so i felt so torn, but could not stand and say nothing, wwyd?

[brokeoven]

Little boy who is 4 was at school with his nana picking up his big brother in ds's class.

The boy was along the field around the corner from the play ground where we pick kids up from. Nana was in play ground chatting.

As we walked round, this child was swinging a new sapling tree back and forth trying to snap its truck.

A girl and her sister were crying trying to stop the boy who was just continuing.

I asked him to stop and told him his nana was looking for him.
At that he stopped and ran round to the playground and his nana.

Feel very uncomfortable about asking this child to stop, as i feel like i was "telling him off" and it wasnt my place. I just couldnt just walk passed while he broke this little tree for no good reason.

If id have walked back to the playground to tell his nana, he would have snapped the little tree by the time we walked back.

wwyd?

Excatly the same and then mentioned it to nan.

Broke - you really do need to toughen up a little bit my friend :)

You didn't tell him off, you asked him nicely to stop. Even if you had told him off you would have been more than justified!

Well done

I once told a 5 year old off for stepping on a worm deliberately in the playground - he really meant it and ground it into the ground. His mum told me i was overreacting....it was just a worm

He's 11 now and still a little shit!

I would have been far tougher on him. If he's older than 4 he's old enough to know better.

You did the right thing. I would have done the same. There is nothing for you to feel bad about, in fact you should feel good about it!

I don't really understand why you are worried about telling him off.

He was doing something he shouldn't have been doing. Why wouldn't you tell him off?

You did fine and have no need to feel uncomfortable, he was doing wrong and there was no-one else close enough to stop him.

I'd hope that my child wouldn't do something like that and that I'd supervise closely enough to step in myself but if they did then I would be grateful to anyone who sorted it for me.

You did everything right and have no need to worry at all.

It's a mad world when people fear telling off a badly behaved child who is no relation. How on earth are children supposed to grow up into responsible adults if no-one ever corrects them except their own family?