Please dont ignore me at the schoolgate
By englishman •
My family arrived in Qatar over the summer. My children are at one of the big name english international schools. Every day I drop them off and everyday I pick them up. I don't work, so I hang around, there are groups of chattering mothers, some of whom have organised coffee mornings and events for new parents. None of them every talk to me and I have never been invited to anything. I am left there standing on my own. I tried approaching one of the groups and there was immediate silence and embarrasing looks.
Why am I treated like this........ I can only guess its because I'm a man ( my wifes the one who works).Please school mothers think about me
Being a stay-at-home Daddy it’s a profession, you will require basic accountancy and math background to figure out the cost of each, individual diaper...0_o!
Keep trying mate, the mother of my child ignores me all the time but it's been almost ten years and we're still married.
Is this the sort of stuff discussed at mothers coffee mornings? If so I would be glad to be excluded.
But what sort of example does a supposedly educated stay at home mother give to any daughters she might have. It might suggest that they dont have to bother to work because they can always rely on their husband to work. OK it might work in expat-land but not in places like the UK
What i mean - that it is no one's business if a wife or a husband working/not working. If the family decided like that - this is what convenient for them. Plus, let's be honest, most of us working not because we like to work, but because we need to work - we have to eat, pay loans and put kids through school. And, let's be honest, lot's of us are jealous of people who have more money then us, got better car, and do not need to work . But this is normal - this is human nature))) I know very well what working ledies say about these who stay home)))) but what if that a lady just does not need to work? It is good if you got your own business and you love what you do - this is yours. But if you work for some one - this is need. So what is wrong, if some people do not have a need for a working wife? Isn't it better to have some hobbies, spend your time as you wish and just enjoy life and children ( who are not with nanny all day long, because mammy is at work 9--6)??
Shalla,
"Do you know the reason why this woman is not working? And anyway - that's not of your business if she does or not. Taking care of children it is a job."
...By this do you mean the OP, if so that's not a Lady, it's a Gentleman Homemaker.
Read more: http://www.qatarliving.com/node/2346017#ixzz1gIFbStIB
Luck of communication skills, i guess)))))) Come on, all people have their likes and dislikes! Find your own " circle of trust"!!!! Plus these moms are really boring - endless coffees, book clubs, blah, blah... However i disagree that only dissent women go to work. So, all of these who are not working - they are not dissent people? I never could understand how one can judge the other one without knowing the person? Do you know the reason why this woman is not working? And anyway - that's not of your business if she does or not. Taking care of children it is a job. And going to work every morning does not make one person dissent, does it?
Any way - Better hit the gym and sing up to martial art , i am sure you will find some friends there.
Come to ASD, us Yanks will take you!
Don't bother with that particular "mums" group. They ignored me, too. I felt like I was back in high school again- not fun
looks like theres a frustrated lot out here at QL.....
These saddo women dont have the skills to get a proper job in Qatar ( the sort of thing they do is done by phillipino or other immigrant workers). The decents ones get jobs as doctors, teachers and the like.
The highlight of their sad days is getting to the school gate early for a gossip.
I dont know whether to laugh or cry. I would just make a smug noise through my nose with a healthy derision for the time being.
Agree with Tcom.....you should take up knitting as a pastime!
Your family arrived or your wife's family arrived?
Your family arrived or your wife's family arrived?
Englishman, and you should post here www.expatwoman.com, to guide your message to the right ears....QL is much too "low class" for those "ladies".
I know far to many of them with too much time on their hands!!!
In UAE - Jameirah Janes...
NM you come up with the best of tags..very innovative =D
Sorry my friend, but it happens to women too, trust me ....rather strange bunch of Al Waab Wandas out there...;)
Sorry englishman about your situation but the way u have expressed your feelings...I can't stop laughing :D
E/Man
I feel for you, after having a baby and before I returned to work, I went to a few of the 'all welcome' Doha mums coffee mornings.
I have to say, even after I had made the effort to attend, made the effort to get to know people, tried talking to some of them, it was not a particularly friendly outing - this happened on more than one occasion, just seemed like a bunch of friends who did not welcome 'outsiders' joining the group, no matter that they advertised it as anyone welcome on their website. The pervading attitute was - I know everyone here, I cannot be bothered to get to know someone new and any attempt I made at conversation were met with brief answers then swiftly ignored. I gave up in the end (every time I went, I was greeted with 'please give us your email address as a new member' - I felt like saying, I have been a least 4 x now, when will you remember this and update your database properly).
Sorry, I feel for you, I really do but welcome to the insular cliquey world that are expat wives.
phew glad I finally got that off my chest at last
Brit- Invite the OP to create your own group.... Doha Dud(e)s Coffee evenings :))
Nothing wrong being a houseband :)
ahh man......a stay at home dad..trying to get into the girls club...hah!!!
try getting a cuban.....jus like postman pat here....tht will make ya busy....har har!!!
That pic was just too good..perfect depiction!
To the OP: You are probably a novelty to the mums around there hence they didn't know how to react. The funny thing is the school my daughter attends hardly has mothers coming to pick or drop their kids hence when I occasionally go to pick up my girl and I get there early, I'm the odd one out with all the dads around and need to stand there awkwardly..not that its an invitation for them to talk to me as I cherish being ignored in this case!!
hi englishman,
sorry to hear that. here qatar has some reserved thinking. dont worry. even though i dot have my daughter studying in the school you mentioned, you can come down to my office and have a cup of tea. that how we make friends.
welcome to qatar.
PM me for my mobile number. :)....
I feel your pain. I too was ignored when trying to attend the Doha Mums Coffee mornings ....
The mental scars will take long to disappear :O(
LOL
You better set up a group for non-working husbands...who knows you find somebody like you.
might be those chattering mother's mother told them to 'Not to Talk To The Strangers' ? :(
I think, you should have talked to them when they fell silent. They were waiting for you to entertain them, and you failed miserably!
Take up knitting as a hobby.
form your own group at the gate! lol!
LoL at TB
OP- Could be those mothers are trying to avoid some rumors/gossip., some people are maliscious especially here in Qatar, when they see a man and a woman together they start thinking that those 2 were sleeping together..... what more with loads of mother... an orgy perhaps? :P
Cheer up! Bring a book or newspaper with you and mind your own business :) :P
Try wearing a dress and put some makeup on
try to do something else....
:)
All I could depict your situation --->
Hahaha!! Welcome to Qatar :)
U guessed it right...:)