How do I figure out how I know this woman???

[Anonymous]

Could she just be that Mom™️ who knows everyone and loves knowing everyone and their kids, too?

I have a friend like this. She’s friend to everyone and knows everyone’s name, their kids’ names, their dog’s name—only she doesn’t really know them at all, she just collects information on everyone so she can socialize with the parents in the schoolyard. A busybody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could she just be that Mom™️ who knows everyone and loves knowing everyone and their kids, too?

I have a friend like this. She’s friend to everyone and knows everyone’s name, their kids’ names, their dog’s name—only she doesn’t really know them at all, she just collects information on everyone so she can socialize with the parents in the schoolyard. A busybody.

Adding, maybe you’re only imagining you know her because, why else would she act that way? and you’re psyching yourself out. Or her face is just familiar in general.

[Anonymous]

Does your kid's school have some social media presence--instagram, Facebook, etc.? If so, see if you can find a pic of mystery woman there. Sometimes, there will be a name attached--though often only a first. If nor, run the photo through Google image finder or some similar tool to see if you get a match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I appreciate the support and ideas, even the silly ones. Thank you.

The last time this happened to me, I ran into a woman while shopping in a mall (a rare occurrence for me) who stopped and said hello to me by name and asked how I'd been doing. I was so flummoxed I wound up hugging her and having a whole conversation with her about vacation and kids. It was only later that I finally realized she was the fundraising director for a VERY prominent US Senator who I'd known only in a professional capacity while working on project two years prior. My behavior wasn't mortifying in that context, but she probably thought it was quite weird!

Anyway, since then I definitely worry more when I don't know where I know someone because, you know, different people have different contexts.

Thanks for the laugh! This has happened to me too, a few times. I had a really nice conversation with someone who I still don't know who it was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh and I should mention, I do not know her name! This is part of the problem. We only see each other in passing as our kids are not in the same grade or class. I also do not know her kid's name so I can't look it up in the directory. I'm flying totally blind here.

OP, if you have a school directory and know her child is one year behind yours, you could just search that way, right? How many families could there be in one grade, especially dividing students by gender?

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Something similar happened to me where I met a mom, and we both recognized each other’s name and face and thought we knew each other from somewhere, but we couldn’t figure out any common past interaction. We never did figure it out, but in this case, neither of us knew. Presumably the other mom knows in your case?

I do think she knows where we know each other from. The thing that is driving me nuts is that she appears to have some level of affection for me and for my kid, which is so kind, but also indicates that we knew each other more than just in passing. This is making me feel terrible, if I had some kind of friendship (even a casual or short-lived one) with this woman and I simply do not remember it.

Her face is extremely familiar to me but I cannot place her.

Could it be from a baby yoga or baby music or something like that class?

[Anonymous]

My ideas for why she seems so fond of you:

- You were both at story time at the library once and she forgot her diaper bag. You offered her one and then you two chatted while your kids played for a little while.

- She's the sister of your best friend's husband and gets to hear all about you

- She was the front receptionist at your kid's first pediatrician's office before you moved to a slightly wealthier suburb

- She's a small time author whose books you've read, so you have seen her picture in the books but never put together that it is her in person

- You two had once class together in college with Professor Horrible who assigned that awful project, and bonded for a few months over how hard you worked. When the semester ended you had no more classes together and kind of forgot she existed until now

- She was your old neighbor two doors down and across the street right when you bought your new house and she asked if she could borrow a cup of sugar once, but then a few months later she moved to a different neighborhood.

- You adopted your dog from an animal rescue, and she was the foster mom for your dog when he was a puppy. She remembers meeting you and how cute your kid was the first time they saw the puppy.

[Anonymous]

I have no problem telling someone I am terrible with this sort of thing and cannot recall how we know each other.

[Anonymous]

She’s your gynecologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:probably a rave or orgy lol

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ideas for why she seems so fond of you:

- You were both at story time at the library once and she forgot her diaper bag. You offered her one and then you two chatted while your kids played for a little while.

- She's the sister of your best friend's husband and gets to hear all about you

- She was the front receptionist at your kid's first pediatrician's office before you moved to a slightly wealthier suburb

- She's a small time author whose books you've read, so you have seen her picture in the books but never put together that it is her in person

- You two had once class together in college with Professor Horrible who assigned that awful project, and bonded for a few months over how hard you worked. When the semester ended you had no more classes together and kind of forgot she existed until now

- She was your old neighbor two doors down and across the street right when you bought your new house and she asked if she could borrow a cup of sugar once, but then a few months later she moved to a different neighborhood.

- You adopted your dog from an animal rescue, and she was the foster mom for your dog when he was a puppy. She remembers meeting you and how cute your kid was the first time they saw the puppy.

You have a lot of time to think through this

[Anonymous]

My friend and I have a pact that if we run into someone one of us knows and we don't introduce the other of us, it's the sign that we don't remember their name. Then we introduce ourselves so the random person is forced to introduce THEMselves and then we both know their name.

OP, you need to pull in a wingwoman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no problem telling someone I am terrible with this sort of thing and cannot recall how we know each other.

Simple and direct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She’s your gynecologist.

I couldn't figure out why the husband of my twins' speech therapist (she worked out of a home office) looked familiar and then I later realized he had been the anesthesiologist when I had had them. Awkward.

[Anonymous]

Wasn't there an Alfred Hitchcock movie about this? It didn't end well.