'Playground Mafia'

[joolz1910]

I have just been reading Natalie and Joh's pre-trippie (fab )and was struck by how their friendship came about - because of an unkind comment in the playground aimed at one of them. Well, the 'playground mafia' is really evident at my daughters' school, and I'm definitely not a member Some of the behaviour includes ignoring, spreading malicious gossip, patronising, criticising, pushing their kids to be the 'stars', you know the type...

I wondered whether other mums (or dads) had experienced similar behaviour from other parents in the playground?

 

[natalielongstaff]

there are definate Cliques at my school !! i let them get on with it now as you say i got a lot more out of it than i expected.

Thanks for your kind comments on the trippie

 

[joolz1910]

I am always surprised at how these women operate - I'm like you in that I let them get on with it. I'm pretty sure that I have been judged as 'not worth getting to know' which suits me fine.

My eldest was at a party last week, and being polite, I complimented the mum on the party and said how much my DD had enjoyed it. She looked me up and down and said, 'Oh, you're Olivia's mum, I've never seen you at the school.' And I was duly dismissed.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I must admit some of the mums at Kyra's pre-school are a bit clicky but they seem to want to want to talk to me, no idea why

 

[natalielongstaff]

My eldest was at a party last week, and being polite, I complimented the mum on the party and said how much my DD had enjoyed it. She looked me up and down and said, 'Oh, you're Olivia's mum, I've never seen you at the school.' And I was duly dismissed.

Her loss

 

[wilma-bride]

I have to admit that I haven't come across the cliques, the *****ing and sniping - I am obviously the exception rather than the rule I am eternally grateful to the playground mafia at Nat's kids' school though

 

[Haworthfamily]

Oh We have them!
When Freya started the school 4 years ago I was really nervous being a 'new mum' but you soon know who to avoid!

X

 

[joolz1910]

Yes, you soon learn who to avoid. In Olivia's playground it's usually the ones whose voices can be heard above everyone else's, and their sentences always begin with 'I' or 'My'.

The 'Don Corleone' of our playground quizzed me on what I did for a living once, the conversation went like this:
Do you work?
Yes.
Really? Do you work in town?
No, I work in Birmingham.
Whereabouts?
*name of my school*
Really? *looks bemused* Are you a teaching assistant?
No, I'm a teacher.
*Jaw drops to the floor and I am never again spoken to, only curtly acknowledged*

 

[emily1982]

I don't have much experience of the parental cliques obviously not being one myself, but im glad something good came out of a not nice situation.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Yes, you soon learn who to avoid. In Olivia's playground it's usually the ones whose voices can be heard above everyone else's, and their sentences always begin with 'I' or 'My'.

The 'Don Corleone' of our playground quizzed me on what I did for a living once, the conversation went like this:
Do you work?
Yes.
Really? Do you work in town?
No, I work in Birmingham.
Whereabouts?
*name of my school*
Really? *looks bemused* Are you a teaching assistant?
No, I'm a teacher.
*Jaw drops to the floor and I am never again spoken to, only curtly acknowledged*

Luckily the mums at Kyra's pre-school are actually nice.

 

[T16GEM]

Shelby only goes to preschool at the moment but I must admit that I have taken to waiting in the car until the kids are allowed in / out, I can't be doing with the groups that appear to have formed there. Quite sad really not to feel welcome, but I always feel as though I'm being judged, good job that Shelby likes it there though - the actual teachers are all lovely!

 

[joolz1910]

Thankfully there are always a few 'normal' mums loitering in the playground. I have managed to find a couple of nice mums through trial and error. As for the Mummy-mafia, I just can't understand their need to snipe.

 

[jjk]

i used to have to deal with a few mums like this, but thankfully i dont have to do the school run anymore, as my boys are all at secondary school

 

[aaronandterri]

lol im pretty sure im labelled as not worth talking too with my 5 bratty...umm i mean darling children in tow...
it does not help that my best mate has 4 kids too so we look like a right brood.
i think i talk to most of the sane mums and we do have affectionate names for some of the nutty mums...does that make me bad???
(would never call them to there face )

terri x

 

[mandymouse]

I'm so glad this was something I never experienced, the majority of the mum's at the girls old infant school (over the road from my house) and their junior school were very friendly ~ and even all these years on, we always say 'hello' to each other when we run into each other

 

[joolz1910]

I think it depends on the school. At my daughter's old school, the mums were really great and funny. There was no playground mafia. I told this to a friend who said, 'if you think there is no mafia at your school, it's probably because you're in it!'

 

[GlendaONeill]

I think it depends on the school. At my daughter's old school, the mums were really great and funny. There was no playground mafia. I told this to a friend who said, 'if you think there is no mafia at your school, it's probably because you're in it!'

I'm probably Don Corleone (I can't spell) at my kids school as I'm the Parents' Council chairperson!

 

[joolz1910]

I'm probably Don Corleone (I can't spell) at my kids school as I'm the Parents' Council chairperson!

I'm sure you aren't! It's not possible to be a DISer and in the 'Mafia' - the two just don't go together.

 

[GlendaONeill]

Thanks Juliette

 

[Ware Bears]

I never experienced this at either the infants or junior schools that my DDs went to. Perhaps this was because both were large schools with more than 120 children in each year so consequently there were too many parents in the playground for any cliques to be effective?