AIBU to think the parents should have stopped their children?

You’ve got to be prepared to shout back even louder, ime. That type of ‘parent’ only understands threats. I’d have told her that if the booting balls at my car starts again I’ll be booting them harder at her windows.

I had a colleague whose polite request that someone from the next street not allow his dog to foul on his front garden and then walk off, not picking up, got nowhere. When he went out, bagged it up, followed the bloke back to his house, shoved it at him on his doorstep and told him that if it happened again it would come through his letter box and it wouldn’t be in a bag - that’s when it stopped.

Yes, keep it clear but tell the kids not to do that - or just use whatever foreign word is needed ‘Non!’ etc
If that fails, then you need to demand parental action clearly - eg ‘Who are the parents of these kids with the water guns?’

its a bit grumbly of me, but I do think water guns should be banned from swimming pools...

Kids have nothing to shoot at apart from other people, so inevitably it causes problems.

I told a kid not to lob balls at my car as no parents around and my goodness the fallout - mum storming to find me, shouting her mouth off about how I should talk to her, her kid was in bits, who the hell was I etc etc. nothing at all about how to find her while she let her little darling kick balls at cars in the street.

@Ayla1991
It's happened and done
One of my pet hates is bad parenting by assumptive insensitive types
But if theres a next time maybe you just could say something, because obviously you're a smashing mum and general life fair player
These types spoil it for everyone else
And would be the first to hurl abuse for the slightest unperceived to anyone else if they thought was happening to their own
We ALL need to stand up to them more

You should have addressed it there & then by asking the kids to stop squirting him as it was upsetting him. If they hadn't off stopped that's when you have a word with the parents letting them know what's happened & asking them to have a word with their kids. Some parents don't actually parent while on holiday. They're there to have a break & relax & think they don't need to parent the kids coz they're on holiday.

You were lucky that the parents didnt turn round and say to you rhat their kids were doing nothing wrong and were just enjoying themselves.

You know they were on holiday.

Very common English reponse in my experience.

Hotel pools usually have a Rules Notice Board nearby.

You did the right thing by speaking up and looking after that young vulnerable boy.

Well Done.

The kids were young and when they all get together all sense goes out the window, so I don’t think it was deliberate bullying. However, the parents were totally to blame. They should have stepped in and if they don’t their children will never learn how to behave.

You did what you thought was right to save the boy - you noticed he'd been trying to hide under the water and you'd suspected he had a disability - thank goodness you were there paying attention - no sign of another responsible parent, no lifeguard. Stuff what other's think - besides looking out for the boy who'd been kind to your daughter earlier, you were showing them all what's right and what isn't, and your daughter was watching you. Children notice things from a young age - yes mummy shouted but she was trying to keep everyone safe when no-one else was bothered.

I would have done the same x

The parents definitely should have stopped them. I would have told them to stop myself rather than the comment you made to your husband.

So has something bizarre happened in the water around 2015? Or do you think that the Facebook groups just encourage and perpetuate posts like that?

Of course, bullying does happen but I wouldn’t jump straight to that assumption. I’d say far more likely that they’re away, boundaries have perhaps been relaxed combined with children being silly and overexcited.

Absolutely correct to step in and tell them to stop. Absolutely wrong (IMO) to confrontationally and aggressively start a row poolside!

I would've just said something to them. Though where were the boys parents? They should be supervising too.

Let's be honest, too many kids have malicious intentions these days, I see the all the posts on the community pages avoid all the delinquent behaviour that's gone over the half term holidays. Discipline your kids rather than defending their behaviours because otherwise they become societies problem! Ganging up on a kid is wrong in any decent person's book! Jesus I went on these sorts of holidays as a kid and you maybe shyly said hello and started playing together, kids never bullied other kids in the pool! Lack of discipline causes so many issues!

Me too. I have no problem telling kids to pack it in if their parents don't. 💁🏻‍♀️

Me too.

If I was sure the boy was unhappy, a simple "OK, stop now please" would've been enough.

Are you absolutely sure the boy wasn't enjoying it?

Was he telling them to stop?

Hiding under the water rather than getting out of the pool, may have meant he was playing along?

I’d just have told the children off myself.

It's not being childish, it's being exasperated that parents are sat there doing nothing to kids bullying another kid! I guess you would side with your kids if they were bullying someone becatyiu don't approve of the OP helping the poor targeted kid.

I have no issue speaking with the kids directly if the parents don't. I don't shout at them, I just make them aware that what they think is funny isn't to others and ask them to stop.

I don't care if the parents act outraged that I took the initiative when they should have. I know the other parents agree.

I think YWBU to let it go on for so long, and I think YWBU to not just ask the dc who were spraying others with their water guns to only spray each other. That would have been the sensible thing to do, the minute they started spraying people. Not allowing it to continue for 5 mins then making passive aggressive comments.

YWNBU to intervene, but completely pointless raking it up afterwards when you (and everyone else there) just let it happen.

Passive aggressive comments are the worst. Just say something next time then you wouldn’t feel bad.

I loathe a say nothing or be passive aggressive mentality . You don’t have to be rude or impolite just say ‘hey kids can we please not squirt other kids with your water guns? Thank you’

You should have said something to the kids.

"Aggressive"? Is that how bad parents see it?

No wonder kids are so awful. I speak to them directly (the kids) and if the parents don't like it i tell them to parent better. Usually embarasses them into silence.

See its posts like this on MN that mystify me a bit. It’s like the worst possible intent has to be ascribed to all actions. So instead of ‘a bunch of kids got stupid and overexcited on holiday and I told them to wind their necks in’ we have them as foul bullies with feckless parents!