Would you ever tell off someone else’s child?

Yes I would especially now I'm older and angrier. Only for bad things, not minor stuff.
I would have also been ok with my kid being told off if warranted (and I hadn't noticed the misdemeanor!)

@stichguruyou seem to have a hard time understanding that not all children are naughty and badly behaved. I take my kids to age appropriate settings. My toddler is 3 and I have never had to step in and correct them. They never hit, shoved, or did anything to another child. At 3 aren’t you still in arms reach of your kids? Maybe you aren’t.
this thread is about two different types of children and bad parenting. All the examples are of kids being naughty and no parent in sight.

Yes I have done and will do it again if I see bad behaviour that is effecting other people especially smaller children. O

Funny to see this question as I encountered a little boy waving a huge long branch with a sharp broken end at the packed playground the other day. I told him to be careful and stop swinging it around as he could hurt someone - I don’t think that’s telling off, but it was saying something.

I am happy to ask kids to stop doing dangerous or cruel things and I am more than happy for people to do the same to mine as long as they don’t scream at her.

Woman at soft play came over and asked very aggressively "Did you just shout at my son?"

"Yes, because he just jumped over the car seat that my 8 week old baby is sitting in. What would you have done?"

She was clearly still looking to have a pop but went away.

So you NEVER let your child play anywhere other that right next to you in public until you were 100% confident that they would always take turns and share well? REALLY?!! Even if your child is hyper socially aware, they would have been at least 3-4. - I don't believe that you only let them play at your feet for the first 4 years of their lives!

I would say be careful, stop that's dangerous, that's not very kind.. things like that. But I wouldn't raise my voice to someone else's child.
Happy for other adults to be the same way with my son.

Yes! I have done a few times. More recently, I called over to a boy who was climbing a 600 year old relic at a tourist attraction. Mum was laughing and videoing it and dad was underneath, making sure he didn’t fall. I told him to get down, which he did.

I think parents who kick off if another adult, completely reasonably, tell their child off, is doing their child a real disservice and it's very poor parenting.

Yes and I’ll bollock the parents as well if I can get my hands on them. My kids know I’ve got their back, but they also know if they misbehave and I have to hear about it from another parent they’ll get double bollocked. DD can stand up for herself most of the time DS often needs one of us to intervene.

I've told off a whole group of unaccompanied boys aged approximately 11 or 12 who were messing about in a public place and getting on everyone's nerves once. I put on the mum voice and told them to sit down and behave. I was actually quite surprised when they did so!

Oh that's a completely different scenario to what I was imagining. I'd happily step in if it was in the moment, but no I wouldn't seek out a child to confront them about something that had already happened. I'd speak to the school or parents in that case.

I have a 4 and 2 year old so yes, at least once a week. I always speak kindly but I'm not prepared to watch a child get hurt/hurt someone else or take things away from my children without intervening. Sometimes it's a safety thing and sometimes I'm scaffolding for my kids to help them learn how to deal with conflict. I'm also completely comfortable with people doing the same with my children.

Yes. Absolutely. Bullying animals is one that I’d definitely step in on. Actually any kind of bullying.

Damn straight I would and do.

I felt the difference with that thread was that it wasn't a case of the adult catching the child doing something dangerous or nasty and telling them off but wading in and having a go at them based on second hand information. In that case speaking to a teacher was the most appropriate way to go.

I did it today - DS was playing with a dressing up item (so not really a shareable toy) at a softplay type cafe, a child tried to take it. I said "we are playing with this right now, there is more dressing up stuff in that box". I didn't see it as "telling off" though, just redirecting the child? Would other parents see that as telling off?

Yep, always have, always will. The DC have friends at our house all the time (teens). I’m known for being very laid back, but equally absolutely for telling them to pack it in.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/5356500-another-parent-approached-my-child?page=9&reply=146351689

Absolutely, but then I'm an ex teacher so I'm used to confronting behaviour from other people's kids in a non-aggressive way.

I have also stepped in in front of parents, some who are good friends.

At the end of the day, people parent differently, but if you're in my house and your kid is hitting mine with a toy or throwing food and refusing to pick it up and you don't step in, I will.

Not nastily. Not shouting, but no child is acting out in my house without being told to stop.

In public, if another child was hurting mine I would absolutely step in. If they were eg hitting equipment or generally being disruptive I think I'd be more likely to just move my child away from them or leave.

Yes, I once did this at the playground when a child was repeatedly tearing off all the ‘danger do not use’ sort of tape that signified some metal diggers in the sandpit were broken. Two parents and children came along subsequently and tried to use said diggers, so I had to tell them whilst the mother just watched and did nothing. When the boy returned to do the same to another digger I told him firmly not to as it was dangerous. The kid stopped immediately and then a few minutes later his dad came back and his mom clearly told him what I’d done and he started getting shirty with me because his son is autistic and not to tell him what to do. I pointed out that one of my 3 was too and left it at that. I hate when other parents use their children’s SEN as an excuse for poor parenting. Me and my DP would never let our son do dangerous things or permit destructive behaviour, his SEND needs aren’t an excuse for us to ignore his needs. The boy stopped when I said so clearly had the mental capacity to understand what he was told, so this definitely was lax parenting rather than uncontrollable autistic need.

I also finally snapped and told off an (ex?) friends children for rough play fighting and deliberately destroying plants as we went around a lovely private garden. It shocked me that she tolerated the behaviour anyway but my own son who was with me was about 4 and almost got hurt and I was heavily pregnant. When I told her son to stop breaking branches off the trees because they weren’t his she looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I haven’t seen her since (she lives far away but used to want to catch up when visiting home each summer) but tbh I’m not too sad about it. She complains her mother won’t babysit because of her kids behaviour and I saw why that day.

No, it's not my job to parent someone else's child and I don't enjoy it, so I don't do it. I'd remove my own child out of a dangerous situation and I might block them from doing something that could upset my child. Otherwise I tend to ignore the behaviour.

Yes absolutely. At playgroup, a little boy kept ramming his little tikes car into my chair, I said "Oi! Stop that". The shock on his face, at being told No and his doe eyed mother whispered sweetly to him.