‘I made up that I wasn’t feeling well’

When subtle signals don’t work, an excuse comes in handy. Until you fall into the butter with your nose.

Lilian (36), mother of son Goffe (10):

“There is a boy on our football team whose mother never wants to carpool. She always has a reason why she can’t. I understand that no one is happy about eight hours of gathering on Saturday morning, but I don’t feel like always having to pick up and drop off her child. Especially since he has ADHD and is quite cheeky.

The kilos flew off

Recently she came to me again: could Bram ride with me? I made up on the spot that I went by bike, better for my corona kilos and our earth. She totally understood that. Okay, then she drove herself.

“From now on I will first check the match schedule before I say something stupid.”

Once I had a good look in the app, I saw to my horror that we were not playing at home, but away: twelve kilometers away. A bike ride of no less than 45 minutes. From now on I will first check the match schedule before I say something stupid again.”

Read also – Sports clubs hassle: ‘And I just drive across the country every week for competitions’ >

Then get those hints

Sunny (36), mother of son Jacco (13) and daughter Kim (9):

“All the hints I dropped, both subtle and direct, had had no effect. There was nothing for it but to make an excuse against the mother from school with whom the eldest had been in the class.

She wanted to be friends and get to know me better. I myself had less need for it and I told her that I had a busy life and little time to meet. I struggled enough not to neglect my own family and friends. But she kept reaching out. Every time I ran into her in the village, I ducked.

excuse

Until that time when I really couldn’t ignore it and she texted me: she wanted to come and see our new house in the afternoon. I made up that I wasn’t feeling well and brushed her off again.

“Since then I have not received any messages from her”

That afternoon I was sitting with my daughter Kim on the terrace in the village and she promptly passed by. So embarrassing. She looked at me very annoyed at first and then turned her head. Since then I have not received any messages from her. That again.”

This article was previously published in Kek Mama.

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