To not want to be the minority where I live?

[Charlottehines]

It really saddens me that in parks and soft plays with my children, that I am in the minority and my children can't play with other children there as they all play together and obviously can't speak English.
I'm in no way racist, my husband is of mixed origin but I do find it incredibly sad that my children are growing up the minority especially when these other groups make no effort to integrate with other mums or the children.
Am I completely unreasonable to feel sad about this?

[AndHarry]

IME children will play with other children whether they share a language and culture or not.

[angelos02]

YANBU

[Charlottehines]

Well I wish that was the case as they certainly don't play with mine or any English children apart from hitting them occasionally :(

[formerbabe]

Where do you live? I have lived in very mixed areas before and not encountered this problem.
I do find people of different nationalities tend to stick together quite a lot. I don't see a great deal of integretation amongst adults but children are much more open.

[angelos02]

If the parents aren't making every effort to teach their children English, they clearly aren't bothered about integrating. If they themselves can't speak English, how on earth are they able to work In the UK?

[Charlottehines]

Sutton in Surrey
I'm seriously considering moving before they start school but I have no idea where won't have this problem as even down by the coast where my parents live its the same now

[adsy]

If they themselves can't speak English, how on earth are they able to work In the UK?
herein lies the myth that all immigrants come here to work!

[LingDiLong]

That does sound a very unusual situation. I've lived in various parts of the UK and never encountered anything like it. I'm very surprised you 'have no idea where won't have this problem'. I'd say the majority of the UK won't have this particular problem.

[Charlottehines]

Angelos
The ones I'm seeing obviously aren't at work as its midweek in the daytime ( I'm a stay at home mum )
I find it very difficult to deal with at times as when they hit other children / mine and I've had to address the mother I'm usually told to fuck off, they're kids let them get on with it, boys will be boys etc and no discipline whatsoever.

[LingDiLong]

So they do speak English then?

[formerbabe]

Op...I really don't understand your last post.

If it helps, a Polish child hit my son in the park, and his mum was very apologetic, told him off and now says hello to me when I see her around the area...and the boys played happily together.

[angelos02]

easy if they aren't in the UK to work, why are we allowing this to happen? I know there is talk of the government restricting access to benefits for a period of time when immigrants arrive in the UK. Good. Make it at least three years.

[angelos02]

That was for edsy. Damon autocorrect

[softlysoftly]

Which is it? They can't speak English or they have a good enough grasp to know the old adage "Boys will be Boys"

[Artandco]

Strange.all nationality kids seems to play here ( central London).

[LingDiLong]

The OP wasn't working either. She is a SAHP. Presumably the other people in the park are SAHPs too. Perhaps their partners are working.

[Charlottehines]

Well some do although not very good English
Others don't seem to at all and I very rarely hear any of the children speaking English
In glad the mum you encountered was apologetic, the ones I've encountered have been rude, aggressive and don't seem to think their child beating up mine / anyone else's is a problem

[MissDuke]

Hmm seems a bit odd, they cannot speak English but can swear in English? And all of these children hit your children, and there's no one else for your kids to play with at all? Are you sure you are actually in the UK? Because this sounds like nowhere that I have ever been :-/

By the way, cliques happen everywhere, it has nothing to do with language or culture.

[wigglesrock]

I'm confused - do the parents speak English or not? Strangely in my experience kids play with kids regardless of language.

[Sheldonswhiteboard]

If they are EU citizens you can't restrict benefits as they should be entitled to the same as UK citizens as far as I know. How do you know their partners aren't working, maybe they are SAHP - like you?

[MrsBungle]

My dd was playing with a little girl in the park yesterday for about an hour. The little girl didn't speak English and yet they played happily using hand gestures and body language. It was fascinating to watch as they both just spoke to each other normally in their own language. Dd (age 4) didn't even mention to me that she couldn't understand what the girl was saying and they knew each other's names!

It seems to be the adults with issues, not the children.

[Mimishimi]

YANBU in some respects OP. I live in a neighbourhood that over the past few years has come to be completely dominated by migrants from South Asia. I wouldn't call it a diverse neighbourhood actually. We've noticed over the last few years that the most recent batch of migrants (