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AIBU?

to be annoyed at park-keeper for chucking out 12 year olds for being too old

46 replies

bakerslovecakes · 03/08/2009 18:25

I've just got back from walking the dog in my local park, whilst i was there i stood near the swing park to look for any mums i knew, anyway i heard shouting coming from the park-keeper(an elderly women) telling 2 girls (aged about 12) to get out of the swing park because they were too old. They were'nt shouting or making trouble just having fun. They left and sat out on the grass next to the swing park looking quite puzzled. There is no sign saying an age limit and i can understand that maybe in the past she may have had trouble with teenagers but should she assume that all teens are out to cause trouble. My dd is 13 yo and sometimes she still goes to the swing park with her friends that doesnt mean shes going there to get drunk or cause trouble. This women just annoyed me.

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edam · 03/08/2009 18:27

Sounds very unfair. But am quite jealous of you having a park keeper. No such thing in any of the places I've lived!

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courtneylovescox · 03/08/2009 18:28

report her! def nuts

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LovelyTinOfSpam · 03/08/2009 18:28

Eh? How odd. 12/13 is a child. Aren't children allowed to use the swings? Isn't that what they're there for?

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LyraSilvertongue · 03/08/2009 18:32

If thee's no sign up with an age limit then surely she can't turf them out.

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bakerslovecakes · 03/08/2009 18:33

She keeps the toilet locked as well and when parents ask for their dc to use it she makes some excuse so parents then have to take their dc home. Do you think i should contact local authority or is that taking it a bit far?

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courtneylovescox · 03/08/2009 18:34

contact them, it's not on

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LyraSilvertongue · 03/08/2009 18:34

She's on a power trip!
Might be worth complaining.

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screamingabdab · 03/08/2009 18:35

baker

I've never seen teens actually thrown out of a park, but I have seen them viewed with suspicion and in some cases, fear, sometimes by parents of younger children.

It is a great pity that children are becoming so demonised in our society at the moment. Being this age is hard enough, without having places to hang out, and play.

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AnnieLobeseder · 03/08/2009 18:36

Eh? Park-keeper power-trip, if you ask me. I'd get in touch with the council about the loos, definitely.

Maybe she's supposed to clean them and couldn't be arsed.

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OrmIrian · 03/08/2009 18:36

Aha! It's obviously her private garden and she is doing people a favour by letting
them use it

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Tidey · 03/08/2009 18:37

Do complain. Our local park has a sign up saying the equipment is designed for use by the under-10s, but if yours has no sign, she's just being a jobsworth. The toilet thing is even more unreasonable. It's a strange mixture, but some people really can be over-the-top bossy and lazy at the same time.

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mumoverseas · 03/08/2009 18:37

miserable old bat (park keeper, not OP)
Name and shame and we should do a MN meet up at the park and give her hell
I'll bring along DD2 who constantly needs a wee and will keep badering her to open the toilet, will change DS2's nappies in public and will let DD1 and DS1 aged 13 and 16 swing as much as they like

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SoupDragon · 03/08/2009 18:38

If teens/older children are causing a problem and spoiling it for the younger ones then I do think they should be asked to leave. If not, let them be.

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bakerslovecakes · 03/08/2009 18:41

mumoverseas

I thought maybe i was being a little over-sensitive about this probably because my dd is of similar age but i'm glad others think i should report her.

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KIMItheThreadSlayer · 03/08/2009 18:43

Stupid jobworth, complain to the council

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MovingOutOfBlighty · 03/08/2009 18:43

The only other side to this coin is that there is a lovely little park local to us and the (young) teenagers leave it in a horrible state. (the locals are totally fed up)
I had to clean up about 10 chinese food tubs, spit, fag ends, bottles of cola etc before I could let our kids play in it. And no, its not blaming teenagers without reason, my friend had to ask some young teens to stop swearing and booting a football in amongst the toddlers and also another one on another day had to threaten in the end to phone the police.
My ds was nearly run over by one of them on a skateboard even after we asked them to stop doing it in the play area bit (there is a good bit for skateboarding up the road)

Sorry, I know my DS will be a teenager one day and viewed with horror but so far a few teenagers have fitted the stereotype. Myself included. I remember hurling beer bottles age 15 to see whether we could shatter them on a kids slide. I could give my young self a good kicking.

So I would say (in conclusion to my long monologue) that perhaps this park keeper is having complaints about teens and you are just seeing a snapshot.

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Morloth · 03/08/2009 18:44

We have some lovely teenage girls from the local school high school who play with the little ones for hours at our favourite park.

It is a bit mean to kick them out for the crime of being teenagers!

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Mumcentreplus · 03/08/2009 18:44

Shes probably had issues with other teens in the past..perhaps they were part of a group that has been there before and she recognised them..who knows..sounds a bit mean though..on saying that some teens should'nt he allowed in parks after a certain age...they completely destroyed a wooden park near my mothers home and I mean destroyed..in the end they dismantled the whole thing because it was dangerous and didn't bother to re-build it.

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GypsyMoth · 03/08/2009 18:57

can you imagine if they had been boys!!!

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OrmIrian · 03/08/2009 19:52

We have 'issues' with teens too. But they tend to be older and it's after dark when there are no little ones there. During the day it's ridiculous to turn away two girls who aren't doing anything wrong. Parents of very small children do tend to view older children with horror - until their's grow up that is I did! Problem there is usually so little provision for older DCs.

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abraid · 03/08/2009 20:09

It may be an insurance issue. The swings may only be insured for under 12s and if someone were to have an accident the public liability cover wouldn't cover them.

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sickofsocalledexperts · 03/08/2009 20:11

I'm with parkie. I get sick and tired of bloody teenagers in children's swing parks, hanging around trying to be cool for each other, swearing, and playing their music loud. And all the adults are always too terrified of getting stabbed to tell them to fuck off. IMHO the teenagers are taking over the streets because we are all too scared to put them in their place. Recently two ugly-arsed boys of about 15 were playing with a real cap gun in our kids' playground. Wish we had a parkie to tell them to go and play gun games elsewhere.

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MovingOutOfBlighty · 03/08/2009 20:14

That is the thing OrmIrian.
It is not like parents of young kids don't often have reason. As said, ds nearly mown down by them.
Some cherb faced girls also came to the park two days ago, stuffed their faces with family sized chocolates and crisps (and they didn't even offer them around) , swore, fagged up on the swings then left leaving behind enough litter for a landfill site.

We live in a 'nice' area and when I asked them politely to pick up the litter they told me to fuck off infront of my dcs.

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OrmIrian · 03/08/2009 20:17

Well of course. If they misbehave it's a no-brainer. Whatever their age.

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MovingOutOfBlighty · 03/08/2009 20:18

I totally agree, they should have their own part of the park. Problem is, who would want to live near that bit?

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