To think that some parents are idiots

[Singsongsung]

At the park today with dd1. The park is driving distance from our house and much bigger than local parks. It has a huge wooden climbing structure with slides etc. The structure has signs all over it saying that it is not suitable for under 8s which is reasonable judging by the size of it. Dd1 loves it (she's 9). However, there were some children on there who didn't look older than 2. They were struggling to walk around the grass nearby let alone manage the challenges of the equipment.
Some parents were sat miles away, whilst others were encouraging these toddlers onwards (and upwards). Bigger kids were having to queue in some pretty unsafe spots as these children clearly couldn't cope.
I just think if it says 8 and over and your child is way less than that then you shouldn't be on it. The park has ample provision for little ones which I don't let my 9 year old go on.

[IguanaTail]

YANBU.

[RachelZoe]

YANBU at all. I had some awful woman scream at my DS when he was about 10 for not stopping her 3 year old from falling in a similar situation. Infuriating.

[Indantherene]

YANBU. This winds me up every time. There are generally a handful of parents helping their precious little toddler onto the older children's equipment, thus totally spoiling their fun. We had the same at the weekend.

Still if this thread goes the way these usually do, someone will be on in a minute to say her 3 yo always insists on following her older sibs onto bigger equipment and why shouldn't she, etc.

[BrandNewAndImproved]

Agree completely. It also does my head right in with toddlers at softplay in the older children's bit. If your dc is to young for the older equipment but like it take them during school time ffs not on a busy day. It's not fair on the others that want to run around without knocking over and hurting little ones. It's not fair on the little ones being hurt either.

[Hellocampers]

Yes twats and as the signs are around with age limits on there would be no court case for compensation if the little ones fell off and God forbid paralysed themselves etcetera.

I am a cm and it drives me crazy that parents allow their toddlers to access the school equipment when the school pleads for them not to and there are warning signs all over it.

I have to then deal with mindees who moms as mummy and daddy let them so why don't i?

As a mum whose dd was badly hurt (as we followed the rules so my dd has a compensation claim to help her)I feel like screaming at stupid parents like this.

[Lurkedforever1]

Yanbu. My dd loved stuff like that even as a toddler. Therefore I accompanied her up for safety despite her being like a cross between a monkey and a cat. And only ever went on them when nobody else was.
Really annoys me when the few things older kids actually get are monopolised by little ones and their entitled, doting, idiotic parents.
We have one nearby that quite a lot of us campaigned for when the old equipment needed replacing, instead of yet another one for little kids. It's even got a tiny area for entertaining younger siblings. Nevertheless there is always some cunt expecting a bunch of older kids to stand round like lemons and adoringly admire their toddler pfb monopolise the equipment.

[LooseSeal]

YANBU. I've just come home from a small park where there are two sets of equipment, one clearly ment for smaller children and one for older ones. I saw a boy who couldn't have been more than two climb up to the the top of the bigger children's climbing frame, then while his mother was absorbed with his older sister he fell through a horizontal ladder thing about two meters onto the ground. He hit his head quite hard in the fall and his parents ran off to their car with him, presumably going to A and E. It was a horrible thing to see.

It's both hugely unfair to older children and dangerous to let small children on equipment not meant for them.

[TheSkiingGardener]

My little ones love the bigger equipment. So I let them on it and go on with them if necessary. We only do it when it's quiet though, firstly because it's not nice to stop the older ones marauding round at top speed and secondly it's dangerous for the smaller ones on it then.

[Singsongsung]

It's really scarily dangerous for little ones all the time though- not just when it's busy. This particular one has barriers around the highest level that were higher than the height of these little ones- it would have been the easiest thing in the world for them to just walk off the edge of it.
I never left my dd on such things when she was little and will have no problem whatsoever telling dd2 that she can't go on it until she is 8. Teaching kids that there are rules is a good thing in my opinion and waiting to be big enough is perfectly ok!

[G1veMeStrength]

I was about to say YANBU then remembered I let my 8 & 10 yos go on the 12+ stuff. However we've never seen another living soul there so I think it's ok.

[Singsongsung]

And to be fair, the difference between 10 and 12 is slight. The difference between a toddler and an 8 year old is huge!

[HaydeeofMonteCristo]

Yanbu re the tiny ones. I can't imagine why parents would want them on there.

However I don't think it should be a strict age limit as you would not be able to keep my nearly 7 yo dd off a climbing frame like that (she would be able to manage though and is tall).

[frankbough]

Why are parents hawkeying their children playing.. Toddlers, pre schoolers fine, but 7 and up should be allowed to explore.. We have let ours go on the bigger stuff when the park is empty, they learn, they've also heaven forbid, fallen...

[Qwertybynature]

YANBU. Equally, it really pisses me off when parents let their older kids play on equipment that they're clearly too big for. The roundabout in our local park is a particular favourite, even though there are two separate parks (one for under 4's that has the roundabout).

[OurBlanche]

Having sat my then 9 year old nephew on a seesaw made for under 5s in order to make just that point, YANBU at all.

Nephew thought it was funny, he was extremely tall and skinny, the photo still does the rounds.

The small group of mums shoving their toddlers up and down the Death Slide didn't seem to think I had a reasonable point though

[bolleauxnouveau]

Had this a few weeks ago, on a 15 ft helter skelter a mum 'had a word' with my ds at the bottom because she thought he'd pushed past her 3 yr old at the top of the slide. I know for sure he didn't because I was watching him, she didn't say anything to the teenagers using the slide, just my lone 7 yr old. Had the cheek to tell him he was old enough to know better..(pot/kettle). I told him loudly in her hearing that he needs to look out for the little ones (always does) but not to worry about her as all mums are a bit precious about their children.

After that I had to follow him round the park because she always seemed to be right by him. Mad woman.

[NewLife4Me]

YANBU, but typical of some parents these days.
They are probably the ones who let the kids rule the roost.
They give them what they want, irrespective of H&S.
Open your eyes to it OP and you'll see it everywhere.

[3rdSymphony]

Yanbu, of course, but as the mother of a three year old, most of his injuries have come from much bigger, older children playing roughly in the bits of soft play and playgrounds expressly reserved for the under fours.

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

If you have to squeeze your adult self round the play equipment then your child is too small to go on it.

I did see an adult get stuck once trying to go down the tunnel slide. That was funny :)

[MammaTJ]

Oh, but don't you know that this rule is for other children! My little Sasha is terribly advanced for her age, don't you know. Even her pre-school teacher says so. She is very physical! She can ride a bike on her own, she can climb anything. She might look a bit wobbly to you but she is really very sure footed.

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

Oh, and the adults carefully hoovering their too-small-for-the-equipment child invariably end up pushing past/standing on the fingers of the just big enough for the equipment who lack the heft and social skills to tell them to fuck off the play equipment manage an adult who is where they ought not to be.

It's not like toddlers have a diving right to play on everything so just stop it ok. Learn to say NO.

[bolleauxnouveau]

If madmum had been up the slide with her tot I would have been less annoyed, for those of you unfamiliar with Tilgate Park she sent a 3 yr old up the helter skelter alone when the park was full of teenagers on school holidays, even my dc were intimidated.

[Snowfilledsky]

YANBU. They are probably the parents who desperately feel the need for their children to experience danger and will not be wrapping them in cotton wool no siree.

[Singsongsung]

I'm so glad to read all these comments and to be assured that it's not just me!

[wasonthelist]

They are probably the parents who desperately feel the need for their children to experience danger and will not be wrapping them in cotton wool no siree.

Much more likely the ones who will pictured in the paper with a sad face when DC is injured complaining it's all the Council's fault and everything should be banned immediately.