Would you consider this acceptable?

[cheaplyormeek]

A child in a playground for under 10's, of about 5, playing with surrounding dirt areas on the floor and then transporting the dirt to the equipment?

For example, picking up loose dirt and then plonking it onto the slide, then plonking some on the train, then onto the trampoline? (It's a trampoline built into the floor)

What do you think?

If it was dry dirt then I think it's fine, just the same as sand or wood chips or those small pebbles really and I wouldn't have a problem with any of them on the slide.

If it was wet mud, then that's not ok and his adult should have stepped in and stopped it.

I might try to stop them from putting dirt on the slide. But actually if they were autistic and stopping them would have caused a lot of stress, I'd have let them keep playing - doesn't sound like they were doing any harm.

No it wasn't wet mud. It was the stuff that sort of blows in the wind if moved etc

But it wouldn't budge when I tried to remove it from DD and she was caked in it from going down the slide etc

I feel really mean now and on reflection actually, if it made him happy then that's fine as he clearly made his mums life very difficult through no fault of his own and things must be tough for him too

I would say that’s acceptable behaviour for children. It’s just dirt .

Sounds pretty normal

What a peach you are.

Please raise your child to be more patient and accepting than you are.

Please raise your child to be more patient and accepting than you are.

My DD is 3 and thought it was brown snow! She thought it was hilarious to try a 'snow angel' in the mud and tried following him around a few times

It was as if she was a ghost. He wasn't ignoring her even, if it was as if she wasn't visible to him. He truly didn't seem to sense she was there

@cheaplyormeek The child was clearly profoundly autistic. He looked very healthy and athletic actually, but clearly had no verbal reasoning and didn't respond to his name at all.

The way I see it though is he should just be moved away and diverted elsewhere to do something else

So seriously you believe a child with additional needs should not have access to public play equipment?In case your child gets a little dusty

And you were able to take all of that in, yet still judged the mother.

@cheaplyormeek So perhaps the actual reason your child's clothes were caked in mud was because she was trying to do a Snow Angel in the 'brown snow';not because the playing child put a bit of dirt on the slide.

If it was my child I'd probably redirect them but can't say I'd get worked up about someone else's child doing it. My toddler somehow gets dirty walking from one room to another so I'm not worried about dirt on him at the park

I'd say it's typical for a young child to do and wouldn't get to worked up over it

Wow, every child has a right to play in a public park. He wasn't physically hurting anyone or stopping any other child from playing. I would suggest you be a more tolerant and a less precious

Jesus.

If the child appeared to be "NT" then I'd find it mildly irritating. Given that the child was apparently clearly autistic or had other issues I'd just accept it and wash my kids clothes after.

You win worlds biggest drip feed.

Have somempathy. Mum was choosing her battles and your child is not at any harm from some dirt.

You could see the child had additional needs, and unlikely to have any awareness, and you still thought he should be diverted elsewhere, and even came to MN to complain about it

Its a park, theres dirt, kids like to play with dirt. Its not harming anyone, could be a lot worse.

This is such a bizarre thread.
so you were fully aware that the child in question had additional needs yet you started a post about it?

Or reverse it and your daughter shouldn’t have been disturbing the child playing with dirt by messing up where he was storing it🤷‍♀️ That might sound a bit odd but the vast majority of parks are made to suit NT/non-disabled children and they are expected to adapt their behaviour to fit expectations. Why should it not be your child having to adapt round the child with additional needs?

My child doesn’t have additional needs but I work with children who do and I’m just so fed up that they have to try and fit with society that is never designed with them in mind. I don’t see why he should have been diverted from doing a perfectly safe activity rather than your daughter being diverted to play elsewhere if you didn’t want her to get dirty

To be fair it doesn’t sound like your daughter minded at all!

The additional needs angle is a red herring anyway. Kids (inclusive) like playing with dirt, whether it’s lifting and depositing or a dirt angel.
Playgrounds eh? Full of kids playing.

@pictish you’ve made articulated what I was trying to explain in my very long post! That and no one should be dictating how children play in a park as long as it isn’t dangerous

Perfectly fine.

Stop being so uptight about soil or dirt coming into contact with your child. Ot won't kill them and they won't dissolve when you wash them either.

If you feel so strongly why didnt you do something about it at the time?