Matron: Mums need to stay at home

[Quattrocento]

DS was poorly on Friday afternoon. I was telephoned by the school. Was travelling back from the airport, jetlagged from an overnight flight. "DS will need to be collected immediately".

My first question, knowing how much DS loves his food, was whether or not he had eaten lunch. "Oh yes, he managed to force some lunch down. Despite feeling sick. He was very hungry. You see, he had had NO BREAKFAST"

Safe in the knowledge that DS was actually fundamentally safe and sound, and surprised that DH had not actually been feeding the DCs in my absence, I turn up at the school to collect DS.

Matron fixed me with a gimlet eye. "You've been away! Why has DS had no breakfast? Mums need to stay at home!!!"

At the time, I mumbled my apologies. AIBU to feel unreasonably irritated?

Am just extremely impressed that he normally has a cooked breakfast on school days.

Matron clearly a little mad - perhaps you could have reminded her that without your job school fees may not get paid (assuming its private as there's a matron).

DH normally cooks them breakfast - pancakes or sausages or something, with fruit salad. Separately I mean.

Where is Xenia when you need her? She wouldn't have quailed ...

How very rude. Hope she is embarrassed next time she sees you.

heavens, how did I miss that. A cooked breakfast with fruit salad - on week days.

That would be Christmas in our house

Come and live with us pointy. Heaven knows we need a better mother figure in this house.

Really? Can I? I think I might like to

Breakfast and cooking are not words that normally go together in this house, except possibly on Christmas Day, New Year, Easter and birthdays, when croissants may be warmed up.

'Matron' (ffs) is clearly wired to the moon. Or to the 1950s.

Bloody hell, Quattro - I pictured you as the biffing-Matron-in-the-nose type. Am a bit pleased you quail like the rest of us at times!

Matron needs to give up her job and go home to keep house for Mr Matron.

Please can I come and have brekkie at yours? Beats Shreddies!

Matron can do one. YANBU.

DH is good at that, I think. Glad to hear you are moving in Pointy. You can go and face Matron next time

let me at 'em, let me at 'em (nicked from wizard of oz)

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

'Matron' - what a quaint name. Like the name, this one seems to belong to a different irrelevant era. Haven't come across one yet - but will be prepared for snappy comebacks if I do.

She sounds like she belongs in an Enid Blyton book.

Unfortunately she is real. She has an office. It is frightening going in there.

My mother was a nurse in a time gone by and she spoke with trepidation about a 'matron' as well who would rap them if they did not fold the beds down tight and perfect.

Lol Quattro. You will need to imagine her naked ... or not.

YANBU to be annoyed with the Matron as whatever her feelings about working mums she should be professional at all times.
BUT having worked in a child care environment it is frustrating and upsetting to find that a child hasn't eaten before going to school and to try to contact parents who are never available.. this or that meeting. We had several parents 'forget' to pick up their child and strolled up at 19.00 in the evening, each parent had assumed the other had picked the child up!!
However your son had had a banana and is obviously left in each others care whilst the other works.The matron was probably venting but there is no excuse.

YABVVVVU. all mothers should stay at home at all times just in case their DSs get sick. and as for not ensuring he has a nutritious and filling breakfast while you are off gadding about the world. Well. words fail me.
i love your matron. if there were more like her children's worlds would be a much nicer happier and orgainsed place to liove in.

It's not her job to pass comments of that nature.

'X needs a proper breakfast'(from whichever parent is doing breakfasts) would be at the limit of her remit. & even then, I would assume that a child of school age is capable of fuelling at break if for any reason they'd missed breakfast.

Actually, I'd probably complain. & chuff knows I'm normally tuned to 'school' rather than 'parent' sympathies, but that's quite outrageous.

Your poor DS. He "managed to force down some lunch". I can just imagine the effort and goading that needed.

Matron should stick to giving health, not lifestyle, advice.