The school mums whatsapp...

[peoplearemean]

AIBU to say it drives me potty?

You have -

• the "alright hon" brigade who share any old shit and everything is "amazing babe"
• the "informer" who likes to be able to be the first to break all school news to everyone even though it has been emailed
• the "school can do no wrong brigade" who if anyone questions the logic of anything the school are doing generally pounce and accuse others of being unsupportive
• the "on it all day" who comment on everything
• the "teacher brigade" mum teachers who like to give a school view on everything without actually taking on board what someone has just asked
• the "wind up merchant" who comments just to poke the "alright hon" monotony
• the "what's for lunch" brigade every day at 8.55 am - read the bloody menu!

Please add to the list any characters I have missed.

And yes I have left it before but I was missing too much actual useful info. I would just like it if it could be reduced to actual useful information like school is shut it's snowing! (Somehow it breaks on here before the official website)

Rant over.

We have the expert on all things year 7 mum. While we are going mad, worrying about the transition, she's handing out sage advice... Grrrrr.

We thankfully only have an email group.

My DDs group has Bully Mum who gathered a little group of 'let's go out for gin whilst the kids are at cinema night' then fell out with my DD and now doesnt invite her to any little soirees. She is playground queen bee and the others still trot along after her because they don't want to be out of favour. There's lots of facebook tagging on 'brilliant day outs/ our kids are SUCH best pals. I drop off twice a week and my cheery good mornings are now ignored by proxy.

Do these mums generally work outside the home?

Ours is super. There is one mum though who fits into the informer mum, school-can-do-no-wrong-mum AND teacher mum, and she only writes in the local (not national language) as she’s a massive nationalist (think writing in welsh instead of English when only half of parents speak welsh).

Don't forget the mumpreneurs who've been sucked into mlm scams and are keen to share the misery.

We have a couple of WhatsApp groups but they’re fairly quiet.
I’m admin of the parents Facebook group and I’ve had to delete nasty comments about school staff over the years. I’m a fairly hands off admin and try not to get involved too much but there’s no need to get personal.
There’s a very involved mum who knows everything and everyone, always volunteers for everything and is so enthusiastic.
I help at school but I keep it low key and most parents probably wouldn’t know.

Our school were late to the party and only started one in Y6 and Y4, (unofficial and mostly mums) they are hilarious and have all the types you describe plus the 'can someone grab Tarala' every other day and the 'buuuuhuu give me sympathy' my son didn't get a secondary school place...no because you applied to schools very far from where you live, you sent in supporting documents late and you didn't of course attend any of the information meetings or help sessions! That wasn't posted but some of us knew

Obviously on mute!

No one's mentioned the "adds everyone school related on FB so I can plug my business to 'em" parent yet?

Most of ours are generally OK - the school is so tight knit though it can feel a bit inpenetrable if you didn't start with school nursery and be on your 3rd child going up the school at times... not maliciously though apart from a few very cliquey ones. Taken me most of this year to break through as we joined the school later on (and I've done the whole PTA thing too).

These days it's just kids dragging their parents over to make them stand together and sort out playdates for the summer holidays! We're all now relegated to social secretary/taxi driver for a bunch of 6 year olds. We drew the line when they started planning an overly elaborate sleepover rotation among themselves!

Mulberry 72
Snap! I'm virtually doing the conga as the days get closer...
Had loads of leavers stuff going on where other parents are crying but I just feel liberated and I think it might show on my face

I've often contemplated doing the school run in full camo gear, crawling all the way there under a camo net, anything to avoid it all.

I think a WhatsApp group would be nothing short of torture. It's bad enough with the emails whenever someone has a brainfart!

I too couldn’t wait for my son to leave primary. Nothing particularly wrong with the group of parents but the joining in just not my thing. Didn’t get even vaguely emotional at the primary years being over, get more pleasure out of seeing my kid grow and develop. Loved secondary years when parents are mostly hands off

Sweary knackered mum who was added somehow but never ever comments me

OH is on a dads Whatsapp group, literally just filth.

Sorry if this has been asked before, but what about mums who work full time? Dd is starting reception in sept and I will never pick her up or drop her off due to work, so I won’t know anyone anyway.

Ours is just ‘we are missing a sock/shirt/hat - anyone seen it in their children’s bags?’ Occasionally we have the what should we buy the teachers as a gift etc.

I probably look like the informer to DD2s class parents. I got so fed up with DD1s class constantly asking when/what/how things were happening (because they knew I read the emails) that I've taken to posting every single update from the school in our Facebook group on the events page with a picture of the letter/Tweet/email for DD2s class.

I'm perfectly happy if someone else beats me to it, but having left it for a couple of days last time clearly no one else wants the job so as it suits me to add the events (because they are a handy reminder for me aside from anything else) and other people "like" the events I've added I shall continue.

My rhino skin is thick enough to be the subject of name calling from parents who think I'm up to something.

Threewheeler1

I don’t even know who added me or when! Just woke up one morning with a phone full of messages

My DS starts Reception in September and have WhatsApp going already.

However if anyone elses asks what uniform from the school supplier is compulsory and which is optional I think I might have to break my silence and actually shout ONLY THE BLOODY LOGO JUMPER!!! It's only been said about a million times.

Luckily apart from the inability of anyone to scroll back or search the thread, or read the letters from school it's lovely and nice to have a few friendly faces and handy hints already.

We have the pretentiously verbose Mum, who crafts hilariously (not) complicated sentences

Ours is populated by very earnest 'huns' who find any excuse to instigate virtual group hugs. Once you've navigated all the glitter bombs and unicorns, it's does yield the occasional tidbit of information.

It was mentioned up thread, but we also have a passive aggressive Patty Simcox PTA type who exudes fake bonhomie but she's not in the WA group, thankfully. The weird thing is she actually looks like her too.

The cynical Mum who has done it all before and can’t get excited or worked up about anything
^^

This one! I havr two kids and there is a whatsapp group for the second but I make sure I don't piss on anyone's chips even if stuff doesn't seem quite such a big deal

I've just had first hand experience of being in a mums Fb group. Me being the kind,generous soul that I am thought it would be a nice thing to do a collection for my sons yr6 teacher, who's not only got them all through their SATS, but has been pregnant for the duration aswell. There was an existing group from last year of 23 parents so I hacked into that and put forward my idea. Only 12 people bothered to join in. After weeks of waiting to see if anyone else was going to donate and with her baby being due soon,I got the card and gift a couple of weeks ago, which I made QUITE CLEAR and then I informed everyone the card was being passed round the classroom for the kids to put a little message in (regardless of who'd donated) I then get a gobfull of abuse off a mum yesterday who'd 'missed' all this (she's in the group and fully aware) and what was she going to do now????? Ffs. I won't volunteer to do anything again. My ears will be burning till the end of bloody terminal now!

I dont chip in alot for either chip though, must be said

The ones that annoy me are the ones who think there is a paedo on every corner but yet their kids have every social media going.

*term even

Lovelybitofterf Wed 18-Jul-18 00:05:37
I’ve just proved I am clueless/shit/flaky mum by only just reading
the thread. I have 5 kids as well. grin

The informer mums save my life “don’t forget they need to be in their Greek costume tomorrow”.

My DD had to go in today dressed as a Greek goddess.......

I am now paranoid that there is a whatsapp group I know nothing about! (not that I ever drop the kids off or pick them up but still..)