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What should I do about this mum shouting at my dd?

31 replies

dramaattheschoolgate · 10/09/2018 17:27

OK, there are on going issues between a girl in dd's class and dd. From the school and my side we are all satisfied that it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. (or at least it was last year)

But this girl, let's call her J, goes home and tells it all to her mum in dramatic terms, and her mum is convinced my dd is bullying her dd. She is getting angry at school for not acting. But the problem is, her dd is lying to her, or and sometimes it has been resolved at school, but her dd forgets to tell her mum that bit.

In May ish time, before I was aware what a problem this was, she knocked on my door and screamed at me about how my dd was bullying hers and she was tired of it, and that on the way home from school my dd had hit her younger son right in front of her.
This was the first I knew of any issues, but I calmly said, if there is a problem of anything has happened, I will punish dd, and I'll take steps that this can't happen again. Basically believed her, and supported her in following it through.

But then dd told me that she was behind the family skipping, and J had told her mum her skipping rope had hit the boy. It hadn't, and mum hadn't seen anything, it was J that told her mum.

I was in two minds, entirely possible dd was making it up to get out of trouble, but she had no reason to hit the boy, and certainly not right in front of his mum.
So, for the next few weeks, dd either walked home a different way with a different friend, or I collected her, or she went to club.

Then, one afternoon on the playground, the mum comes over to dd and me and starts screaming in dds face about how she is tired of dds bullying her daughter etc. I stepped between dd and mum and repeated many times if there is a problem, lets go and talk to the class teacher, head teacher, and resolve it together. She continued to scream at me and made all sorts of accusations about what my dd had done.
The head came out, and escorted her off the playground. Her behaviour was so extreme that she had a letter telling her that if she did it again she would be banned. Dd was very upset and then out came a whole tale of J winding her up at school and deliberately getting her into trouble.
I realised afterwards that half of what dd had been accused of could not have happened as she was not walking home on her own. I was furious that she had shouted at dd, but I had remained calm and insisted that we go in and ask the teacher to resolve the issues between the girls. She was not interested in the school resolving it.

The family live close to us, and so if dd plays out, she often sees J. She is under strict instructions not to play with her and come home straight away if there are issues.

So, this term. On Friday J accused dd of hurting her little brother in the playground. Dd had a witness that she had been playing with someone else all the time. J did not believe her. I just know J went home and told her mum that dd hurt the brother.
Today, J accused dd of throwing her to the ground. Witnesses say it did not happen. J went home and told her mum it did.

After school dd was playing out with another friend. J's mum came up to her and screamed in her face and swore at her. Dd came home upset and told me. While I am wondering how to handle this, another mum phones to let me know she witnessed it and that she will report it to school tomorrow.

How do I handle this? I know that there are times when it is both girls, dd is not always innocent in this, but J tells her mum a pack of lies and mum believes the lot. But either way, there is no way she can scream (and I am not exaggerating, she really does scream) in a child's face, no matter what has gone on at school. I am so relieved another adult saw it.

Do I call police? Do I rely on school to sort it? Do I go round to speak to the mum? (that won't get very far, she'll just scream at me).
I am at a loss to know how to sort this.
I will go in to school in the morning, and will probably be able to see the head, but it is not at school I am worried about, how do I protect dd from this batshit mother?

OP posts:
dramaattheschoolgate · 10/09/2018 17:32

I should add I have name changed as I am very identifiable from my posts, and sorry for the essay!

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SpottingTheZebras · 10/09/2018 17:34

Go back to your school and ask them to speak to her and reiterate that all concerns need to go through them and not directly to you.

Areyoumyhomewrecker · 10/09/2018 17:35

Do you have a community police officer that can maybe have a word? From what you've said the mum thinks she's right regardless and it doesn't seem like she's willing to see sense. Getting the police involved might have her back off but may also end up being a saving grace if it continues, that way there will be an official record in case further action is required.

BookMeOnTheSudExpress · 10/09/2018 17:36

You don't handle it.

The school handles it.

How do you know categorically that the other girl is lying? Because you believe your own child. Like she does.

You need to speak to the school and explain to them what's happening. It may be 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. The other girl may be lying. Your daughter may be lying. Ask the people who are with them at school (not their other friends, who are always going to stick up for one or the other) what is going on.

The mother's reaction sounds excessive tbh, if it really is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

UserHistory · 10/09/2018 17:37

Let the school deal with it.

Inform the head that batshit mum is harassing you and your dd and ask that they advise her to stop talking with you and your dd about it.
Tell the school you are fearful, as she’s come around where you live.

Coming round your house and harassing you isn’t on. Make a note of it and if it continues, go to the police.

Tell your dd to behave herself, and to ignore this other girl until they’re both more mature. Ask her to keep notes if this other girl or her mum make any comments to her at all, and Not to respond to them.

mrsnolasco · 10/09/2018 17:38

I’m wondering if this is the same family I had trouble with last year, before I moved away! Do you live in a village B in the south west?
If so, she was doing the same to my daughter, got in her face screaming and shouting, followed her from school, threatened to set fire to our house, all witnessed by other mums. We kept logging it with 101, and she was told the day before we moved that anymore and she would be arrested. There was another girl she used to do it to aswell.
Also, make sure school are informed.

BigBlueBubble · 10/09/2018 17:40

I’m afraid I’d call the police if this woman is harassing your child outside of school.

didyouseetheflaresinthesky · 10/09/2018 17:40

Call police. She can't be permitted to keep accosting a child and screaming in her face.

Topseyt · 10/09/2018 17:45

Get the school to handle whatever happens on their premises.

If batshit mum insists on coming to your house to scream and rant at you then tell her that you will call the police if she doesn't leave.

Theworldisfullofgs · 10/09/2018 17:46

Keep talking to the school. If it continues ask the school to have a joint meeting with you and the other mum. Ask them to mediate and reiterate to both of you what is acceptable behaviour. It's not at all that your behaviour isn't good but doing it together would make it more likely she will listen. (She's doing the blame , shifting responsibility etc.)

If happens outside school a lot I'd think about your other options, if you've exhausted all school can do.

schopenhauer · 10/09/2018 17:50

I would log it with non emergency number for the police. She should not be doing that under any circumstances. I assume the school supports your view that your dd is not bullying this J?

littletike · 10/09/2018 18:02

I would log with the police and inform school - the school can't protect your DD outside of school and apart from anything if the police are involved it might deter J telling anymore lies

Silentnighttwo · 10/09/2018 18:03

I wouldnt let DD play out without adult supervision for the time being. Definitely involve the school ASAP.

Pebblesandfriends · 10/09/2018 18:36

Keep a log book of all incidents with date and times. Tell the head you will be consistently reporting all incidents on school property involving the mum. Keep calm and don't engage. If she does anything outside of school log it, record it on your phone if you can, and report to police.

dramaattheschoolgate · 10/09/2018 18:37

How do you know categorically that the other girl is lying? Because you believe your own child. Like she does.

no, if you read I have said that there are times when it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, but there are other times when I know she is lying. The incidents on Friday and today, there are plenty of witnesses who backed dd.

Some of the incidents claimed by the mum last time she shouted could not have happened because she said 'on the way home from school your dd did this and that'
But for those weeks dd had never walked home alone, she was accompanied by an adult, so she could not have done as J said.

BESIDES which. Even if dd was 100% at fault, it is never acceptable for an adult to approach an unaccompanied child, and scream swear words in her face. (the mum who phoned me to let me know it had happened was shocked at the language she used. Mind you she probably isn't on mn)

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dramaattheschoolgate · 10/09/2018 18:40

I assume the school supports your view that your dd is not bullying this J?

school thinks it is both girls, but not bullying, lots of playground squabbles, and each time dealt with, and punishment as appropriate, sometimes one, sometimes the other.
I support this, dd isn't always right, but it is both of them. The problem comes in how J reports this to her mum

Got to go out for a bit, catch up with replies later

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Flexoset · 10/09/2018 18:51

I would tell the school and the police about all of this.

Even if all her daughter's allegations were true, it would still be unacceptable (and batshit) for the mum to be behaving like this. You don't even need to get into whether or not the allegations are true - that's almost a red herring here. A sane and reasonable adult doesn't scream and swear aggressively at someone else's kid, and doesn't go to their house to do so to the parents, either.

This woman has problems and sounds unhinged and dangerous. No wonder her daughter is developing problems as well.

dramaattheschoolgate · 10/09/2018 21:08

right, so I going in to school tomorrow, and hopefully can see the head.

Unfortunately dd's class teacher is new to the school and has no idea about all this. I have an appointment to see him on Thursday, which was originally to give him a heads up about the on going issue between them. No idea this was going to happen in between!

and actually, now I think about it, since the mum screamed at dd in the summer dd has been keeping away from J as much as she can, she told me she stays close to friend B in the playground as he is pretty straightforward and doesn't lie, so teachers believe him. Basically she hangs round with him to be her witness if J tries anything.

It feels less and less as if it is both of them and more and more one sided.

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April2020mom · 10/09/2018 21:21

Get in contact with the school. Keep detailed records of dates and times. Involve the head of the school too. Use your phone to call the police immediately if she comes into your house again uninvited. Insist on meticulous record keeping. Explain everything to the principal and teaching staff.

Consider moving away from her if her behaviour escalates. None of this is what normal people do. Also please start seeing a therapist pronto. Find a decent local therapist and ask for techniques to help you cope with this issue. Get your daughter into therapy as well. Have you considered different schools or not? It might be a good idea if she is truly incapable of changing her behaviour.

dramaattheschoolgate · 10/09/2018 21:35

we won't be changing schools, or moving house! Dd has just started year 6, she has been in this school since nursery and would be devastated to not spend her last year with her friends.
She won't be going to secondary with any of them. I suspect once dd and J are not in the same school, J's mum will find another target.

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Witchofwisteria · 10/09/2018 21:35

Well done for not laying that bitch out, because I think it would take all of my strength for me to not punch her straight in the face.

Speak to the school again, regardless of the other mum cooperating. Say if she screams at her on school property again you want them to enforce the ban. If she starts screaming at her outside of school again in the playground then call police, non emergency number it's threatening behaviour towards a child. Inform the school of these intentions.

In the meantime please go and supervise your child playing. Watch from a distance when the other children are there. See the action unfold for yourself and determine how much of it is true. Is there a way you can do this without being spotted?

Witchofwisteria · 10/09/2018 21:40

@April2020mom Really?? A therapist will cost hundreds and moving just because of 1 lunatic??

You must be able to shit money.

dramaattheschoolgate · 10/09/2018 21:43

The sad thing is, we pulled her off unsupervised playing for most of the summer, partly as J was always out when dd went to play out with friends. Then things seemed to be OK (J wasn't around and dd was just going round to friends houses, rather than playing on the green)

She had arranged to meet a friend after school, and they went from her house to the green, and J was on her way home and passed them when the incident occurred.
So we are back to not playing out, which I hate and she hates, as it cuts her off from the others.

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dramaattheschoolgate · 11/09/2018 11:11

so, spoken to head, spoken to her class teacher, and reported to police.

The police took it very seriously when they realised it was adult to child.
The other parent also told me what was said. Threatening, swearing and thoroughly unpleasant Sad

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Tomorrowillbeachicken · 11/09/2018 11:27

I’d get the school involved straight away. Woman sounds unhinged and shouldn’t be on the playground. The school needs to deal with the child lying too.