After a serious need for some venting after going to the park yesterday, I decided to participate in Chief's What I meant To Say Wednesday
To the group of moms circled around talking at the park:
What I said: Nothing
What I wish I had said: I know you all have your big group and are all friends, but since I am the only mom here not part of your group don't you think you could at least look my way and acknowledge me. I am probably more interesting and entertaining than half of the people in your little click anyway.
To my friends when they finally showed up at the park:
What I said: "Hi! Glad you're here!"
What I was feeling: I am so glad you are here, I was feeling like a 14-year-old girl standing by the wall hoping someone would ask me to dance.
To the group of boys with really big sticks running wildly around the playground charging towards me and my friends' kids (whose moms were completely obviously)
What I said: "Go play somewhere else as you are not being nice and someone is going to get hurt."
What I wanted to say: Okay stupid little brats, you are 5 and already acting like a big gang. If your mothers would pay even a little bit of attention to you I bet they would not like you playing with those sticks... then again maybe they are too self involved that they don't even care. So get the heck away from my kids or there will be consequences.
To the Mothers of the gang of boys-when their group of boys went all the way across the park, out the fence and into the street:
What I said: "Oh no!"
What I wanted to say: Yeah, serves you right. I am here with my friends too, but we actually pay attention to our kids. And based on how your boys were acting before it does not surprise me one bit that they ran out into the street.
And I have to share what the one dad that was at the park said during this incident: "What is amazing is with a group of moms that big not one of you noticed." --Preach it Park Daddy! Especially since my two kids (and my friends kids) were nicely playing in the sand under the playground.
This is great! I had the same feeling at the boys' basketball games yesterday. All of the moms seem to be in some club I don't know about and have decided to be the best of friends. And I feel like an outsider there. Ugh. Hate it.
ReplyDeleteI always love me a little park drama!
ReplyDeleteFrustrating. I'm glad your friends finally showed up. I've been alone at the park when people were supposed to come too, it's a lot less fun!
ReplyDeleteHa ha! I've had those same kinds of conversations in my head. I hate when people totally ignore their kids at the park. Luckily I just happened to marry a guy that works at a detention center. And because he is paranoid about what everyone else will do I have to keep a VERY CLOSE eye on my kids where ever we go.
ReplyDeletePS- I think you should have said what you thought there at the end, you are way to nice. :)
I can't stand mother's who don't pay attention. Drives me crazy.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from Chief's...
ReplyDeleteWomen can be so catty sometimes.
I love that "Park daddy" said something!
This totally cracked me up!
ReplyDeleteI've been banned from the park now. Cuz I just say it ;)
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to participate in this blog hop-- I will, I will, eventually!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain on the "mommy cliques". I am lucky to have a great group of girlfriends, and we all have kids the same age; but at the times when I'm "on my own", I feel like I'm back in 8th grade. Why do women DO that to each other?
~Elizabeth
Confessions From A Working Mom
We deal with this quite frequently during the summer at the park across the street. It's OUR neighborhood park, but it's public so lots of other playgroup/moms groups come and use it and most of them let their kids run wild. Or if I'm the only one there other than their group they act like I'm imposing on their playgroup. All that junior high drama all over again!
ReplyDeleteI thought what the dad said was great!
I know, I had always hoped adults would behave differently than a middle school dance, and yet now that I am an adult, I can clearly see some of us never left the middle school way of life. Argh! Too bad you had to experience it. My friends tell me its the same way at the dog park Grrrrr!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! I thought after middle school we were supposed to grow up. Apparently these gals didn't. I would have been thinking and not saying at all. Good for you for shewing the rotten boys away. "Park Daddy" made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteGo Park Daddy!!!
ReplyDeleteThis was all too familiar .. I know exactly the types of moms and kids you mean. They seem to ruin playgrounds everywhere.
Exactly the things that I *would* have said and what I *hoped* I had said.
ReplyDeleteMean moms stink, so do mean kids.
Oh the typical park moms...
ReplyDeleteso cliquey and irritating!
with all their plastic surgery and misbehaved children
pshaw
we are so much better than them!
snort
Park mom's who don't pay attention to their kids irritate me.
ReplyDeleteLove the PD!!! I commend and envy your composure. I get so freaking tense when it seems that I can't let my boys play without hovering because other moms/nannies pay no mind to the harm their children pose to the smaller ones. At our park, there is a toddler area that is fenced in. A group of nannies comes daily and unleashes children between the ages of 5 and 8 so they can chill and know that the kids won't run off or hurt them selves. The children think of the most destructive games to entertain themselves in an an area that is too small and boring for them. It infuriates me and brings out the parent in me that I do not want to be. But... you(your child) may not slide down on top of my 17 month old, especially if I have asked you to please wait until he is off. You may not step on my boys' fingers to get past them if they are going to slow for you. Not without a comment from me. I say something to the nannies and instead of watching the kids, they watch me as if I need to be kept in check. Gah. It is life, I know.
ReplyDeleteYay for Park Daddy! I don't think I could go to the park with all of that nonsense going on!
ReplyDeleteThe park was always an unknown factor! But now you make me wonder if I was ever in a little circle with my friends and didn't notice a solitary mom. I bet that happened many times.
ReplyDeleteThis post cracked me up. I seriously go into teacher mode when I'm at the park since most of the moms are not paying attention in the least. ugh! There have been several occasions where I've rescued dangling children from the monkey bars and their moms were none the wiser.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that your friends showed up!