Arggh! playground embarrassment.

[allytjd]

DS1 always marches out of class straight up to me and interrupts me if i am chatting to friends or making arrangements, annoying enough. today he waved a note about swimming trials in my face and when i noted that the trial clashed with us leaving for half term holiday (but adding that we might be able to squeeze it in somehow) he went off a negative, the whole world is against me, its all your fault rant and then pinched me hard on the soft skin under my upper arm. I was caught off guard and reacted as though i had been stung or something and clouted DS1 across the top of his head. Everybody saw and went quiet, felt some judgy looks, v.embarrassed. I can cope with verbal cheek but if suddenly hit etc. I react too quickly to stop every time, although i manage to curb the amount of force. I am ashamed of myself and sad that DS1 brings it out in me...I think my halo has well and truly slipped.

personally, im amazed at your control! id have had to top it with a scream too .

I know that you are currently mortified, but please realise that your reaction is completely (unfortunately)absolutely only human.

{{{HUGS}}}

Thanks misscutandstick, its not the first time i have been embarrassed in the playground (ds2 and ds3 were both prone to alfresco peeing when younger), it is jsut that it is a very NICE school with terribly nice parents and lots of vanilla children, i must have seemed like a right harridan! Everybody has calmed down now and DS1 and I are on friendly terms again.

allytjd, when your DS comes out of school, soy "excuse me" to the person you are talking to, and give your DS our full atention.

I don't ignore him Lynette, I aknowledge him with a smile or a hug but I think it is reasonable for him to wait until i have finished my sentence or the person i am speaking to has finished speaking to me and then have him say "excuse me Mum" if he needs to ask me something specific, he didn't even give me a chance just barged up and waved a piece of paper in my face, he is 10 by the way not a tiny and ironically i was arranging a treat for him not gossiping!

Everyones halo slips now and again and the embarrassment will fade with time...it always does. Ignore the judgy folk - they know nothing!

I know exactly how you feel. I am sure I shout louder than anyone else at their child in the playground. I find that even if I give my 5 year old all of my attention, it is not enough, and all I have to do is glance away for a second, and he reacts with gloom and doom, and shouts at me to not ignore him etc. It takes him hours to calm down after school.
don't be too hard on yourself.

God, I so sympathise. My ds is often angry and difficult at the end of the school day, and always interrupts. I sometimes feel very lonely in the playground, to be honest. No matter how nice I am, no matter how much attention I give, he can blow up over anything. Today he demanded, 'what do fish-eaters eat?' (He's obsessed with dinosaurs and jokes and I thought it was a joke, so said, smiling 'I don't know, what do fish-eaters eat?' and he went completely off on one, very angry with me and tearful because I hadn't given the right answer which was, apparently, 'fish'! Then he starts picking me up on everything I say, so I say 'Did someone say the word 'photo-day' re school photos, and shouts, 'it's TWO words not A WORD' at me. I completley lost it when I got home and really shouted at him. Ironically I was also trying to arrange for a new boy to come for tea, and had to abandon it to deal with this crying, shouting child, who on the way home said, 'nobody ever asks me for tea'

Allytyd, it is very hard not to react reflexly when taken off guard and hurt! Trouble is we need thick skin!
Ds can be like this after school too (and he can pinch for england!)- doesn't mean to hurt - kind of seems like he needs a 'reboot' to slow down and get body and brain back in gear!

allytjd - for some reason I presumed he was a lot younger. I don't know why -sorry.

(I guess I should change my name before handing out opinions on this subject! )

I wasn't sure if you were joking or not, I am infamous for not realising people are kidding (and i wonder why two of my kids have social and communication problems!). I am not a huffy type so don't mind but it would probably be kind to put a if you are joking, I really am embarrassingly gullible .