AIBU to find a group of small boys just chatting at the playground unusual?

Very weird post. There isn't a single correct way to have fun.

Noone mentioned iPads. They're chatting to each other. That implies good social interaction doesn't it? The opposite of what you'd expect if they spent all their time on iPads.

Did you not see the primary school teacher say it’s perfectly normal?

How wonderful!

This sounds like my boy. He’s 9 and will play at the park but will also happily sit with his friends chatting. Usually about football or playing an imaginary game. If there are a lot of loud kids in the park him and his friends will often be at the side somewhere as they’re not too keen on it being too rowdy.

They could be chatting about games, TikTok, last night's football, anything at all. It's weird to pick up on it and make a post about it.

Maybe they skipped "Stereotypes for small boys" in the reading scheme?

Absolutely normal. My DS would spend time talking to his friends in the playground. At 8 some find monkey bars & Co a bit babyish, especially in the smaller playgrounds. The smaller ones obviously go along with it.
BTW DS is a normal, healthy 16yo - just collected his GCSE (with 8 for English) and off to college in September.

I am wondering if the op is projecting some deep rooted trauma/guilt whatever weird thing they have going on with kids themself, op of you ars this fixated get help

I have never met any individual child exactly the same as another let alone groups, Do all girls always act exactly the same? How boring

Sounds like you need to address your ingrained sex-based stereotypes. You wouldn't have thought twice if a group of girls.

iPad kids would not be standing around making conversation.

Your the one with the problem? Maybe they don't want to play would you rather they were running around screaming I feel sorry for little boys people like you exist and hate them automatically it seems like they are being well behaved boys so what's your real issue with it?

What a bloody mountain out of a molehill... Leave them alone...😂

It is not unusual. It is normal. You just have lived a limited life where you don't think/remember that children like to do different things.

A primary teacher has answered in the thread that this is normal. She sees it every day at work in the playground. I am betting that she has a lot more experience than you.

From this thread, you are clearly the unusual one here to have such a strange interpretation.

But wouldn’t that be too… what’s the word?.. unusual?🧐

There’s been two people who work in schools up thread saying it’s not unusual, and countless others also. You are the only one that seems to think it’s unusual.

my son does both. Runs around mad at times,
other times chats with his pals quietly. He would never play on playground equipment and he doesn’t like boisterous kids a lot. You are seeing a small Snap shot of time and judging.

did you really not realise that different people - including children - like different things?!

Literally no one has said it’s unusual. Almost everyone has said it’s really normal and you’re just taking what you want from it. I’m not surprised your child doesn’t stand and chat at all if they are as rigid (deluded) as you appear to be. I hope there’s another parent involved.

I was going to make the same comment.
I don't know why girls are allowed to be seen to chat with friends but for boys it is unusual!

If I compared my own children in terms of how they would play at a playground then it would be my daughter who would go off and play on the equipment while my son would want to stand around and then play an imaginary game with his friends. When he was younger this was all about Peter rabbit, now Minecraft. I see similar in kids now, it's K Pop that is popular in the playground at school with the under 8's - but I bet the OP would have issues with this too as the boys often argue who is going to be Remi!

I wonder if you would be so bothered if this were a group of girls? Because this seems really gendered thinking - that boys should be active and running about whenever they get the chance.
This reminds me of my friend's son who ISTG did not stop talking until he was 13! Usually about Minecraft or Pokemon. Some boys and some girls are just very verbal and need to get it all out

Except they’re not because they’re outside talking to their friends.

Why are you so bothered about this OP? At least they’re outside socialising.

Think it’s wonderful. Why are you so bothered?

Urgh, break duty and keeping an eye on the y8s that are always on the cusp of breaking out into The Lord of the Flies levels of anarchy.

I feel like the school needs a military grade assault course to channel the energy and then they might actually cope with sitting, listening and learning

I think that’s lovely but you seem quite narked about it for some reason.

What a weird post. And you keep saying over and over it’s unusual. It really isn’t, you just want it to be, for whatever unusual reason.

Shock horror, not all kids are the same!! 😱