To agree with Uber parent her kids are vastly superior.

[Joshanddonna]

Last night I went to a talk about Year 13 at my kids school and I sat next to a woman I've known since my DS started reception. Let me tell you that her children are highly superior to anyone elses. They run, they write books, they read Shakespeare for fun, they all learn multiple instruments, speak several languages and even walk in a vastly superior way to anyone else on the planet (probably even on water).
You can't have a conversation with her she just talks at you.... regaling you with their achievements. If you try to interject with anything your kids have done she will interupt and tell you hers did it so much better.
My DS is lovely and doing well. Her DS is heading for Oxford and sainthood.
So I sat and listened as she spoke about this golden child and at the end agreed he was indeed a superhero and I didn't know why I even bothered talking to my DS.
My DH - who when he saw her grabbed DS and moved to another part of the hall - said I shouldn’t have said it. But that is what she wanted to hear and now I hope she will never speak to me again.
What do people like this want you to say?!

I hate to say it, but the chances are the fellow parents won’t be interested either

Its human nature unfortunately. Even in the less gifted circles it is nearly impossible to have a conversation with others that doesnt revolve around their gifted children.

For example, i have various 'friends' from a national sport involving younger kids. I eventually got fed up of listening to their boasting. Get two or more of them in a room together and it was almost unbearable how they fought to get their boasts in. Thats was until i devised a game to get myself through it. I basically set a timer on how long it took each person to actually ask a question about my own, equally talented child. Fuck me it was a long wait. But because it was on my terms i didnt mind quite so much.

I have come to the conclusion that most people have lost the ability to listen. Even when they do try to listen they are basically waiting for a pause so they can jump in with another boast.

My kids are extremely hard done by. Everyone else has proper parents who ground them over homework and chores. They are stuck in a hell scape with a mother who talks to them about ethics and morals and has ‘views’. And if they want something else they have to debate and bring valid points and (gasp!) research.
currently DD is in despair because I refused to let her do DOE to build schools. I handed her the book dead aid, so it turns out that even book publishers are in league with her parents. There’s nowhere to run to.

Love your response, OP!

I have a close childhood friend who now does this with her DCs. It’s just constant bragging under the guise of “I’m just sooo proud” and it’s unbearable. Her children are selfish, loud, arrogant and wind my own perfectly ordinary children up something rotten, and then will bare-faced lie and blame them for any trouble they collectively get into. It sucks. We don’t really see them any more.

DH - dear husband (or “dear” husband)
DS - dear son
DD - dear daughter
DC. - dear child/children

etc

I have never boasted about my children, rather underplayed their achievements if anything. However, I have one 'friend' who is so clearly jealous of them that she struggles to hide it. It is quite horrid as my DC are modest and kind and have never done anything to warrant her ill-suppressed negativity. On the other hand, if her children achieve anything at all, she is all over FB with her proud mummy statements (double cringe, they are eighteen!) and everyone is supposed to lavish her with compliments. Actually, when I think of it, she isn't a friend at all.

That kind of mother must aggravate and turn away a lot of people. Does she have many friends?

Although I can understand your reasons, you could lose friends by doing this. Most people can’t stand it, and will dread running into you and having to listen to your latest children’s achievements. Why not share your news with family? Don’t become that parent!!

My DS is lovely and doing well. Her DS is heading for Oxford and sainthood made me actually lol!

YWNBU op, it was probably the best way to shut down the conversation and your ds sounds lovely with what he said about her ds

You're all acting as if her being proud of her children is an insult to yours - it's not. Growing up, nothing I did was ever good enough for my mum - she was always too cautious of looking like she was bragging that she literally never celebrated anything I did. When everyone else's parents were saying about their children's amazing exam results, my mum said "oh, you know, could do better, could do worse" even though I'd done bloody well. It made me feel like shit - and I've noticed myself making the same mistake with my DS (who is only three). He's incredibly smart and incredibly funny and popular and is adorable! But, I'd never say in real life to my friends "DS is so amazing, he's done X or Y" because I'm too worried about how people like you will view me (just like my mother was too worried about how people like you would view her). When people tell me how funny DS is, I always joke "yes, but does he mean to be haha" (but, yes, he does mean to be and he's bloody good at it). I've been trying to make an active effort to care more about my children knowing I think they're incredible rather than caring about other women thinking I'm bragging. All our children are amazing in their own ways - if you're all too anxious about expressing that then you're only hurting your own children (believe me, I've been that child).

Bottom line: we should be celebrating all the amazing things our children do. If your child's achievements make someone else uncomfortable then that's on them. We need, as a society, to stop viewing bragging about our children as a bad thing - it's not. They deserve to know we're proud of them and want to shout about them from the rooftops.

Bravo! Once in a similar situation I responded to a mum "Wow! Your kids seem great. I just hope mine stay out of prison".

@ColinRobinsonsfamiliar you sound like my kind of person! People

Just spat out my tea laughing at this 😂

You're all acting as if her being proud of her children is an insult to yours - it's not.

Except the other mother put the OP's child down by saying her child is better than OP's. That's not nice.

And you can be proud and tell your child that, without telling other parents.

Really are overrated.
Dunno why that came in two posts.

My mum had similar and just smiled and listened. I was dyslexic so no chance could even complete. Years later sadly the child committed suicide which was awful. Something else is going on usually behind the background from my experience hence why someone goes ott re the achievements. Listen op it costs nothing to make someone feel good x

Where did OP say that?!

I think your response was brilliant and she actually needs people to start saying stuff like that to her.

If you think these sort of parents are bad, wait until they become Grandparents ! It moves to a whole new level …….

Here: If you try to interject with anything your kids have done she will interupt and tell you hers did it so much better.

The problem is, kids with these sorts of parents, rarely go on to be happy, successful adults.

They'll eventually come up against someone either better than them, or who is happy to tell them they're sub-par at something, and they won't cope with it. Because they've never been taught to cope.

Oh, come on...the OP wasn't saying this woman couldn't be proud of her children. I'm sorry for what you experienced as a child but this/any woman/man repeatedly bragging about her children is tiresome.

That's quite the leap.

I suspect I was in danger of going down this road with my 'amazing' PFB... 2 things happened..

1. everyone else caught her up
2. DC2 was twins and karma bit me on the bum as they are a pain in the arse 🤣

It says it right there in that sentence. That she will tell you 'her child did it better'. It says it right there!