To wish parents would stop toddlers charging after birds

[yesterdaysunshine]

I've already had a mini whinge about this but it's happened again and I'm fed up.

When a kid charges towards pigeons, they fly up en masse and seek to find somewhere else to go, which means because they don't get up very high, they are eye level with your face.

So while YOUR toddler has had the time of their life, MY toddler has had a horrible fright!

so have i

Why, oh why do people not appreciate its really anti social?

[Nuggy2013]

This is a joke??

[QuiteLikely5]

You have an easy life if this is your main gripe!

I feel no sympathy for you

[yesterdaysunshine]

Why would I be joking? Genuinely. I hate it. It's anti social. I don't want pigeons flying into me when I'm in towns or city centres.

[yesterdaysunshine]

Oh it's just one of a long, long list QuiteLikely, but it'll do for today

[Tarttlet]

I just don't think it's very good to teach a child that their whims override the comfort of animals. If you wouldn't let your child shout at or pull the tail of your cat or dog, why would you let them chase pigeons??

[Armadillostoes]

YANBU. Parents who let this happen are doing more harm than they realise. It isn't good in terms of helping children to develop empathy and to understand that frightening animals for amusement is an awful thing to do.

[LaPharisienne]

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[FRETGNIKCUF]

My kids definitely did this, but I would explain that it's unkind to frighten animals.

However if I had a child with a fear that was debilitating, and unlikely to be able to stop the rest of the world doing it, I would focus on getting my child to have a more reasoned approach.

[Ilovehedgehogs]

I completely agree with you and you can start as many threads as you like about it too.

[Ilovehedgehogs]

But I care about the birds being chased for their sake rather than the other toddlers- soz.

[yesterdaysunshine]

She hasn't got a 'fear' about it, but she's 2 and thirty birds flying towards her in a mad panic gave her a scare!

and me as well but I didn't burst into tears and wet myself

[LynetteScavo]

It's not nice behaviour.

Some people don't bother teaching their children to be nice.

Such is life.

[yesterdaysunshine]

S'all right hedgehogs the birds are less trouble!

[BitchQueen90]

YANBU I hate this. I think it's unkind to the birds. I know kids do stuff like this but I don't like it when parents just stand there watching. If DS does it I always stop him and tell him it's not kind.

[yesterdaysunshine]

I think a lot or parents just see it as something kids do. Stamping near them is the worst: horrible behaviour.

[TriniRedVelvet]

Nevermind your kid, what about the poor pigeons?? Seriously though, I don't like it either. Don't want angry birds flocking in my direction. And it's horrible for the birds.

[UrethaFranklin]

I hate it and I'm 47! I have a fear of pigeons and hate walking through the town centre for exactly the reasons you state.

[MarklahMarklah]

In the whole scheme of things perhaps it's not a big deal but it isn't kind. It doesn't teach compassion or respect to animals/birds. Also if some people are scared of birds, a load of panicked, flapping pigeons bearing down on them isn't going to be good.

I saw some kids last week trying to catch ducks/stamp on their tails. They were plenty old enough to know it was wrong. I said to them as I passed that it was unkind and they would probably not like it if a giant thing was chasing them about trying to stomp on their bottoms. I wasn't rude, aggressive or shouty. They muttered 'sorry' and went off to hit a tree with sticks.

[RiverTam]

I get that it's annoying for you, and obviously not great for the pigeons, though I hate them and struggle to have much sympathy for them.

However, what is much much worse is when people FEED the fuckers. Every pigeon in a 50 mile radius zooms into view. Grim.

[RiverTam]

Interesting fact (I think, both with regard to is it really interesting or indeed a fact) - you know when you see pigeons with a deformed foot, or only one foot? Apparently that's caused by them eating too much white bread! Who knew, eh?

[Pestilence13610]

Maybe the pigeons should be culled and then this would be less of a problem.

[0phelia]

The birds aren't fucking frightened. They're flying off because they are normal birds.
Honestly toddlers chase birds and it's a normal human behaviour. They want to cuddle or stroke them and get excited by seeing them fly.
I say to my toddler "No" when actual harm/distress is caused by their behaviour.
Yabu and ridiculous

[RiverTam]

I don't think that's quite true, 0phelia, is it? I thought it was actually quite distressing for pigeons to be chased like this.

Lots of things are 'normal' for toddlers, but that shouldn't mean we just allow them if we know there's a downside.

[SapphireStrange]

I'm with you, OP. I don't like seeing children chasing/frightening animals for fun and think parents should show them how to be a bit less unkind.

[Tarttlet]

0phelia, would you let your toddler chase sheep too, if they wanted to? After all, sheep look cuddly...