Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to confront friend commenting on my parenting

126 replies

Mof3gbg · 16/07/2021 11:22

So I have a friend. We've known eachother for around 6 months. Our older children are in the same school class and our younger children are starting the same pre school together.

We've been having playdates at each others houses recently with the younger 2 whilst the older 2 are at school. But there are things that she's been doing and saying that are really raising red flags for me.

Firstly, we were at the park together last week. I was in the que to get coffees while our DD's were playing on the slide. My DD had her turn and then cut in front before my friends DD had reached the slide. At that point my friend sort of loses herself and tells my DD off, quite brutally, telling her that she's not a very kind friend for cutting in front and that nobody will want to play with her if she behaves that way. My DD was pretty sad. They're only 4.
The coffee stand isn't far from the slide and my friend knows I'm right there. I would have pulled my DD to the side after getting coffees and told her that it's important to take turns.
I wouldn't have minded if my friend had asked my DD to take turns but it made me mad that she outright berated her.

I let it go and avoided her for a few days but yesterday she came to our house with her DD for a playdate.
I'm a potty mouth and although I try not to swear in front of my children, occasionally one slips out. And while she was over, I accidentally said shit. The kids were out of earshot but she still feels the need to tell me in a very patronising way that I shouldn't be swearing around the kids.
I reason with myself that it's fair enough if she doesn't want swearing around her DD and let it go.

Lastly, my DD was asking for the second time for a treat. I told my DD that she needed to wait until after lunch, and that if she going to ask me again, she wouldn't be allowed the treat at all. My friend then mutters 'how many times are you going to say without following through' and rolls her eyes. I didn't say anything but it's really been playing on my mind and I feel that I need to tell her not to comment on my parenting in the future. But maybe I'm being sensitive. There's been many a time that I've thought things about other people's parenting but I certainly wouldn't share that opinion.

AIBU to want to confront her about this?

OP posts:
Mistressofnone · 17/07/2021 19:43

"I’ve ‘berated’ strangers kids for dangerous behaviour in playgrounds eg pushing DD out of the way to get to the slide entrance first (nearly knocked her backwards where there was a sheer drop). I’ve told kids off for trying to run up the slide when my DC was sliding down it, or for sliding straight after her so they collided at the bottom.

Once a mum told me off for ‘disciplining’ her child and told me she was perfectly capable of discipline her child herself. My response was ‘but you didn’t, did you?’

If a child is doing something that puts themselves or others in danger (like pushing past in the queue for a slide) I think it’s fine for the nearest parent to intervene and tell them off. I’d be mortified if my DC pushed in front of a friend to get another turn on the slide first!

How did you get to ‘stuck up’ and ‘superiority complex’?"

@StrangeToSee I would not berate anyone else's child. And the OP said this woman was brutal. You have no right to tell someone else's child they are unkind. All she had to say was 'it's DD's turn next and you can go after'. She is a 4 year old excited to go down the slide. She didn't need a humiliating dressing down from a near stranger.

Condescending remarks to the OP and muttering 'but you didn't did you' are clearly snooty put downs about her parenting. She is putting herself forward as a superior parent. That's how I arrived there and I stand by it.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page