Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to have said this? I've been told it was.

268 replies

Rosieeo · 04/07/2010 18:17

We attended the wedding of a friend yesterday. It was lovely, but there was a little incident that has annoyed me and I want some perspective.

DS is 16 months now and is at the 'must look at and then touch everything ... and then I may break it' stage, so I spend most of my time following him around to make sure he doesn't break it.

The wedding was at a hotel with lovely gardens, complete with beer-garden type tables. People were lovely, adorable to DS and DD, who I (of course) think are pretty adorable too.

DS trotted over to a group of women in their mid to late twenties and did the rounds. I knew one of them and was saying hello when one of the women sneered 'Please don't let him touch me, this is a new dress'. She seemed really unpleasant so I led DS away to the other side of the table and said something along the lines of 'Well, this is what I spend weddings doing nowadays, stopping toddlers from eating things off of the floor' to the acquaintance.

The 'don't touch me woman' piped up 'Thanks for giving me another reason why I will never want or will have children'.

Arg! The boy may be busy and sticky but he is fantastic! I said 'Maybe that's the best thing for everyone', said goodbye to acquaintance and walked off with DS.

Later on that night, acquaintance cornered me in the toilet and told me that 'don't touch me' woman had been in tears all night and was devastated that I'd implied that she would not be a good mother.

Now I feel guilty as hell. Was IBU?

OP posts:
TitsalinaBumSquash · 04/07/2010 18:19

YANBU in my opinion, she sounds vile.

secunda · 04/07/2010 18:19

I think you overreacted a bit and shouldn't have said anything

ivykaty44 · 04/07/2010 18:19

oh dear sounds like she meet her match - if you can't take it - don't dish it out is the smilest way

roulade · 04/07/2010 18:19

Definitely not!

borderslass · 04/07/2010 18:20

not at all I think you where quite restrained.

ReasonableDoubt · 04/07/2010 18:21

Well done for being so quick off the mark with a simple but withering comeback! She sounds like an insecure and unpleasant cowbag. Don't lose a moment's sleep over it.

moonstorm · 04/07/2010 18:21

I probab;y would have said something as well in the circumstances - she should have kept her mouth shut. But then maybe I would have been U.

YANBU

Disenchanted3 · 04/07/2010 18:21

I think you abu! Not everyone is going to be enchanted by your son and have him happily smear their posh frocks.

I think she may have been upset because she probably DOES want kids one day ut is happy living it up at the moment.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 04/07/2010 18:21

NOt at all, as previously said, if she can't atke it then she shouldn't ahve started it.

MrsC2010 · 04/07/2010 18:22

Hmmm, I can understand your frustration especially as she sounds awful...but many people do cover up maternal yearnings by playing that kind of card so perhaps you did hit a nerve. I can't decide whether YABU though, she WAS being pretty awful. I would always think of comments like that an hour later though so fair play to that! At a wedding though perhaps it is generally better to ignore that kind of thing, or be pleasant..."oh they're lovely, don't let a bit of mess put you off" or "it has its good sides too!" kind of thing.

In honesty, a bit of an overreaction I think, and a little bitchy.

junkcollector · 04/07/2010 18:22

Cruel but funny. She sounds a bit prissy and high maintenance.

JaxTellersOldLady · 04/07/2010 18:23

How old was "dont touch me" girl?

Early 20's then YABU as a lot of girls get a bit "no way" and think children are yuk, if she is older (30ish) then she was just being bitchy and YANBU.

sitting on the fence, splinters in my arse

lucky1979 · 04/07/2010 18:23

If she "will never want or will have children" then why on earth is she in tears over someone not thinking she would be a bad mother?

Sounds like an attention seeking moo to me!

shinyrobot · 04/07/2010 18:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Alambil · 04/07/2010 18:24

I think you were rude and unnecessary. I wouldn't take kindly to others' children putting their mucky hands on my new outfit at a wedding...

you could have just laughed it off. Remember, not everyone thinks your children are adorable and fantastic. And that's ok - they're allowed to think that!

pjmama · 04/07/2010 18:24

YANBU. There was no need for her remarks, what did she expect you to do? Apologise for befouling her presence with your revolting offspring and slink off ashamedly? She got exactly what she asked for.

secunda · 04/07/2010 18:24

maybe she can't have them and is just putting up a front. It's done and dusted now, but you caused bad feeling at a wedding, would've been better to keep quiet

usualsuspect · 04/07/2010 18:25

I know you think your kids are wonderful..but not everybody does...

DetectivePotato · 04/07/2010 18:25

YANBU, what a stuck up cow. SHe deserved it.

Junglist · 04/07/2010 18:26

She was a dickhead and a drama queen.

TheCrackFox · 04/07/2010 18:27

Serves her right. She can dish it out but cannot take it back. I have little sympathy for her.

lifeinagoldfishbowl · 04/07/2010 18:27

YABU - I am a nanny and I wouldn't want a sticky handed child I didn't know getting his hands over a nice dress that I had spent money on so that I looked nice - I don't think you needed to retort 'Well, this is what I spend weddings doing nowadays, stopping toddlers from eating things off of the floor' as that would instantly rile anybody up - if someone had said that about the child I looked after I would have apologised and moved him on - not everyone likes or wants children around so we try and keep ourselves to ourselves or with family/other young guests.

pjmama · 04/07/2010 18:28

She's entitled to not like kids or want her precious dress touching. She's NOT entitled to make a comment like that and get away with it. Two different things in my opinion. The "thank you for giving me another reason" remark was just plain bitchy and she deserves all she gets for that IMO.

MaamRuby · 04/07/2010 18:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jaffacake2 · 04/07/2010 18:28

Great reply she deserved it for being obnoxious about children.
If she had someting rude about an adult eg dont see why you would want to be married,then she would have someone say a retort.
Time for her to learn social manners.