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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want to take neighbours dd to and from school every day ??

43 replies

NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:37

Ok so it is complicated.

Next door but one lives a girl who is in dd1's class. She is the daughter of the lady who was recently sectioned for the 2nd time. She is 9.

When the mum went into hospital last time, the girls dad was working, and so i offered to take the girl to and from school so that he could continue to work, but they chose to practically ignore my offer and got family members to drive quite far each morning to do the job instead.

Now this time, the mum is in hospital but the dad is no longer working so is available to do the school run. I did still offer to help in any way ie school run if it clashed with visiting times etc, but it doesn't clash and so it wasn't a problem.

Last week this dad gets given a car and starts using it for school run. However his dd does not want to go in the car and so now every morning she knocks our door and asks if she can walk with us. When i collect my kids in the afternoon her dad goes to collect her in the car, she tells him she isn't going in the car and asks again if she can walk with us, i say yes cos i can't really say anything else, and so he gets her bags and goes off in the car.

The main reason I am getting annoyed with this is because the girl isn't very well behaved at all. I know she has been through alot recently, but I have known her since she was 4 and she has always been the same, she is spoilt and her mum and dad are too scared to stand up to her and say NO.
She regularly picks on my dd2 and has been in trouble for telling my ds to say innapropriate things to me and other people. She also talks to her dad in the most disrespectful way I have ever heard from a child.

As i said, if her dad was working and not there for the school run then I really wouldn't mind, but he is there to do it, and just doesn't want to say No we are going in the car, or walk with her himself. If his wife knew he was doing this she would be so upset as she always says he doesn't do enough with the dd and that he is unreliable.

Yesterday at pick up time he said 'can * walk with you then cos she doesn't want to go in the car'. I had already promised my kids an icelolly from the shop as they had been good, and i couldn't afford to buy her one aswell, and so said 'sorry i am going to the shop', and he said 'thats ok she can go too', so in the end i said 'no sorry i am not going straight home after'. Eventually he said right ok but she started to have a paddy about it, and so he asked someone else who lives on our street if she could walk with them.

This morning, we were running late and she knocks the door asking if she can walk with us. I couldn't find the front door keys and so dd told her through the letter box that we were not ready and to carry on with her dad.
She said no he is going in the car i will wait. I went to the door and said we were not ready and didn't know how long we'd be so she'd have to carry on and eveentually she went and i saw her walk down the road with her dad.

10 min later we have found the keys and off we go. We get round the corner and there is her and her dad. She said 'oh i told him we had to wait or i wasn't going'. He then says, 'oh i'll leave her with you then' and walks off back home.

I just cannot see why he cannot stand up to her and tell her that this is how it is, she is going in the car and thats that. Either that or walk with her himself.

I know i probably am being a bit unreasonable, but I have trouble enough keeping track of my own 3 to and from school some days, nevermind an unruly extra.

OP posts:
SSSandy2 · 07/06/2007 10:42

Why do you think she won't go in the car? It's just an unnecessary problem, isn't it?

Could you leave earlier ? (Not a popular suggestion I know!)

2shoes · 07/06/2007 10:43

yanbu
At the end of the day you have tried to help. But why can't the dad just walk?
I would just say no.

NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:44

She won't go in the car because she wants her own way, and is more than used to getting it. She just said she'd rather walk. He doesn't want to walk, but won't say that she has to go in the car.

If we went earlier it would make no odds as we walk past her house.

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:45

But what reason do i give for saying no ??

I feel quite heartless given their current situation, which is why i offered to help if school run clashed with visiting, but now i feel like i am being used because the dd wants her own way.

OP posts:
BrothelSprouts · 07/06/2007 10:45

YANBU!
Nutty, you are not right not to get involved with a regular arrangement if you don't want to.

SSSandy2 · 07/06/2007 10:45

It's difficult. I think there is no way out then other than saying clearly that she cannot go with you and risking causing offence. The family and the dd seem not to realise that you don't want her going with you so you will have to say so I think. Perhaps because you twice offered to help with this, they just assume you have no problem with it?

BrothelSprouts · 07/06/2007 10:46

You don't really have to give a reason, except to say that you are very busy in the mornings and cannot commit to taking other people's children.

Freckle · 07/06/2007 10:47

I think you have to address the problem with the dad. Tell him that you are not happy taking his dd every day because she is badly behaved and it is unfair for you to have to supervise her as well as your own three.

Tell him he'll either have to insist she goes in the car or he will have to walk with her. Is there any reason why you wouldn't want him to walk with you? If he walked with you, he would be responsible for his own child rather than foisting that responsibility onto someone with enough of her own.

Chandra · 07/06/2007 10:47

I think that if the parent is not strong enough to say no, you have every right to say it. Besides... if she is so fond on walking and his father is not working, why on Earth can she walt to school with him?

NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:48

Hmm i am crap at stuff like this, always end up getting used.

I thought they may get the message when i said 2 days in a row that i was going to my mums straight from school, and then this morning when we were not ready, but obviously not.

I have no problem walking with the girl and her dad, but don't want to be responsible for her myself.

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:48

He did used to walk with us until he got given the car. Now he won't walk and she won't go in the car.

OP posts:
Blu · 07/06/2007 10:49

Tell her dad that you feel v uncomfotable being part of a situaytion where she refuses to do something her Dad asks and goes with you instead, and that you think it might help if you withdraw the offere for a while. I press on him that in an emegency you will, of course, help, but as a regular thing at the moment you would like to not be part of this situation where she refuses to go with her dad - that you respect his authority over her and want to not be part of undermining it. Also, that you feel unable to take the responsibility as your own 3 are handful enough.

YANBU - you have good grounds for being clear and direct about this, while emphasising that you will help out if genuine need arises.

NoodleStroodle · 07/06/2007 10:49

I'm with Freckle - it's hard but it is not fair on you if she is so difficult - tell him in emergencies he can call on you but you had never intended it to become a regular arrangement.

ptangyangkipperbang · 07/06/2007 10:50

Why don't you tell the dad what you've said on this thread? You don't want to appear unreasonable but you 'have trouble enough keeping track of my own 3'. Explain you can't take responsibility for another child. He must be having a hard time but its up to him to decide whether to make her go in the car or walk - it shouldn't be your problem.

Blu · 07/06/2007 10:51

And why be afraid of being direct with him - he's hardly going to turn nasty, he doesn't even say boo to his own daughter, let alone a full grown woman! He'll accept it meekly. And of course you will be polite and kind about it - nothing to be afraid of.

bosscat · 07/06/2007 10:52

oh dear this will probably be an unpopular reply and I hope it doesn't offend but ... I can't understand what the problem is. You offered to help twice, and now they are taking you up on it? Its not like he has just dumped her on you, you actually offered to help! Now he's taking you up on it, you seem annoyed about it. Why?

NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:52

But he doesn't seem to think her refusing to go with him is a problem and he actually waits for me to collect all of my kids up (have to get 3 from 3 different parts of school) and then asks me as i am on my way out of the gate. Then he talkes her bag of her says 'bye then see you at home' and of he goes in the car.

I don't want to offend him.

OP posts:
Nightynight · 07/06/2007 10:52

it is difficult - I think I would ask the dad to walk her, as she clearly prefers walking to going in the car, and say the truth, that you feel you cant keep an eye on 4 children at once (well, a bit tactfully phrased!)

suzycreamcheese · 07/06/2007 10:53

no dont think so not unreasonable...

..if she so wants to walk, like freckle says, they bothh should walk, with you and your gang if you are all ready at same time...

if that doesnt work then tell him the truth..she is hard work esp on top of your own and you have your own schedule not always straight home etc....

its not fair to expect you or others to do his job or to just to drive... ffs they should walk to schoool if poss anyway..

Blu · 07/06/2007 10:54

Nutty offered to help as a favour when they needed it - even though it was an inconvenience for her. Now they don't need it as a favour, Nutt is still expected to take it on.
That's the difference.

NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:54

I offered to help if the school run clashed with him visiting his wife or him working and it doesn't. I get to take his dd, whilst he goes home and sits and watches tv with a cuppa, just because he won't say no to her.

As i also said, she doesn't behave and i didn't want to offer to take her at all even in an emergency, but her mum is a friend of mine and i didn't want her to not hav visitors because visiting time clashed, but it doesn't.

OP posts:
Chandra · 07/06/2007 10:54

We have a very similar situation with one of DS's little friends. But... he insists in coming to stay at home, mum has even ring me in several ocassions to ask if he can come for a sleepover. The main problem is that she doesn't realise how misbehaving the kid could be when tired and excited of being in a new place. Last 2 times around we found him kicking DS's head!

I just play the things down, mention what happened (and that I sent their kid to the naughty step), but don't go onto tell them how to raise their children (at least not the full lesson), as I really like them, BUT insist in meeting in open spaces where I can immediatly intervene if they get into trouble.

The main problem is that most parents are ready to blame YOU for not understanding their dear child rather than to accept that they, themselves, can sort that behaviour.

Blu · 07/06/2007 10:56

WEll, Nutty - neither she nor he are going to change what they are doing by magic. YANBU, but you either have to explain and put a stop to it, or get on with it, knowing he is being a sucker.

NuttyMuffins · 07/06/2007 10:57

Think i'll just start home eding , seems easier

OP posts:
bozza · 07/06/2007 10:58

Why on earth is he driving anyway? If he is not working surely he has the time to walk which would be better all round. I think you have been given some good ideas on how to approach him over this one.

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