There is this mom at my daughter’s day care who for some reason has been on a one man competition with me.
It took me ages to figure out why I always felt weird while and after small talk with her. Until it dawned on me some months ago that she would look for ways to make me feel like she’s superior.
Two weeks ago a teacher at day care praised this woman’s child and called the kid first in the class. Ever since this happened, the mom doesn’t miss a chance to imply that my child is inferior to hers. At a kid’s birthday party she even had the audacity to tell my husband that if we wanted our child to be smart and well developed (hers is a little bit younger than ours), we should consider reading bedtime stories.
This excessive focus on my child is exhausting me and making day care pickup a nightmare for me. All kids play on the daycare playground for at least an hour and I have to bear this woman’s presence which is truly unpleasant as it feels like she is in some sort of endless manipulation where she is just waiting for me or my daughter to show any emotion for her to toy with.
Can you help with any advice on how to detach from this vicious cycle without having to flee the playground?