Schoolgate Mafia

[Smarteenie]

I am having an absolute nightmare with the politics that surround the School Gate Mafia. I just wasn't expecting it. Does anyone have any tips on dealing with it? I am taking the approach of smiling and being pleasant to everyone but finding it difficult when they are all in their little cliques and permanently looking down their noses at some of the mothers. Can't cope with another 6 years of it!! I am on the PTA etc. Is it just a case of carry on smiling and not letting it get me down (for 6 years?!)?!

Oh it's Ok Dinny, it's not really sinister, she just walks up to me and takes Ds2 out of my hands and won't give him back so I feel like a lemon standing there.
She also grabs Ds1 when he comes out and kisses him etc. I wouldn't mind if we knew her well but we don't.

I just prefer to hold my own children. She sees everyone's children as her own. I hate it!

oh, weird, Flight!

has she got her own kids?? does she kiss them too? or maybe yours are especially scrummy???

Yes she is very full on with all of them.

It's just a bit odd. The other day we were stood in the queue and she appeared, tried to grab the baby out of my arms, and I held on and said 'No I'm keeping him today ' and she had to back down, she was Ok though. I was prepared. I used to not say anything, it is unnatural when someone else grabs your four year old as soon as he wanders dazed out of school, lifts him in the air and starts kissing him.

Or maybe it's just me

Yeah, agree with Twig as usual.

What are you all talking about? As I wait to pick up my children, a thing I do less than I would like because of work, I chat to some other mums and even some dads too.

Some I know well, some less well. Some are my DCs' pals' mums, some not.

Some I like a lot and maybe even go out for a drink with now and then; others I am less keen on personally, but that's OK because we're not moving in together, we're just chatting about the weather, or the washing, or last week's class assembly...

Flight, that woman sounds particularly Odd !

Dinny, my guess is that most mums don't include her in chat etc because of a combination of her child's problems and her own lack of confidence and possibly other more shallow reasons too.

I am championing the cause of school gate mums who don't wear make-up on a daily basis/don't have nicely under control hair/don't seem to be able to dress "smart casual" with ease/ don't have a size 10 figure after having 2 or more children.

No-one has bitched about me within earshot yet !

Did someone mention make up? Do people wear that after having children????!!!!