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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is this weird?

113 replies

tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 15:48

Approximately 2/3 years ago, my husband and I were out with our 4 children (then 11, 13 & 15). We came across one of our children's teacher with his wife and very young children. My child recognised him as we'd never met him before. We had a brief and polite exchange of conversation and that was that.
Since that brief meeting, my child has on various occasions mentioned how this teacher asks questions about our family, the way we live etc. I told my child that he was just curious and simply to minimise information given when possible.
This teacher lives down the road from us and sometimes passes our house; on one occasion, the blinds were open and he waved at me from outside and my husband was cleaning the car, so he also stopped to chat to him
This week, whilst we were at work, my 16, 15 & 14 year old were at home. This teacher knocked on our door asking if his young child could use our toilet. My child let him in and he walked in and walked into our living room/dining room (looking around) whilst asking to be directed to the bathroom. Upon leaving, he enquired as to if we were going away this summer, where and who we were staying with.
I cannot help but feel angry that he has come into our home uninvited. Add to that him entering with no adults present AND he's a teacher and should have known better. Taking into account his previous curiosity, am I overreacting by believing that his child needing the toilet was an excuse to satisfy an unnecessary curiosity? I don't want to overthink this, but it's been on my mind all week.

OP posts:
tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 16:42

doorstopper123 · 29/07/2023 16:08

Does he suspect your child is mistreated in any way?

He has no reason to have suspicions as they are well loved children from a stable home, who have good friends, are happy and are doing well at school. He entered our home when no adults were home..I'm the one with suspicions.

OP posts:
Someoneonlyyouknow · 29/07/2023 16:42

I'm not normally over-dramatic but it sounds a bit weird. 10 minutes could be too far for a small child needing the toilet but asking for that kind of detail about your holiday is odd. Is your DC reporting his behaviour normally sensitive (they obviously said he was "looking round")? He seems to have been aware of appropriate boundaries when speaking to your husband, being vague about his own address.

tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 16:44

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:37

How have parents evenings gone with him?

Only ever had one parents evening with him via teams and was only 5 minutes long. He seemed friendly and okay.

OP posts:
porridgeisbae · 29/07/2023 16:44

I cannot help but feel angry that he has come into our home uninvited. Add to that him entering with no adults present AND he's a teacher and should have known better

@tuscany88 Known better than what? He's not done anything wrong OP. Presumably the child was desperate.

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:45

And you son? He has been taught by him for a few years. What’s his relationship with him like?

OnAWobblyFence · 29/07/2023 16:45

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:39

Not as weird as asking to use the toilet

but still weird

A child needing a toilet urgently is not unusual. Although most people, if the child is very young (and OP says the teacher’s children are very young), would just have the child pee at the side of the road in an emergency, rather than you to someone’s house. Although in a residential street that might not be convenient.

i actually don’t believe this even happened but if it did, the teacher is not the only one who has acted weirdly. If someone I barely knew stopped as I was cleaning my car and started talking to me it would be small talk “nice weather! How’s the family? Enjoy your bike ride!” And that would be it. It would never occur to me to quiz them on where they live, down to the actual street name. Why would I need to know that? I’m not planning on going to their house.

tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 16:46

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:38

What does your son think of him as a teacher?

My husband asked what street he lived on because he was always walking past our house and waving and as he'd asked so many personal questions about us, it didn't seem like a big questions to ask.

OP posts:
Flowerblooms · 29/07/2023 16:46

I’m easy going but there is something wrong with this situation. The teacher is overstepping massively. The knocking asking for his child to use to the toilet is beyond strange.

Dombasle · 29/07/2023 16:46

It could be any number of things.

He fancies you.

His wife fancies your husband.

He fancies your husband.

He's lonely and wants friends and thinks you're a decent couple.

He's planning on signing you up for some ghastly home decorating programme where you decorate the bedroom in his home and him and his wife decorate your dining room. You and your husband will have to wear hideous colour matching boiler suits.

They are swingers.

porridgeisbae · 29/07/2023 16:46

It's not like the kids are very young or anything that it was wrong for him to come in once he was invited without an adult being present. 16 is virtually an adult.

Fraaahnces · 29/07/2023 16:47

This sounds VERY suss. He may not even live locally. I think you need to have a very firm chat with your kids re boundaries and telling them that they must not let the little bloke answer the door - ever - no matter if he recognizes the person, and that the big kids can leave the chain on and say that you’re upstairs on a work call and they’re not allowed to let anyone in. I would also have a discussion with the principal about this AND the other parents of your child’s friends to find out if he does this with others.

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:47

In a nutshell the weird thing is that he asked if his son would use the toilet

yes weird and rude but that’s the only issue I’d be concerned about.

porridgeisbae · 29/07/2023 16:48

^It could be any number of things.He fancies you. His wife fancies your husband.
He fancies your husband. He's lonely and wants friends and thinks you're a decent couple. He's planning on signing you up for some ghastly home decorating programme where you decorate the bedroom in his home and him and his wife decorate your dining room. You and your husband will have to wear hideous colour matching boiler suits. They are swingers.^

Or he's just a person that takes an interest in people, and his child happened to need the loo. Asking if someone has any hols coming up is just small talk.

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:48

OnAWobblyFence · 29/07/2023 16:45

A child needing a toilet urgently is not unusual. Although most people, if the child is very young (and OP says the teacher’s children are very young), would just have the child pee at the side of the road in an emergency, rather than you to someone’s house. Although in a residential street that might not be convenient.

i actually don’t believe this even happened but if it did, the teacher is not the only one who has acted weirdly. If someone I barely knew stopped as I was cleaning my car and started talking to me it would be small talk “nice weather! How’s the family? Enjoy your bike ride!” And that would be it. It would never occur to me to quiz them on where they live, down to the actual street name. Why would I need to know that? I’m not planning on going to their house.

Of course a child need the toilet urgently isn’t weird

but knocking on a pupil’s door to ask if they can use the toilet is odd

tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 16:49

porridgeisbae · 29/07/2023 16:46

It's not like the kids are very young or anything that it was wrong for him to come in once he was invited without an adult being present. 16 is virtually an adult.

He came into our home uninvited. He taught my child for a term and you think it's appropriate for him to enter our home without us being there. I'm sure the school would view this in a serious light.

OP posts:
Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:50

tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 16:49

He came into our home uninvited. He taught my child for a term and you think it's appropriate for him to enter our home without us being there. I'm sure the school would view this in a serious light.

Well he asked to use the toilet and your son said yes so not uninvited but still odd

so one term of teaching. Nothing more. And the odd question.

CSIblonde · 29/07/2023 16:52

So he's been asking intrusive questions about your child's home life & how you live, then does this. And he's intentionally vague about where his home is ("thereabouts") which makes me massively question his motives. If it's purely politeness, in passing, to a students parent, why the vagueness ? Weird. Very weird. I'd be shutting down any contact outside school asap. No chats on the drive, no letting him in to use the loo. As an ex teacher , to me, he crossed a line & has questionable motives for doing so . There were no adults in the house: did he want to see if the child he teaches/taught was alone?

tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 16:52

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:45

And you son? He has been taught by him for a few years. What’s his relationship with him like?

My son says that he's a good teacher but he asks a lot of questions about us, our culture, what we do, where we go etc

OP posts:
Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:52

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faerieland · 29/07/2023 16:53

Weird as fuck. I think obsessed with you.

Weflewinstyle · 29/07/2023 16:55

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tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 16:56

CSIblonde · 29/07/2023 16:52

So he's been asking intrusive questions about your child's home life & how you live, then does this. And he's intentionally vague about where his home is ("thereabouts") which makes me massively question his motives. If it's purely politeness, in passing, to a students parent, why the vagueness ? Weird. Very weird. I'd be shutting down any contact outside school asap. No chats on the drive, no letting him in to use the loo. As an ex teacher , to me, he crossed a line & has questionable motives for doing so . There were no adults in the house: did he want to see if the child he teaches/taught was alone?

That's why my husband asked him the road he lived on. We knew that he was one for asking a lot about us, so my husband was curious as to why and whether him even walking past our house all the time was justifiable

OP posts:
Tlolljs · 29/07/2023 16:56

I see you’ve just mentioned your culture, perhaps this is what he finds so fascinating if it’s different from his.

DeadbeatYoda · 29/07/2023 16:57

Are you exotic in some way OP? Is he a nosy, boring Brit that is fascinated by your heritage in so way? ( not that that would bake it okay, just curious) I only ask as you say he asks about your culture.

tuscany88 · 29/07/2023 17:00

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This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines - previously banned poster.

I didn't realise there were trolls on mumsnet

OP posts:
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