What's the most barking thing you've witnessed at a mum's group?

[Berts]

Not just the usual competitive, Stepford Mommies rubbish, but real 'back away now, slowly' stuff.

Mine was when one of the babies, ten months old fell over and banged his head. His mum picked him up to give him a cuddle (of course) but, when he didn't stop crying pretty quickly she stands him on her lap, looks him in the eye and starts barking: "Man up! Come on, Man up!"

Barking being the operative word...

[eminemmerdale]

I apologise. there have been other people on this thread discussing 'dodgy areas' and 'funny things' that 'dperived' people have said. I didnt see any nasty remarks directed at them.

[eminemmerdale]

Was I actually taking the piss? Please tell me if everyone thinks that.

[MollyMurphy]

Well, not a group per se, but the more bizarre parenting behaviour I've seen was at a friends birthday dinner held at a restaurant. This couple, lets call them Bob and Karen, had been practicing elimination communication with their 4 month old from birth (their version of it anyway).

They spent the entire party asking the poor kid - do you have to go pee?, how about poop? Bob I think he has to go, he has a look about him! Take him to the bathroom again Bob I'm sure he has to go....Jr are you ready to pee yet? Bob spent the whole dinner in the bathroom holding the child over the toilet.

Jr didn't have to go until they left - we saw them hovering him over the pavement outside of their car while he pooped in the parking lot .

2 people have never made parenting look less fun.

[Viviennemary]

A mum having hysterics about which toys went back in which cupboard and if they all didn't go on the right shelf in the right cupboard then they wouldn't all fit in. She proceeded to take them all again. That we'd just put away. I beat a hasty retreat and thank goodness don't have to suffer that any more!

[helpyourself]

Slightly off topic, but this happened 10 years ago and haunts me still...
Toddler is pushchair at a city farm, goat goes over sniffs at babe, who is holding a rusk and chews hard
His hand was like a fucking hamburger.
Mum pushed him over to a member of staff and asked to see a manager and was ranting and raving and asking to see risk assessments and H&S policies.
His hand was like something out of a horror movie.

[pictish]

Vivienne - I have experienced the same. Me and my mate thought we were being helpful putting the toys away but we did it wrong. And boy did we know it! She came stamping over all red faced and abrupt and pretty much told us off before making a big show of heaving them all out again looking very out out.

Ok fair enough they go in in a certain way...but her manner was

[pictish]

put out rather...

[fuckadoodlepoopoo]

I used to go to one where the lady running the group was mostly interested in selling things to the new mums. She wasn't much interested in me as she knew i wasn't as well off as the others and she made it pretty obvious. Even said "who are you?" when i walked in, even though she knew exactly who i was and had been the one who had invited me to the group (before she found out i wasn't rich).

There was also the older kid of one of the mums who would turn up at the end of each session and play the drums as loud as she could, making all the babies cry and her mum wouldn't say a word.

And the one where the kid hit another one right round the head with a book and the mum, who was busy on the phone, went over and just patted her child on the head!

The one where the mum ranted about not wanting sn kids in her child's classes at school because they would take precious attention away from her child apparently. I told her what i thought of that!

The mum who pushed my child in anger. I was so shocked i didn't even say anything. I couldn't believe my eyes! Later found out she's a childminder

The playgroup leader who stood up in front of everyone and used me as a example of what NOT to do. She completely humiliated me

The one where my dc poked another child and the child's mum preceded to list all the naughty things she felt my child had done in the two minutes since she had arrived. These were mostly imaginary slights against her pfb. I wanted to tell her where to go but she looked well rough!

The mum who tried to sell herself as a fun party entertainer whilst sitting scowling at all the kids.

[JollyRedGiant]

I thought the mums around here were weird, but it appears not.

[fuckadoodlepoopoo]

emerdale. I thought what you said was fine. The issue clearly wasn't that she was poor or whatever but that she spoke to her child in a shocking way. I didn't really understand that other posters reaction.

[eminemmerdale]

Thank you - I hate feeling like I've been offensive in any way :(

[pictish]

eminemmerdale - I didn't think you were taking the piss or being nasty either. x

[MrsMushroom]

eminemmerdale I think it was your paraphrasing the women there and imitating them..."laydee" and all that. It comes over as unkind. Ecpecially from someone who is meant to go into places and not judge.

[fuckadoodlepoopoo]

But that just explains how the woman spoke. People do that all the time on here. My favourite are the Scottish accent ones.

[pictish]

Oh leave her alone MrsMushroom - I'm sure she is professional in her job, but she is allowed a sense of humour about it as well. Give over.

[ubik]

The mum who charged across the room shrieking:"oh my God, I have told you to stop doing that, will you please stop doing that!"

I expected to see her three year old son pushing/biting/kicking/mooning

But no, he had dressed up in a fairy outfit.

All the other mothers were like

[eminemmerdale]

It wasn't meant to be unkind. At all. Just a moment that I found quite shocking. If it helps at all, I had a long and serious talk with the group leader at the end about how we could help the group in different ways and am going back again in a month or so to offer more help if i can :( Sorry :(

[eminemmerdale]

Please, keep up with the funny stories!! Pretend I never happened

[MrsMushroom]

I won't say anymore apart from this. In our society it's "ok" to take the piss out of the working classes. But not out of other vulnerable members of society.

I don't like it and I will always speak up. It's not their fault they're uneducated or speak in a certain way.

No offence meant *emin I can tell that....

[PoppyAmex]

helyourself that's horrible! Was the mum arguing about risk assessments when the baby had a mangled hand?

[foofooyeah]

This has had me crying with laughter .... thanks foreversunny

Years ago, a mum and her son had been offered an unexpected lift home by another parent.

Her son had just turned 4 years old. She acquired a car seat which happened to be a group 1 baby car seat (the type you pick up and carry). She then went on to try and strap her 4 year old into the baby car seat.

Well as you can imagine, he wasn't willing to say the least. She eventually got him in, all arms and legs everywhere, only for him to roll the car seat over and attempt to walk with it on his back, while still being strapped into it. It was like watching some sort of giant, robotic, black tortoise.

[kerala]

Dd1 at 18 months went through a hitting stage. I hovered over her and warned the other mothers at this playgroup I used to go to. One said " if she hits my kid I'll f - Ing slap her". Nice. I never went back. No one spoke to me there which was fine as their main conversation topic was how best to commit benefit fraud. We moved out of the area (thank god)

[Viviennemary]

And one year two weeks before Halloween somebody made an announcement that there was to be No mention of Halloween and no Halloween activities or because the Vicar's wife wouldn't like it as it was a pagan festival. The playgroup wasn't even anything to do with the church and in a different building altogether. As if a whole lot of two year olds were going to turn into devil worshippers or something. Honestly some folk!!

[Dfg15]

no need to be sorry, you weren't being unkind at all,as far as I could see. just relating a story like everyone else on this thread

[VisualiseAHorse]

Not sure which is funnier. Panpipe Lady or Turtle Child.