to parent my child my own way!!

[Torchlight86]

I sort of know I'm not being unreasonable so this is probably more of a rant than anything!

A while ago I went to my friends mothers house with my nearly 4 yr old, she had a trampoline in the garden which my little on went on, my friend then took her baby inside and saw her mum, I stayed in the garden, it was quite big, fenced but with a small gate at the bottom that we came in from, bust residential area and a lot of roads around

Anyway my friend came out and said 'leave DS there he will be fine come have a cup of tea'

The way the house was facing there wasn't even a window I could view DS from if I went inside

Anyhu I said no I couldn't leave him on his own out there and then we had a long discussion about how I was smothering him if I didn't let him do things!

I listed off the top of my head things that could happen if I left him, he'd never been there before so it was unfamiliar, he could fall on the trampoline, he could go out the gate and get lost/run over/picked up by someone! Only to get accused of being anxious!

I was happy outside, my DS was happy, I wasn't stood there on my own rocking and listing all the things that could go wrong, I was just pointing out, as I think most parents do, you're constantly risk assessing things unconsciously, it doesn't make me anxious it makes me a mother!

We didn't fall out or anything but it just really annoys me that she thinks leaving him totally on his own would be OK, aside from the fact that I actually want to spend time with my DS she couldn't acknowledge it probably wasn't totally safe!

[coco1810]

Ignore it. Your child, your rules x

[Buggers]

It's quite rude to stay outside at someone else's house while your child plays on the trampoline when the owner is inside having a drink, I don't think you should have left him but maybe told him it's time to go in and have a drink.

[Torchlight86]

buggers I agree but just to put it into context we were just popping to drop her DS off, we went in to say hello (I know her mum really well) and she said does DS want to go on the trampoline, we all went out for a bit and then she left to get ready for work or something so it wasn't really an official visit as such and my friends mum was busy not sat inside waiting for me to come have a drink with her!

But yes after a few mins of chatting to my friend in the end I just said we'd both come in, but then we left shortly after anyway x