...inoffensively tell someone you don't know well to take a chill pill when they've kind of asked your advice about something?
My ds3 is in a largely happy little group of 14 3 year olds at morning playgroup. One mother has been trying particularly hard to get her ds (B) settled - started off leaving him for just an hour etc., for many weeks after all the others seemed relaxed and easy about being left. Recently at pick up three of including B's mother were chatting when she said to us, while looking at me "Will he relax next year; it's taking a while?"
I have to say I think she is, for whatever reason, spectacularly unrelaxed and precious herself, which is why B remains fussy and anxious at the playgroup. My ds tells me, unprompted, that he, B, cries a lot and won't share toys.
I see B's mother fussing excessively over him in the mornings, over what he's wearing - seems to be put into a pair of slippers when all the others keep their shoes on, indoor trousers (?) and lots of other little rituals which I think must contribute to B's feeling like an outsider in the environment. Yesterday the class did their end of term "Seaside" concert, very simple with 4 "seashells", 4 "dolphins" etc. on stage. Very sweet. But B's mother just complained about the children being under pressure etc and didn't want B to be in it. Anyway on the day B cried and was cuddled by a teacher. This sort of thing does happen of course but ime the children get over it quickly if they're upset, and mostly they love joining in.
I really don't know the woman well and I would hate to be an interfering Senior Parent type, but B's mother did ask (the question above wasn't her first; she knows my older children went through the same playgroup and on into the attached nursery/ school). But B seems so unhappy.
Do I walk away ? Or tell her my thoughts - or yours if you have different advice ?!