School parent deliberately coughing on me every morning

[Happyluce]

A school parent keeps deliberately coughing on me. We stand outside the gates and then in the play ground waiting to go in and they don’t cough for all that time. But As soon as they are next to me they fake cough really loud without covering their mouth or they deliberately clear their throat really loud behind me. This keeps happening every morning. I feel like it’s a way of trying to bully me without speaking to me. What would you do?

Maybe I mean 101. I’m not clear as usually I just go for 999 in such circumstances

If it’s every time you have to say something. “Ew, cover your mouth” or “don’t cough on me” is fine. One morning a school dad walked past me, turned and coughed straight in my face. Spit and god knows what all over me. I said “for fucks sake” completely involuntarily, I was just shocked and he looked very sheepish. I don’t think that case was deliberate but in any case you have to speak up.

Do you wear perfume? It might be allergy to your scent. I am asthmatic and perfume often makes me cough. I guess from the outside if could look like I am deliberately coughing beside some people, if they chose to take it that way...

Take a can of fizzy drink with you and as soon as he does it, belch in his face. I doubt he'll try it again. Or fart loudly and go 'Brian!' In a shocked voice.

We stand outside

Goodness OP, just don't stand near him.

Problem solved.

Hang back before the gate, watch for him going in and stand away from him or behind him.

I don’t smoke or wear strong perfume so I’m not sure why it’s happening. I’ve never spoken to him

I have had a cough like this - I clear my throat a lot and have a fake sounding cough. I hate it but it's not infectious and is caused by excess acid. Omeprazole and ordinary boiled sweets (not medicated) solved it. It's easy to forget becasue you know it isn't infectious that others don't know this.

When he next coughs just say - "a friend of mine had a cough like that and it was excess acid - have you talked to your GP" add a concerned head tilt. He will either be very grateful and go and see his GP or if he's genuinely trying to bully you in the bizarrest way possible it will make it clear that you're not playing.

Also I don’t have pets so no pet hair on me. It just sounds like a forced fake kind of cough to me! But I’ve no idea

I would stand away from him but we have to go in single file up to the class room door (reception class) and he’s often behind me when doing it and he comes close too at the classroom door and does it

My son is ND, whenever he is anxious or stressed he coughs. Food for thought.

Just move away from him or call him out “excuse me, I’ve noticed every time you come close to me you cough, are you quite alright?”

Don't walk in next to them? I don't get this just hang back until he's in the playground and walk in far away.

I would but he tends to come in behind me when walking in single file outside up to the classroom door and even when we get there if I’m not next to him, he will come and stand close and does it

What a gross fool he sounds - I’d be telling him to cover his mouth when he coughs.
RANK

sounds like intimidating behaviour.
Kill him with kindness, he won’t expect it.
”are you ok? Do you need help? You sound very unwell, can I help you in any way?”

Say loudly "You poor thing you've been coughing for days/weeks! I hope it's nothing serious! Do you need a tissue or cough sweet?"

Move out of the line and go to the end, if he’s really attempting to intimidate you, he’ll move to be behind you and then you’ll know if it’s deliberate.
If it is, step back onto his foot, twist round and smile 😀

Let him go ahead of you in the queue? Are you pushing in or something?

I took that post to be tongue in cheek!

Peoples suggestions on threads like this are so cringey, especially ones that start with ‘ooh’, as if anyone actually acts like that. Normal people would just say ‘eugh’ or fuck off.

I'd move to the back of the line rather than get coughed on. Maybe with a pointed stare while doing it...that or just ask him to stop

Although it's true if you wear perfume or have animal hairs on your clothes that can trigger coughing, surely he knows you are 'triggering' the coughing and so he would move away! Otherwise it's very odd of him not to!

We may laugh at the notion of the 'cough police' 😂but a couple of years ago things were very different!

Leave him to enter the playground first then go stand right away from him, if he then approaches you to stand nearer I'd ask him why he
A) Has followed you
B) If he's been to see his GP about his continued coughing.

As for him standing behind just make sure you hang back until he's walking into the classroom.

I would ask him.

Mention that he seems to have had a cough for some time and he should go to a doctor and get it checked out.