Being laughed at on the School Run

[ChoccyBiscuits123]

Okay so I'm going to start by saying I'm not usually bothered by people's behaviour - I'm very much a live and let live person....however...there are two women on the school run that I am just perplexed by.

So for example this morning..I had just dropped my daughter off at school and I'm minding my own business walking home. These two other mums come from around the corner and immediately start laughing directly at me in my face...! They then stifled their giggles and walked past. This is not the first time this has happened.
Once they started singing a Kylie Minogue song at me from the other side of the road laughing and twirling around. All a bit much for me in the morning!!

We're all pretty relaxed dressers on the school run..they wear tracksuits and tie their hair up and I tend to wear leggings and a navy joules coat with miminal make up (mascara and perhaps a red lip if I have the energy) so it's not like I'm going to school in Kylie hot pants or full make up or other crazy clothing.

I'm perplexed as to why they've targeted me as I don't know them at all. It's got to the point where it is upsetting me. Someone laughing in my face or stifling giggles as I walk past is hurtful and it's starting to feel like bullying. Am I being too sensitive? Is my make up or dress sense so awful they cant help but laugh? I am so confused! Esp as they don't seem to do it to anyone else.

I want to ignore it and just put it down to them being muppets but I am struggling now.

I can't confront them as they will probably just see it as hilarious and as they've never actually said anything directly to me they could accuse me of being paranoid.

Any help or advice much appreciated. No nasty comment please.

Someone had to say it 😂

It depends. Which Kylie Minogue song was it?

The ultimate insult to them is to do...... absolutely nothing. Behave like they don't even exist. They're desperate for you to notice them and give them a reaction.

Id probably try and cross paths with them more often to see if they keep doing it, work out if it's definitely aimed at me! And also maybe it would give me more clue what it is that they are laughing at. I feel this is one of those situations where it can help to sweetly and innocently say "what's that song your singing??" etc and put them on the back foot.

Hope their behaviour is such that it does not rub off or set an example to their children.

Ignoring them is the best response.

No, just no. This ridiculous mumsnet trope just doesn’t fly in the real world.

It’s for about twenty seconds of your day I’d just put music on really loud and not look at them and walk on by!

They sound way too childish and immature to be mums tbh.

They sound weird and awful, but I second this advice.

Paste a big smile on your face and say, good morning, lovely day (or whatever is suitable to the weather). Great trainers (or whatever)! And then walk away and be on your phone the next couple of times you see them. I can almost guarantee it will make them ashamed of their behaviour.

I agree. I think if you did that they would just pee themselves laughing, they'd know they'd got you on a hook and they'd be waiting to see what you did the next time.

OP said spinning around

I've got into the habit of wearing 🎧 and listening to music when I'm struggling with the cunts of the world. You can zone out then.

Cross the road, don't look at them. They'll get bored. A confrontation is probably going to be difficult as there's 2 of them and they're highly immature.

They'll move on to another person. You won't be the only person who dislikes them. Most are probably scared to tell them and tolerate instead.

I believe you are right in your feeling. I do get frustrated when people's sense of what's going on is continually questioned on here. Don't doubt yourself. They're simply dicks and deflecting from their own insecurity.

It's unlikely you've been at the same school at the same time as OP, so not sure why your experience trumps OP's.

How mean of them ! They sound ridiculous

a few years ago I had judgement from the school on the school run! They made a safeguarding referral based on my behaviour at morning and afternoon drop off! I was given a copy of it when I did a SAR and these were the concerns :

-looking to be rushed / hurrying
never speaking to any other parents
occasionally looking ‘dishevelled’ (specifically odd socks and sometimes wet or messy hair - these were days it was windy and / or rained !)
checking child’s blood sugar in the playground on more than one occasion thought to be attention seeking behaviour (t1 diabetic child 🤦)
Staff had a ‘general concern’ something was ‘not right’

So I do understand how it feels to be judged !!!

What brainless, pathetic losers.

I'm always amazed that these people actually exist.

Raise a safe guarding concern because you thought they were singing drunkenly and were in no fit state to pick up children.

Practice your Paddington hard stare.

Honestly some women never grow out of being childish bullies. They sounds unhinged.

Say very loudly when they walk past "Mind the Poo!" - in a could be talking about them, could be talking about pavement poo.

They sound like twats. Either ignore them or give a subtle dig back.

'Oh I love those trainers' then a little laugh. It will wind them up something crazy and eventually they will get self conscious and pick a weaker target for their vile digs.

Or headphones and look through them as you walk on by. Maybe even sing 'I should be so Lucky, lucky lucky lucky' as you stroll on past.

Honestly, just put on huge earphones even if you're not listening to anything amd don't even look at them. They want a reaction because they want to be seen. Don't let them have that. I'd just yawn and listen to my music.

Again, no OP, please ignore any advice to give a Paddington hard stare/head tilt/tinkly laugh/did you mean to be so rude? response. Outside of mn, none of these things would result in anything other than “wtf is wrong with you?” and ongoing derision. No idea why people continue to dispense this “advice”, it’s tedious, unoriginal and total bobbins.

I would imagine this is what happened…
they were being silly singing Kylie and saw/ recognised you across the street. Rather than stop in embarrassment they braised it out, kept going and felt a bit silly.
when they saw you again today they remembered the kylie incident and burst into embarrassed giggles.
hopefully they’ll get over it now, they sound quite immature and aren’t thinking about how you might respond to their behaviour x

Are your leggings gold per chance?

That’s vile OP, I can’t understand why grown women would do that. I’d confront them next time tbh. I can honestly say that, unless you went on the school run with your boobs out, I wouldn’t have a bloody clue what you’re wearing and how much make up you have on. But I wouldn’t accept them continue this either. Ask them what the issue is. Dicks.