OMG I am so insulted

[Anonymous Posts]

This should be in rants, I guess, but I am so ticked off at this person I know. I like spending time with her one on one - she's lovely to chat with and our kids get along famously. However, whenever I see her at school (which is most of the time), she is notorious for cutting me off in mid sentence - and she doesnt have the courtesy to even restart the conversation - it just ends...

Her kid runs up while I am in the middle of saying something (today she told me something and I was responding to what she said) and she basically walks away from me while I am talking -no saying "sorry hon, so and so was in the middle of saying something so you'll have to wait a minute" - or to me "excuse me for a moment - and then coming back and saying "sorry about that - you were saying???"

It is so unbelievably rude...I don't think I want to spend time with this person anymore! I'm really tired of being treated like that in a social situation. Anyway, needed to vent - thanks for listening

[Anonymous Posts]

This happened to me on the weekend when I went across town to see a friend's performance. We hadn't seen eachother for a long time and although I used to consider her a great friend, she has changed and I am not so sure that I will be contacting her again. We were in the middle of talking, I just had a baby so I was talking about that, and one of her other friends runs up to her and gives her a hug then the two proceed to chat amongst themselves, while I stand like an idiot in the rain waiting to see if her attention will shift back to me. After a couple of minutes I grabbed my kids and walked away. I felt so rejected and offended at her rudeness. There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour in adults, IMO.

[Anonymous Posts]

There are 2 moms like this at school and I have just started to avoid them. Why ask me a question if you aren't interested. What really sucks is that both these moms have children in the same class as mine this year.

[Anonymous Posts]

That sounds really upsetting, especially to walk away while you're in mid-sentence. This may not be your situation at all, but I'm Just wondering, though, whether its possible maye you ramble a bit? I know one of my family members, once you ask him a question, he'll go on for like 1/2 hour at least and keep talking and talking. I don't mean to be rude, but sometimes you just have to interrupt or stand up and walk away. It's really boring to listen to him talk for that long.

Having said that, I know another lady that never seems to be interested in what I have to say. Maybe I'm boring to her, I don't know. Still, she seems very interested in dropping her kid off to play at our house. She always rushes off after she drops her kid off, I guess she's busy but sometimes she's really not. She's just rushing home to cook a gourmet meal for her husband. It would be nice if she'd at least pretend to care what I have to say. Sometimes she stays to have a token 'conversation', but usually she rambles on and on for 1/2 hour and then takes off without me having a chance to say much. I feel so devalued.

[Anonymous Posts]

That sounds really upsetting, especially to walk away while you're in mid-sentence. This may not be your situation at all, but I'm Just wondering, though, whether its possible maye you ramble a bit? I know one of my family members, once you ask him a question, he'll go on for like 1/2 hour at least and keep talking and talking. I don't mean to be rude, but sometimes you just have to interrupt or stand up and walk away. It's really boring to listen to him talk for that long.

Having said that, I know another lady that never seems to be interested in what I have to say. Maybe I'm boring to her, I don't know. Still, she seems very interested in dropping her kid off to play at our house. She always rushes off after she drops her kid off, I guess she's busy but sometimes she's really not. She's just rushing home to cook a gourmet meal for her husband. It would be nice if she'd at least pretend to care what I have to say. Sometimes she stays to have a token 'conversation', but usually she rambles on and on for 1/2 hour and then takes off without me having a chance to say much. I feel so devalued.

I hear what you are saying, but I had said about 10 seconds worth of conversation when she cut me off - and that's the way it has been at least 4 or 5 times previously (I was complaining to my husband about it a couple of weeks ago)

Sure, we all ramble, but none of my other friends complain and seem to think that I am funny and nice and interesting. At least I think they do (come on, friend who is reading this - make me feel better )

[Anonymous Posts]

Sure, we all ramble, but none of my other friends complain and seem to think that I am funny and nice and interesting. At least I think they do (come on, friend who is reading this - make me feel better )

I always enjoy our conversations, hon!

[Anonymous Posts]

Sure, we all ramble, but none of my other friends complain and seem to think that I am funny and nice and interesting. At least I think they do (come on, friend who is reading this - make me feel better )

I always enjoy our conversations, hon!

Thanks (me too)!!!!!

[QueenE]

If someone's rude enough to do that to me I say in a loud voice Oh I'm sorry I didn't realise our conversation had ended while I was in mid sentence...that usually gets an apology lol

[Anonymous Posts]

Wow, I hope you are not one of the many moms I speak with at school. I am sure that I am guilty of this same offence. In fact, I will often leave a play date and be amused that most adult conversations were not completed due to interuptions from children! I thought this was completely normal for parents of young children. I have even had follow-up phone calls on occassion if I feel I have missed something important.

I am sure that this person did not mean to offend you, and would feel terrible if she knew she had upset you. It is so easy to get distracted at the playground/ school. Maybe she cannot multi-task as well as you (watching kids and conversing).

[oztilson]

Why ask me a question if you aren't interested.

people ask because they want to tell their stories but don't know how to just say "so C and I were walking......."

I wish I knew a way to get around that. I love to listen to peoples stories--but don't feel that this is a trade center or something and that I need to also say mine. It is okay to just listen. I wish people knew that

[Yvonne B.]

You could very well be talking about me here. Please let me apologize. I did not realize it bothered others so much.

In my defence, let me say that I do not find the school grounds a social setting. I am there first and foremost for my children. They are my priority. Seeing them into the school safely is my main goal. Being able to have short conversations with other parents is a bonus but not expected.

Also, being a PAC member the time before schools starts and just before pickup is sometimes the only time I can connect with some people I need to talk to. If I see them I may very well interupt our conversation. It does not mean you are not important, just that sometimes I have to take the opportunity while it is there.

Then there is the fact that I see a number of mothers or fathers that are new to the school and I try to include them in conversation as well.

These are some of the reasons I try not to get into in depth conversations on the school grounds. That is why I enjoy meeting you away from the school, so that you can have more of my attention for those things that are important to you and me.

Many of the other mothers I know are the same way and we have often laughed at the fact that sometimes it takes us a whole week to complete a conversation. I mistakenly assumed that everyone understood this. My manners are obviously lacking and for that I apologize.

[Anonymous Posts]

I dont know this woman's case, but I have a mild case of Adult ADD and part of the problems I deal with are shortened attention span and am very easliy distracted.

My friend made a joke to me the other day. She said "How many ADDers does it take to screw in a light bulb??"

She then said "Wanna ride a bike?"

It took me a second but then I realized what she meant and it made me laugh. It also let me know that she understands my problem and instead of getting mad at me, she makes a joke.

Now when we are having a conversation and something interupts us or I get distracted she just says to me "wanna ride a bike?" and its like my cue that I have totally cut her off or got distracted.

Im not saying this works for everyone, but it is really helpfull for me because I dont mean to be rude, its just that my brain works differently then other peoples.

[tracy]

above poster, you could be me!!! I only found out a couple months ago that I have ADD and it was a HUGE lightbuld moment for me. I always thought it was that I was stupid and that was why I change the subject and get distracted so easily.. If I sent my kids to school I would worry that this was me to Thankfully the people that know and love me understand my distractions (I hope )

[dorqie]

My DH is like that. Hes the king of interupting me in mid sentence.
It drives me up the wall sometimes....
I'll be going "You know what your daughter did just this..."
and then here's DH "I read in the newspaper thismorning that the BC liberals blah blah blah"
he totally cuts me off all the time! But I'm pretty sure he has ADD, he can't hold a thought in his mind and act on it later, he has to act on whatever he's thinking as soon as he thinks it.
It's frustrating, but I know he doesn't do it to be rude. He just doesn't realise it in the moment.

[flavourlessVanilla]

I think some people have loads on their mind at any given time, and distractions can mean dropped threads... I had a friend comment that when ds was a baby, I could actually pick up the convo after he interupted the flow- that mommy brain was intact. I credited it to be facinated by *any* adult discourse at the time.

Now that he is 4, uh, I often shift to his focus and lose mine. It happens. Sometimes it is sheer rudeness, as a pp said about her situation, but I think most often peeps are just harried.