I have a whole entourage of these married men that I DON'T WANT, I LIKE MY HUSBAND! And the more I Try to avoid them, the harder they try to get my attention. It makes me hate myself. I want to throw something. The nattering hens in the school yard all look at me like I'm a homewrecker, when for galsh sakes, I take pride in my integrity. I am a faithful woman.
Find out what turns these men off and use it against them.
This is your mission.
I'm assuming this is a private school by the way you're talking about the other parents.
You should be faithful and wreck homes in secret so that you look like a better person than everyone else.
It makes me hate myself.
No-no-no-nooooo! Don't look at it like this, please.
You are not the problem, those who would cheat on their partners are, everyone knows that is logically the truth and yet it is easy for women in particular to feel responsible and/or guilty about getting attention from those kind of parasites. As if your behaviour could cause a faithful man to flirt with you!
Do not tolerate suggestive behaviour or propositions from any of them, if they respect that you can continue being your normal friendly self, if they do not they will avoid you = win-win.
Don't allow yourself to feel you are doing anything wrong by telling a man to back the hell off because he is making you uncomfortable.
Thankyou Lurker. It's easy to resort to the feeling of shame. Even if it isn't logical. I don't like getting attention. Most women have some issues with body image. I'm definately one of them. I put on a lot of weight after my sister killed herself, and actually preferred it in a way. I was invisible to the men that might try to take advantage of me. Weight is a good filter. I could just be myself. But, I had to take care of my heath. So I started to take care of my body again. I've returned to what I was. Now, I'm not invisible anymore. Why would I want some men gawking at my face or body, to the point where I feel like they have me memorized. And to be so bold about it. With so much urgency from some of them, that my compassionate side is compelled. They are only human, after all. Maybe I don't understand male sexuality. I feel so naive. I appreciate your support.
I'm not married but like you I abhor unwanted attention. It is true that when you dress in an unflattering way, the men go away. Although it works, it isn't really fair because one of the joys of womanhood is style. The gawking is one thing but the attempts to touch. <shudders> The really odd thing, as you are experiencing, is that the more you avoid them the more intrigued they become. I wish I knew the solution. I chopped off my hair and dressed dowdily so that I can be in peace and I've mastered the look of disdain and the look beyond the creep, as if he is invisible stare. All rather childish responses, I admit, but that's the only thing that seems to work.
Ahhhh. You know, funny. Once when I was a teenager. Iiiiiiii'm noooot joking. I was walking home. Nature called. It called verrrrrry loudly. I had to run into the bushes, and express myself, via, expulsion of used food, if you know what I mean. Aaaaand, I missed the ground. I realised this, when I pulled up my pants. I was wearing shorts. Now brown ofcourse. I had to walk another 20 minutes home, through my subdivision! It was a very uncomfortable walk. I was MORTIFIED! But, what made it an even more wonderful moment, was the car of teenaged boys (a couple years older than me), that drove up to me, and asked me if I wanted a drive. I wanted to slip into a coma, and be....gone..... But, instead I said, no thanks. They persisted! When I said "No", for the thousanth time, they said, "why?" I yelled, "because I'm covered in shit!"