Public Display of Mum Rage

[gillandjoe]

We've all seen it at some point - a stressed out mum losing her cool in public.

Unfortunately, today it was me. A woman allowed her two dogs into the dog-free area for children in my local park. I wasn't going to say anything BUT one of the dogs then pooed and the woman made no attempt to pick it up and was extremely rude and aggressive when I asked her to. Next thing I knew we were both shouting at each other, she threatened to beat me up if it wasn't for my baby (thanks Joe!), I called her an uncivilised savage (I'm ashamed to say) and she, bizarrely, told me my husband is f***ing his secretary! Well, I'm not married, my partner doesn't have a secretary and DOGS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO POO IN THE CHILDREN'S AREA! So there!

Anyway, I have spent the rest of the day feeling like an idiot. Anyone else have any funny stories like this to cheer me up?!

[The Nappy Lady]

As a Mum and a dog owner I applaud you. I'm always politely pointing out stuff like this to other dog owners and sometimes get abuse back but I just smile and say I would hate them to get a fine etc.

Good on you for doing what you did.

Xx

[Jacks50]

Please don't feel like an idiot!! That's her job. I think what you did was fantastic and she totally needed to be told. Well done for standing up to her.

[Cora]

Not an idiot...well done for having the guts to say something...I always sit there festering and spend the rest of the day wishing I had said something. You can't win! Although she didn't seem like she would change her behaviour after your spat I'm sure she won't want to go through that again and may think twice before letting her dog in again?

[bluesuperted]

Absolutely agree, thank you for saying something. I walked down my road last week dodging what can only be described as a ridiculous trail of (still warm!!) dog poo and it made me so sad and so so angry! I wish the council earnt itself money by properly patrolling and fining people. They would make a fortune in Peckham I'm sure.

Oh and in the dog free bit!!!!! Extra extra rage!

[Pickle]

Don't feel like an idiot - well done you for standing up to her! Have stored away "uncivilised savage" to use myself at some point, love it!

[susyp]

That's brilliant that you said something. Love that phrase too.

Susypx

[eco79]

Last week a lady told me they were calling someone to 'get me' on my way home after I asked her not to bunk the queue at my surgery's baby clinic. Some people threaten violence sadly.

On the poo front, I spent a chunk of this afternoon with an old fork cleaning dog muck out of my pram tyres. So thank you for saying something.

[Fuschia]

When my twins were small I developed a pathological hatred of people who blocked the mother and baby spaces at sainsburys, due to the sheer impossibility of getting a trolley and getting two babies in to it if parked miles from the store

One day I drew up and spotted a man in a white transit sitting in one of the spaces yakking on his mobile. I pulled up in a fury and leapt out of the car, despite a torrential downpour. Ignoring the heavy rain I strode across to his car znd was about to knock on his window and give him what for when I spotted the baby seat in the passenger side ...

[Convex]

good for you

sorry you felt embarrassed but i reckon she will keep one eye peeled for you before she does it again!

[Carbonara]

She sounds thoroughly uncivilised and savage!

[toomuchchocolate]

Not sure I would have been quite so polite. Well done you for confronting her.

[SebsC]

I wish there was a 'like' button as I really wanted to like Fuschias post! I did exactly the same thing. I think I secretly enjoy going to Sainsburys just so that I can vent my frustrations and stresses from the week on the inconsiderate arses who park in the Parent and Child spots when they clearly have no child with them. I do confront people who park there as I am desperately trying to struggle with little one, bags of shopping, a faulty trolley and no space to open my car door to get the little one in. But one particularly stressful day I did actually angrily knock on someone's window who was sitting there, only to see a child sitting in the back. I had to mumble my apologies and beat a hasty retreat!

[fufton]

Re Sainsburys - totally agree - most frustrating thing ever. Every time I have asked someone to move or not park there I've been met with a blank stare as if I was making up some strange new rule. So now, when I get that reaction, I just make a note of the reg - go to the customer servce desk and get the carpark security guy - and have them fined.

Maybe a little OTT - but makes me feel better :)

[jj55]

I don't have a funny story to cheer you up but yours has made me laugh out loud! thank you! and well done for saying something - you've given me the courage to do the same when I next need to.

[midivydale]

Well done you!

[Jasmina]

Your story made me laugh! Well done you! She needed to be told. x

[jac428]

I am with Fushia on the parent and child spaces. Last week after trying to find a space for twenty mins big enough to get toddlers out of their car seats from both sides of the car, I parked in the far back. As i was walking back a woman was loading her groceries in one of the reserved spaces. She had no child in sight and there was no seat in the back. I took a picture (that includes the license plate) and sent in a complaint letter. I hope she gets a ticket. Even if she doesnt, i felt better for at least doing something. I never want to confront people for fear of a violent reaction. You never know what kind of day someone was having...

[ClareC]

Glad it's not just me! Both dog poo and parent spaces make me see red!

I have a dog, I don't allow him in the children area and I pick up! Don't see why others can't.... Hardly difficult!

As for the parent spaces, always full of cars with no children! I only use them if i have both toddlers with me but rarely get one. I parked the furthest point surrounded by spaces to ensure I could get two toddlers out ok, came back to find a gas van parked as close as he could get one side despite the many empty spaces.... Grrrr

On another occasion a tiny car parked wonky so the back was really close whilst the front was far away, ended up having to take each toddler into the front and climb through the middle to the back, I was fuming!

[awilliams123]

Re parking spaces, this also makes me livid. Countless attempts to park in one of those spots so that i could open the door far enougt to be able to get the baby out without bashing the car next to me or bashing my or my baby's head. I honestly think that supermarkets should move the parent and child spots a bit further away from the very front. This could keep inconsiderate ******** from taking up these spots. And as long as there was a trolley park reasonably close, i really wouldn't mind walking the extra few bloody metres.

[EmmaCC]

I had major mum rage in goose geeen playground a few weeks ago. I was in there with my husband and 2 kids - my eldest daughter was on the swings with her dad and I was chasing my son, who is 17 months, round the playground. He spotted a football being kicked about by a group of boys/teenagers and ran over to try to play.. one of then kicked the ball away from him, hard against the wall, clearly annoyed that my son had tried to go near his ball. This really, really annoyed me for some reason so I went over to them, picked my son up and "playfully" tackled the ball off one of the boys... probably a stupid thing to do but I didn't expect the reaction I got from one of his friends which was "Why don't you punch her in the head...!". I'm afraid that at this comment I just completely lost it and said that "if any of you lay a finger on me I will punch every one of you!" and used some choice swear words to tell them what I thought of them and that they were too bloody old to be in the playground anyway...they didn't say another word... husband thought I'd overreacted which of course I had, and also thought it was silly of me to challenge them "in case one of them had a knife" but I just couldn't help myself .. I can blame the lack of sleep or lots of things but I think I just lost it for a moment and felt very protective of my son. It did completely spoil what should have been a lovely afternoon in the playground and I spent the rest of the day feeling like an idiot.., especially as I know lots of parents would have heard me shouting at them but wou;dn't have known what they said to me to provoke the reaction! Lesson learnt - don't try to be clever and pretend to be any good at football!

[gillandjoe]

You shouldn't worry EmmaCC, as a former teacher I am physically unable to say nothing if confronted with rudeness from a teenager. I probably would have thrown their ball into the road or something!

We should all start one of those 'Mums against ...' groups but I have a feeling that people might laugh at us

xx

[childsleepsolutions]

I think it is great you said something! I get serious mum rage too! I was at my local v busy sainsburys recently and waited over 5 minutes clearly indicating to go into a space when some moron nipped in ahead of me! I was furious and shouted abuse out of the window at him (dreadful example to my kids in the back!). He just laughed at me and walked off so when I parked I went around the supermarket until I could find him and gradually stole times back out of his trolley as revenge! I intentionally took things that seemed essential ingredients like flour and chicken etc. It was really quite satisfying!

[Fuschia]

CSS, that's brilliant!

[EDmummy]

EmmaCC, I completely relate to what you are saying and think the kids were a bit out of order. I also remember feeling similarly to you when my kids were young (here comes the....) but the Goose Green playground was definitely designed for a mixed age group and older kids are the group the basketball rings were designed for. My oldest son and I occasionally shoot hoops there and I have to say that there have been occasions when very young children have run under our legs etc and have stopped us from playing because of concern for their safety. As I said, I completely empathise with your post and have no intention of challenging you (certainly not after the fear you put into the pre-teens :-)) but we owe it to all young people to deal with them in a calm but direct way.

Back on topic of mother rage, I once confronted a guy yelling at me from his car as I'd gone through a busy intersection and was just outside of the box (marked on the road). I got out of my car (all 9 +1 week pregnant with what turned out to be an over 10lb baby) and *loudly* asked him If he got off on speaking that way to pregnant ladies!