One mum’s kind gesture towards another school mum has turned into an uncomfortable situation, and it’s heading towards a school gate confrontation.
It all started when the mum’s son started primary school and became best friend with another little boy, whose parents eventually separated.
“Dad was cheating and left mum with no cash and struggling to pay bills,” the woman explained on Mumsnet.
“So I sort of took her under my wing and helped where I could, I didn’t have a lot but was happy to help. This including passing on my son’s clothes when he outgrew them as he is taller than her son – I had sold them before then as he grows so fast they barely get worn and it helps go towards the next size up.”
Fast forward four and a half years and the mum says plenty has changed. This woman is no longer struggling, and doesn’t seem to need the hand-me-down clothes.
“(She has) weekly hair and nail appointments, her son always seems to have the latest toy and the Prime drinks etc and is always bragging to my son. They are ok with each other but I wouldn’t say friends, and definitely not best friends anymore.”
But here is the tricky part.
“She still asks me for the clothes. I just stopped offering them but she started asking and I felt awkward saying, ‘No, you can afford to buy them now’ as looks can be deceiving etc and she must still be struggling a bit and just putting up appearances”
“The longer it’s gone on the more I’ve tried to get away from it, by delaying getting back to her, saying I’ve not got anything at the moment etc but she keeps on and on at me.”
But here’s where the whole situation starts to make sense, and completely knocks the mum for six.
The mum says her son was recently invited to a party, but the other woman’s son wasn’t. Other classmates of the boys were also guests at the party.
“I did see another classmate wearing one of my son’s jumpers! Definitely his because my clever grandmother made it for him and she’d done the pattern herself.
“So I asked the child’s mum, ‘I love X’s jumper, where did you get it?’ Only to be told, ‘Oh, well I shouldn’t really be telling you this, don’t want you getting in first, but I bought it from (the other mum). I’ve barely needed to buy anything else for years, I just buy the bags of clothes from her when she’s got them’. I was just stunned and didn’t speak, so she carried on and said, ‘I’ve just got two big bags full, and my son loves that jumper, he’s barely taken it off all week’.”
And the penny finally dropped for the generous mum, who realised why the other mum had been so desperate to get her hands on more clothes.
“So now I know why she has been hounding me for clothes, but I don’t know how long it’s been going on, the mum just said years and I didn’t want to bring her into it so didn’t ask how long or how much money or anything.”
She says she discovered that the mum hadn’t even been going through the clothes and keeping any for her son, she had simply sold the bags as soon as she’d received them.
“Now I need to work out what to do, I’m not looking forward to seeing her at the school gates tomorrow. Any advice welcome, I’m currently circling through emotions/feelings and going from thinking I’ll have a quiet word, to saying nothing, to kicking off and asking for the money.”
Yikes! What would you do in this mum’s situation? Let us know in the comments below.
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