to think if you take a child to the seaside you should ensure you look after them and this may involve you getting off your arse a bit?

[MrsMaturin]

Having a minor rant about something we saw at the beach today.

BIG beach, big sea, windy. We are all sitting eating our picnic when a large beach ball blew past about 50 metres away. Followed by a small (5-6 yr old) child crying her eyes out. Roughly level with us the ball picked up speed and we could see she couldn't catch it. Dd2 (13) and dh went off down the beach after it and I went to talk to the kid. I asked her who she was with and she pointed to a group about 400 metres away at the top of the beach. I said we would try and catch it and she just walked off sadly. Dd and dh finally caught the ball after another stranger stopped it - perhaps as much as another 500 metres down the beach and almost in the sea.
I followed the child up the beach. When she was about 20 metres from the group a woman came to talk to her. I followed them back to the group - where woman proceeded to stuff her face with pizza - and said my family had caught it. Mum? then started telling the child to go with me to get it which the child clearly didn't want to do so I started walking back towards dd2. Finally the child followed me and the woman followed her very slowly moving no more than around 25 metres away from the group by the time we returned the ball to the kid who was still choking back her sobs.

Now AIBU to think that:

a) if you take kids to the fecking SEASIDE you should keep half an eye on them and not let them wander unchecked towards the sea and conversations with strange women wearing seriously awful cardis ?

b) if you take kids to the fecking seaside on a windy day it should occur to you to keep a check on stuff that could blow away? Seeing that you're the adults after all....

c) if your child is very, very upset you should show her a bit of loving care and not simply tell her to trudge off down the sand with said stranger?

Beach woman - if you're reading this yes I'm judging you and the other 12 people you were with. Try looking after your kids so other people don't have to By way of contrast we saw another ball being chased by a kid later on. Dad was there too and when she couldn't catch it he took over. I'm a very casual parent but there are limits even to me.

[DottyDooRidesAgain]

I would have judged too

[ScrambledSmegs]

Just how bad is your cardi?

[LaurieFairyCake]

I think you should buy a nicer cardie

.

[MrsMaturin]

- cardi is very old, all (duffel) buttons but one missing, thick cream wool with a hood Oh and unflattering waist length. But it WAS windy. It's my beach cardi basically.

[ScrambledSmegs]

Oh. YANBU. But I want a pic of your cardigan in exchange.

[Viewofthehills]

YABU- my mum pulled a little 4 yr old out the sea when we were kids. Had stopped breathing. Came round with a choke and coughed up loads of sea water. The mother finally noticed something was up and charged down the beach and snatched him back without so much as a thank you. That's what can happen in the situation you describe.

[Viewofthehills]

I mean YANBU obviously-sorry

[ithoughtofitfirst]

You wanna watch for those types mind... 'orrible cardi women. They come over, interrupt you while yous eating a pizza, give ewe stinkin looks. I wouldn't stand for it.

Nah but seriously. YANBU. People who don't look after their children properly in public piss me right off.

[MrsMaturin]

A stinkin look may have featured...... I had sunglasses on though. My full hostility won't have been apparent (possibly)

I just think at the beach you need to see where little ones are all the time.

[ithoughtofitfirst]

Yeah definitely. I hate when parents fail to supervise their little ones. Especially when their children are visibly upset.

[Cocolepew]

DD was watching Bondi Beach and a child was reported lost. His mum and dad had no idea what he was wearing when asked.
DD judged.
She's training for MN.

[MrsMaturin]

How can you not know what they're wearing?

Dd1 - black leggings, vest and white linen shirt
dd2 navy polo shirt and cropped jeans
dd3 - green shorts, pink bunny t-shirt and hoodie then blue crops, whale t-shirt and hoodie (fell over whilst paddling with big sisters!)
visiting exchange student - jeans, turquoise top, white hoodie.
dh - grey tracksuit bottoms and blue hoodie

[Cocolepew]

You - crap cardi.

[MrsMaturin]

Yup - and a cloak of outraged judginess obvs.

Thank goodness I didn't get lost. Dd1 would have no mercy 'yes officer we can't find my mum. what's she wearing? The MOST TRAGIC cardi you've ever seen...'

[hellskitty]

YABU I always sit at the top of the beach while the kids play as do 99% of parents.Why not? you can see them you don't need to helicopter over a 6 yo fgs.
And I don't get why the child shouldn't have been made to walk back and get HER toy!

[saintlyjimjams]

And please watch your children on body boards. The number that have floated past me out of depth over the last few years is shocking (I pull them back in)

[sashh]

YABU I always sit at the top of the beach while the kids play as do 99% of parents.Why not?

Because there is this big thing called 'the sea' that can take a child out for a lovely trip to a foreign land before you get your feet wet.

because a child paddling can easily wander down a beach and not be able to find their parents.

[Xcountry]

Why just the seaside OP? You see this shit in the town centre, at the fairgrounds, in the swimming pool, at the ice rink, everywhere really. Everywhere there is a halfwit who had bred children and is just as disinterested in raising them as I am in technology. I think the real question of reasonability is; is it unreasonable to expect someone who has children to keep an eye out wherever they are? the seaside? the swimming pool? mcdonalds carpark?

[KatieKaye]

You do need to closely supervise young children at the seaside, hellskitty. Because they are playing beside or in the sea and there is always the risk of being swept away. Unless your six year old is a very strong swimmer trained in survival techniques.

OP obviously YANBU. Apart from the cardie.

[tobysmum77]

yanbu perhaps I'm ultra-cautious being a midlander but the sea with dcs particularly gives me the heebeegeebees. And you can wear whatever cardie you like imo

[Goldenbear]

YANBU, I live by the sea and there is a small play area with a paddling pool. It is very, very busy when hot and because it is enclosed with a short fence you tend to get some parents that park themselves in a spot to lie down flat to sunbathe with no clue of what their usually very young child, toddler or even baby is doing in the paddling pool. Last year I was following my 2 year old around the edge of the pool and ended up picking up a baby (about 8 months) who had fallen face down in front of me. There was another baby sitting next to this one, the Mothers (?) were behind, lying flat, topping up their tans with no clue that one of their babies that could only sit (FFs) had fallen face first into the water. She only looked up when I presented the crying child. No thanks, concern or even removal of the other baby who definitely belonged to the other woman!!

[Happydaysatlast]

Another midlander here and Definatly agree the sea side fills me with acute terror.

Never relaxed when ours were little. They all had whistles around their necks just in case they were lost to blow so we could instantly see them but basically they were never allowed out of voice range without me or dh with them

Youngest is now 14 and to be honest I still wouldn't want her in the sea by herself. I think adults swimming alone are risking it to be fair, anyone can get cramp/difficulties.

Some parents are just bloody hopeless.

[CombineBananaFister]

YANBU - but am annoyed in general with those parents who just don't pay due care and attention to their kids in any setting with potential hazards (cafe/swimming/fairgrounds) and let the 'community' raise them instead .
I also don't buy the excuse of not wanting to 'helicopter' their kids because they want them to explore and have freedom to learn from risks. It is not the same, it is just plain dangerous and you're actually just being fecking lazy.

[Chocotrekkie]

Oh I like the whistle round their neck idea - might steal that one.