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AIBU?

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Two adults cornered and scolded my 7yo

381 replies

Rosie5832 · 29/09/2025 13:31

At a classmate’s birthday party, my child was cornered by the parents of another classmate. They accused him of bullying their son and told him to stop it. He said he wasn’t doing that and they kept on shouting at him that he was.
After this, he was very upset and was crying inconsolably.
Another parent - the mum of the birthday child - went to his assistance and messaged me telling me to return to the party as my son needed me, and that she couldn’t settle him at all (I had left for an hour). While she was messaging me, these two parents came over to her and told her my son was a bully - he was right there and still crying. She told them to back off. When I arrived, they rushed straight over to me and told me that my son was bullying their son etc. No acknowledgment from them that they had cornered him alone and shouted at him. It was only later at home that he told me what had happened, I called the other mum and she confirmed it, describing the way they approached me as an ‘ambush’. She said the whole party turned into a ‘sh*tshow’ because of the way these parents were behaving, and all the other parents - and probably some of the kids - could see what had happened.
I’m in shock over this. I’m meeting with the school teacher today to alert her to this incident and to make sure my son is kept safe in school.
I want to say something to these parents about their behaviour. Imo they were completely out of line, and all the other mums I’ve spoken to since agree that you never confront a child alone like that, regardless of what issue you have with them.
On the way in to school this morning, my son stopped dead just before the door and said, “why didn’t you stay at the party?”. He was clearly thinking about the whole incident and probably concerned that he would encounter these parents at the school.
Has anyone any experience of this kind of behaviour from other parents?

OP posts:
Calamitousness · 29/09/2025 13:37

While their approach to your child was not a way to deal with their child being bullied. I would have approached you as the child’s parent if your child was being a bully. I think you have that issue to deal with too and don’t get distracted by their ill advised approach to your child. Just because he started to cry on being scolded doesn’t mean he’s not a bully. Those parents must have a reason to have done that. Again I totally agree with you that they shouldn’t have approached and scolded your son but neither would I lose sight of the fact that your child may be bullying another and perhaps it would have been best to address this situation with the parents of the other child and found out all the details so that you could support your son to apologise and learn to behave better if he was indeed behaving in a bullying manner. There’s no way parents would do that unless super distressed at the child’s treatment.

Naws · 29/09/2025 13:36

Gosh, I wonder what made them overreact in such a way and in front of everyone too?

Do you think it might've been the last straw by desperate parents?

Or do you think the bullying is made up?

itsraining2024 · 29/09/2025 13:36

I’d tell the school and honestly speaking- report it to the police. They can’t do that again.

getsomehelp · 29/09/2025 13:34

I would also be asking the school whether your son is in fact a bully. This has to have come out of somewhere.

QueenClinomania · 29/09/2025 13:34

They bullied a 7 year old. That's not OK no matter what he had done, if he had done anything.

Start by talking to the school and see if they hsve any idea what might have happened.

Trentdarkmore · 29/09/2025 13:33

Has your son been bullying the other boy?