok lets get out of here quick."

When there was no reply, he looked up with a mouth full of fries to see a lone woman in the driver's seat looking fucking petrified...I mean silent with shock and her mouth wide open

She screamed and he screamed even louder...then he said "Sorry wrong car!!"...and ran out as quickly as he could to his collegue's car which was parked in a waiting bay

He came home racked with guilt and said he felt so bad for the poor woman who was rooted to the spot with fear

I felt dreadful for her too because I would have shit myself but I still couldn't stop laughing when he told me

NasalCrayon · 01/09/2012 00:41

I am dying laughing at this thread!

I was at a buffet type restaurant with DH many years ago, I was vegetarian and DH wasn't, and he was very precious about making sure I had the right food as if it was a deathly allergy.

We both chose what I thought was a tomatoey pasta. DH realises it's got mince in, stands up in a panic and shouts NO! THIS IS BOLOGNESE! at me with terror in his eyes. Restaurant goes silent and everyone stares at him while I roll around on my seat clutching my sides laughing. It was the way he shot out of his seat that made me laugh so hard.

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