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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I've turned into something I vowed I wouldn't.....a grumpy old woman!

42 replies

Dowser · 09/05/2015 21:15

Had a lovely day out in a city and we went for a cup of tea in a beautiful old church that had opened up as a cafe.

It was quite full but we found an empty table . At the front was a rather small child's play area. There were four very young children . I would say the oldest might have been three and at various times all were screaming. Possibly it was the acoustics in the church but I couldn't bear it. In fact I found it very painful .

I thought it was just me ( gulping my hot tea so we could leave ASAP) but when I looked up everyone's gaze was on these children. ( I had my back to them).

Then the fight broke out! One of the customers must have been so demented as we were had gone over to the family. Things got heated and the mother nearly called the police. Someone from the cafe went to try to calm things down and she got a mouthful off the mother .

We gulped our drinks and left.

I've had kids and grandkids and am qute tolerant of little ones but this was actually painful.

Hate getting old and grumpy. Aargh!

OP posts:
Penfold007 · 09/05/2015 21:20

Not old and grumpy just human Flowers Wine

Jenoftheweek · 09/05/2015 21:21

I don't know if it's a primal response to a child's scream or cry but I find it disturbing too. Are we programmed to react to a child's distress call?

Original poster
Dowser · 09/05/2015 21:22

Thank you Pengold.

I wonder if anymore grumpy old women will join me. I think I need a club ;-)

OP posts:
Original poster
Dowser · 09/05/2015 21:24

Probably Jen . This just happened to be ear splitting. I could still feel the pain when I got outside.

OP posts:
LavenderRain · 09/05/2015 21:28

YANBU you want to hear my neighbours kids, 2 boys aged 8 & 10 omg what a noise! They shout ALL the time......no chance of a peaceful glass of wine in the garden for me Hmm

Penfold007 · 09/05/2015 21:31

I think I may have become a grumpy :((

carabos · 09/05/2015 21:31

Grumpy doesn't begin to cut the way I felt last night. Checked into decent hotel, had pre-booked a table in the restaurant as part of the dinner, B&B deal. Receptionist showed us both menus (bar and restaurant), we liked the bar menu as only needed one course. We were assured we could have the bar meal in the restaurant.

Went into the restaurant - no table booked, but squeezed in as a favour Hmm. Then told we couldn't have bar food so were sent back to bar. No table. Made this face at bar person Confused. Bar person brought manager. He took us back to restaurant and argued told the maitre d to give us a table and a bar meal.

All this took about 20 min to sort out, disturbed us and other diners in both bar and restaurant. The free prosecco didn't quite cut it.

Grumpy old woman presenting for dutyhere!

FarFromAnyRoad · 09/05/2015 21:32

I'm totally with you on this OP. That particular scream that small children do - it slices through my head like a red hot skewer. I actually cannot bear it - and so yes, I do tut and do the death stare. It can't be just me - who actually enjoys that noise? I didn't allow my kids to do it and I just don't understand why others do.

Signed
Under Secretary
Grumpy Old Women's Association

Triooooooooooo · 09/05/2015 21:44

Me too.

I bought this mug to celebrate when I was initiated after snarling in the direction of squaking twins who were spoiling my cream tea at the grand old age of 33.

I've turned into something I vowed I wouldn't.....a grumpy old woman!
Babyroobs · 09/05/2015 21:51

My neighbours kids scream like that all the time despite being 2 and 4. They scream in the middle of the night , at 6am and sometimes half the day too. I have had four kids myself, but this screaming really grates on me.

TheWernethWife · 09/05/2015 22:00

I've been a grumpy old woman for ages now - it's fabulous.

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234 · 09/05/2015 22:01

yanbu although if you were truely a grumpy old woman you would have turned around and walked out as soon as you saw the little sweeties I would

Original poster
Dowser · 09/05/2015 22:03

Oh, I'm so glad it isn't just me.

It nearly turned into fisticuffs as the dad accused the ( grumpy old) customer who went to complain of putting a hand on him while the mother threatened to call the police.

I hope it was just because of the acoustics in the church and they are not constantly like that at home/ next door to neighbours.

I'm shocked at how painful it was.

( I'm definitely turning grumpier though!)

OP posts:
elephantoverthehill · 09/05/2015 22:34

I am in awe of grumpy old women. I may have told this one before. Many years ago I was going through a checkout with DS2 in the trolley seat and he was stuck in a groove of ' I want, I want, I want' etc. I was trying to do the ignoring bit, when a grumpy old woman approached DS2 and said 'Why don't you just shut up' and he did, immediately. So hurrah for grumpy old women, especially as I have now joined the ranks.

Original poster
Dowser · 09/05/2015 22:46

Funnily enough...it all seems to be children related.

:-(

OP posts:
helzapoppin2 · 09/05/2015 22:56

DH has been on gardening leave for months now. I'm not grumpy. I am pure evil!

magimedi · 09/05/2015 23:01

I am so fucking grumpy that I am thinking of wearing purple - which I always vowed I wouldn't.

Join the club!

mrsmeerkat · 09/05/2015 23:01

Ok don't feel bad

I have two under 2 and everything and anything is making me grumpy especially whiny children .. no my own but everyone else's

nikki1978 · 09/05/2015 23:21

I always told my children off for making that horrible screaming sound. No need for it and they need to learn it's not ok. You are not grumpy at all, just normal :)

SirChenjin · 09/05/2015 23:29

Oh I'm like this - I seem to spend my life in a perpetual state of irritation. I keep it zipped most of the time for the sake of the DCs, but I find myself irritated with just about everything- bad service, bureaucracy, bad drivers, loutish behaviour, litter, graffiti, ignorance, laziness, people who don't say their mobile phone numbers correctly (one of my biggest bugbears), people who say their phone numbers really quickly into my answerphone at work so I have to replay their message over and over again....and don't even start me on the election results and the constant threat of independence up here Angry Angry Angry

One of these days (after tutting for years) I'm going to actually explode. Grumpy doesn't even cover it.

SilverBirch2015 · 09/05/2015 23:36

It's squealing children that get to me. In Waitrose earlier in the week and there was a little girl who was squealing the whole time I was there. Why don't parents do something to stop them, surely it must get on their nerves too.

I think I was born a grumpy old woman. If when my DS was young, I found over noisy children loathsome.

Original poster
Dowser · 09/05/2015 23:57

I'm in your camp Sir Chen but am noticing how screaming/ squealing kids affect me most.

It's like I don't hear lower notes/ tones so well but higher pitched sounds seem like they are becoming painful.

Long suffering OH gets to hear my grumbles most of the time.

OP posts:
derxa · 10/05/2015 05:23

I feel your pain. I find I just can't tune anything out any more. Annoying people who talk just that bit too loudly in restaurants. Just STFU FFS!

catlovingdoctor · 10/05/2015 05:28

I'd be the same. I'm a guy in my early 20s.
awks

Sparklingbrook · 10/05/2015 09:24

Went for a pub meal the other week and there was a shrieky about 3 year old. Every 30 seconds there would be a shriek that made me jump. Pub was empty but they chose a table next door to us. Confused

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