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.

Either

Say "Do you have to be so immature?"

Or

Answer your mobile and talk loudly to your imaginary solicitor about an imaginary harassment case and how you want the perpetrator to get taken to court. (Basically put the fear of God into them).

they sound like a pair of wankers! they're trying to get a rise out of you, a reaction, best thing to do is either totally ignore i.e pretend you're looking at your phone, or that you haven't even noticed they're there, or look totally unphased, and shoot them a confident smile. if you don't react then they'll get bored, because at that point its just 2 grown women singing kylie in the middle of the street. they'll eventually feel like the dickheads they are lol

just remembered a time in secondary school where a group of girls were doing a similar thing to me, giggling and whispering when i walked past, one time i was genuinely on the phone, and as i was approaching them to get to my next class, they started with their laughing and whispering and pointing at me, i don't know what came over me as i was a shy kid, but i said down the phone ''sorry that's just this group of strange girls who always laugh and point but never talk, so weird right?'' and they all went quiet. i think i genuinely embarrassed them, because tbh it IS embarrassing to just stand and laugh and point, like get a life!

needless to say they didn't bother me after that

God, are they 12 years old?! A lot of people reach adolescence and remain stuck there. It's pathetic. I know a 40-year-old man who sits cross-legged on the floor playing his X-box and throwing tantrums when he loses.

That's so horrible.
I'm not a mother and I don't take any children to school, but from what I see on here about how some school mums behave, I'm quite aghast and appalled really.
That's disgusting behaviour!!!

I'm not the most mature of people, but I don't people with my ways, so I don't think they can have that excuse either.
I really don't know what's wrong with people sometimes.

Please, please, please don't do any of the (frankly) silly responses suggested on this thread. Just don't!

In the words of Our Lady, Michelle Obama "When they go low, you go high."

Just don't engage with any of their chavtastic behaviour.

They are horrible! Not what you need first thing in the morning or any other time of day. I am all for a quite life, but if you feel up to it, I would call them out on it. Sounds like they are getting bolder in their bitchiness and upping the ante each time they get away with it.

It is still possible they were laughing at something unconnected, but caught your eye and it felt personal to you. I do remember misreading someone at work once who I thought was undermining me and making very pointed comments. After a lot of agonising I called him out on it and none of it was personal, just him making crap jokes and me being overly sensitive. It was incredibly embarrassing all around, but it did clear the air.

Gosh they sounds like immature fools. Put your headphones on and totally ignore them when you pass. Perhaps you could have a little giggle back at their expense! Seriously though I know what you mean - it's like being bullied again back in the school yard. I had a school event to go to on Saturday(!) and ALL the other cliquey mums totally ignored me. It's a small school so they all knew who I was. I felt lonely. But heh-ho I went up to them and forced some small talk that made me feel way better.

I would, I’ll ask them straight in their stupid faces what’s their problem and if they continue I’ll go and make a complaint with the local police. Can’t stand bullies, no matter the age

I genuinely think people who act like this have developmental issues, so won't respond in a mature way to confrontation or 'tactics'. They're more likely to double down on the shrieks and chortling.

So unless you have the front to pull off the broad smile as you sail past - or alternatively, approach them with genuine menace - I'd follow the advice of a pp and make sure you've got ear buds in, invisible ones preferably so they're left guessing. We just have to accept such people are among us and thank god/cross our fingers they're not our neighbours!

I’d be tempted to laugh every time I see them. It will drive them mad not knowing why you are laughing. There are def strange people around

Take it as a compliment, there are many worse people to be compared with than Kylie!

They sound immature and annoying though, so best just ignored.

Well they sound like idiots. I’d kill them with kindness in an artificial jolly way. “Good morning ladies, how are we today, lovely morning”. And I’d keep it up every day no matter how much they laughed. If they are targeting you they’ll be wanting to upset you/get a reaction and I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. I’d make out like I was delighted every time I saw them and wave at them across the street!

I doubt it has anything to do with you. What happens when you say hello?

Is this a case of Vicky Pollard and friend picking on someone for being more attractive than they are? “Yeah but, no but, yeah but.”

Your unnecessary use of the word ok at the start of your sentence isn’t exactly painting you in the most mature light, to be fair.

I'd do the earphones in, looking relaxed and totally like they don't exist. If you do happen to make eye contact just do the big flashy smile last minute like you only just saw them and cheerily go " all right?!"

@Iloveyoubut you're just here for a fight, yes?

Its not easy, but if you act entirely as if you can't see or hear them, smile at other people, wave and say hello to other people, laugh into your phone or scrutinize it for information, they'll fade into the background and hopefully they will feel a bit silly when its clear they're not getting the audience reaction they hoped for.

I am small and blonde but I wouldn't go as far to say I am a Kylie look alike I agree with a pp who said that they’ve just picked a random celeb to name you. If you had wrinkles in your tights, you’d be Nora Batty. If you had big teeth, you’d be Freddie Mercury. If you flicked your hair and had a sassy walk, you’d be Beyoncé. It’s no reflection on you and if that’s the worst name they can think of to call you, then you’re obviously not doing too badly.

I think they’ve probably decided that you’re a bit too confident in yourself. Either that or you haven’t been as humble as they feel you should have been when they’ve noticed you. Definitely ignore them.

Well I’d just feel sorry for them. Have they got nothing better to talk about than some random woman dropping her kid off? I guess they find conversing with each other too dull

On Wednesdays do they wear pink?

God I would not do this. You are just feeding into it then. And wasting your time annd energy on it. Ignore, ignore, ignore.

Joules coats are quite plain and casual. I found that helpful context since the OP was obviously concerned about her appearance.

Urgh how ridiculous. I can see why it would upset you, but they sound pathetic.

What a pair of utter #$!$@%!:$!!!!! Ugh. Obviously they have the mentality of a 3 year old, not even that. Stay strong and ignore. If it happens again I'd email the school and tell them of their appaling behaviour towards other parents,maybe they could send a note home.