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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:

LaurieFairyCake · 01/09/2012 00:49

I fell over in the street - proper fall done, got up quick and checked no one saw me. No one around so decided to shake my fist at the slab in the manner of Basil Fawlty saying sternly:

"right, you're going to get it now you bastard". So I jumped up and down on the slab.

Of course there was a group of people in the car opposite howling with laughter

TheDreadedFoosa · 01/09/2012 01:00

Fab thread!

I was about 14, walking to school one moring on a road that ran along the bottom of a very steep hill. I was eyeing this young guy who was jogging down the hill (i saw him jogging fairly often and quite fancied him). I did think he was hurtling down the hill rather fast then suddenly he just flew forwrds and skidded head first down the last few metres of the hill.

He stopped, lying on his side, about 5 foot in front of me and his trackie bottoms and pants had got dragged down near his knees and his gentlemans agreements were lolling against his hip.

It all happened very quickly but my memory of it is slow-mo, he scooped up his cock and balls in his hands, tucked his head into his chest and slowly curled up into the feotal position.

Poor lad

Mummy2LZ · 01/09/2012 01:01

Years ago when I first traveled to Oz my boyfriend (Now husband) was showing me around a very posh area on the Gold Coast.
It is a shopping area based around the outside of a marina so lots of big yachts surrounded by restaurants and expensive designer shops.
Anyway it was a sunny day and I had my sunglasses on and he was showing me all the boats.
There was a tap running so he stopped to turn it off and I carried on walking, the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see very well and I ended up walking straight of the end of the jetty into the water.
It was very deep and I went right under without touching the bottom. All I could think of was Sharks!!!
When I emerged coughing and spluttering dh did have the decency to pull me out before laughing. My sunnies were still in place and I was streaming with water and had to squelch my way through the shopping centre looking like something from the swamp.
It was very funny but I was so embarrassed as loads of people saw what had happened.
We still laugh to this day.

GroupieGirl · 01/09/2012 01:02

Brilliant Worra!

Chris The same thing happened to me! Very pregnant, wedged between two cars (apparently I'd forgotten I was twice as wide as before), I nearly took someone's bloody wing mirror off!

But the best one I've ever heard was a mum and young son in a toilet cubicle:
son Mummy, what's that?!
mum [quiet voice] That's my bottom.
son [horror struck] What...ALL of it?!?!

AbbyRue · 01/09/2012 01:52

Dying of laughter here!!

DD5 ran to lock the door when she heard the sound of thunder a few weeks ago. I was such an awful mum I laughed so hard

Oldanglia · 01/09/2012 08:06

Have nc for this as my sister will recognise this story - mum and a friend were taking 4 of us home from Sunday school ( think 25 years ago when there were no car seats and no one used seatbelts ) we walked to our car mum unlocked it and we all clambered in chatting away.

Mum was just about to start the engine when my sister asked whose the lovely cushion was - cue horror as we all turned to look at beautifully embroidered pillow and matching rug over back seat - and realised it was not in fact our car at all - ours was 3 cars down - same make, model and colour.

Mum was but we all thought it was hilarious as we all got out (mum locked other car again !) and got into the right one !

NellyBluth · 01/09/2012 08:17

Oh, Worra, that poor woman! Bloody hilarious, though...

googleberry · 01/09/2012 08:33

On holiday with my hubby, everyone was relaxing by the pool the suddenly a sun lounger just completely folded in half with the the little japense lady still inside, I nearly wet myself laughing, after you could see everyone discreetly trying to check their loungers. She was fine btw!

LadyHortensiaBloom · 01/09/2012 09:00

At university watching dh and his mates playing cricket in the park outside my room (I was several floors up so couldn't hear anything).
One of dh's friend who is not known for his athletic prowess was fielding. Someone hit the ball miles, this guy was near where it was going to land but was running backwards trying to get in the right place. He didn't see he had reached the hedge boundary and just disappeared straight over it.
From where I was I could see, not one of them went to check on him because they were all wetting themselves laughing. By the time he sheepishly reappeared a couple of them were actually on the ground howling.

BlackholesAndRevelations · 01/09/2012 09:26

GroupieGirl- LOVE IT!

mrswishywashy1 · 01/09/2012 09:41

I had got a taxi to work one morning and needed to stop at a shop on the way. Taking ages in the shop to get served and I was panicking because we all know how grumpy taxi drivers can be about waiting
So I ran out of the shop jumped into the taxi and was giving off about how slow they were in the shop when I looked at the driver and it wasn't the same one that had picked me up
The taxi driver behind us (who had originally picked me up) was in a fit of laughter in his car. I actually stopped using taxi's for a while after that cos of the embarrassment

ooops just noticed the overuse of the word SHOP

ByTheWay1 · 01/09/2012 09:57

We went camping, off to the pub and on the way back with a load of others from the campsite - my mate says - why don't we use that path over there - (moonlight on a slow flowing stream!!!) and went in up to her armpits, didn't know whether to laugh or just die with embarrassment for her (and me) everyone just collapsed with laughter.

fuckwittery · 01/09/2012 10:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

shesariver · 01/09/2012 10:01

in my sleep I was convinced the train was crashing and we were about to die.

Oh god fuckwittery thank you so much, literally laughing out loud!!

SirBoobAlot · 01/09/2012 10:25

This thread is fucking hilarious, I needed this.

Aged about twelve on holiday with my family in a mobile home, one of the large stationary ones, with glass doors. We had another family around for a BBQ, and the two dads had gone to the shop to get more beer. Whilst they were gone, it got chilly, so we closed the door.

My dad came back.

Ran up the steps.

Ran straight into the door.

Fell backwards on his arse.

Then shouted, "What the hell is THAT doing there?"

Was by far the highlight of all my family holidays combined.

comelywench · 01/09/2012 10:33

In the city near us there's a pedestrian crossing between two shopping centres. It's a small crossing and gets a lot of people crossing due to it's location. There's normally at least thirty people there.

I decided to make a dash for it (heavy laden with bags). Unfortunately an old lady had the same idea and I realised with horror we were on a collision course. The only thing i could think of to do was scoop her up and my bags swung around making it a bear hug. Apparently, the look on her face was priceless according to my friend who was wetting herself. I still maintain it was better to give her a bear hug than to knock her flying. I just wish there hadn't been quite such a large audience

Dinosaurdrip · 01/09/2012 12:12

Worra I have just laughed till I cried at your dh's mistake. Thank you for brightening up a miserable day.

DayShiftDoris · 02/09/2012 00:19

PMSL

At the cinema with son, sis and my dad - we were a bit late and the ads had started... Get to seats with my son and absolutely no sign of sis and dad... about 5 mins later they appear with my dad doing some low level grumbling and my sis crying...
My dad had walked into a wall in the dark and ricocheted off with a big 'ooomph' and 'What the bloody hell?!' just as some had opened the door allowing everyone in corridor to see his mistake... my sis had had to go outside to calm down and my dad had to go with her as he evidently couldn't find his way alone.

I once asked to 'sit by the window' in a revolving restaurant... the lady kindly pointed out that in a few mins the one she was showing me to would be

fuckwittery · 02/09/2012 06:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NovackNGood · 02/09/2012 06:37

Years ago I was walking the dog, an old english sheepdog, and another woman was with her daughter walking towards me with a little girl, around 11, who when she w bout 5 yards away shouted out, look mummy it's a durex dog.

CheerfulYank · 02/09/2012 06:47

I cringe for people, I can't watch things like Borat as it's just too uncomfortable.

I do think it's hilarious when people fall though. :o

Recently I ran in the grocery store and kept hearing a jingly noise...I thought it was the cart, but it wasn't, checked for spare change in my pockets, couldn't find any. I just sort of shrugged and got on with shopping; I was exhausted and wanted to get home.

After I'd been walking around smiling at people for TWENTY MINUTES or so I felt something poke me in the leg and realized that I somehow had one of DH's ENORMOUS SHINY JINGLY FISHING LURES STUCK IN THE SEAT OF MY JEANS. Like a TAIL.

I wonder how many people saw and were mortified for me...

porcamiseria · 02/09/2012 10:21

rumbling tummies, and worse belches

in meetings

Trills · 02/09/2012 10:24

I love that the Germans have a word for it.

YouOldSlag · 02/09/2012 10:32

I thought the word was schadenfreude. Laughing at the misfortune of others.

I like to think I am a kind soul, but this thread is bloody funny.

Trills · 02/09/2012 10:33

Schadenfrude would be if you laughed at someone else's fortune, but we also need a word for feeling embarrassed on someone else's behalf.

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