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My neigbour was out of line

41 replies

Mayana1 · 27/04/2025 23:51

I just want to find out if AIBU?

There are 3 apartments building close together (all rented apartments with the same landlord) so we as residents kinda connect to each other and discuss internal matters as well our children play together in front of one at the building.

Today my son, who is 3 was playing around with one of his friend and my neighbour (that I am close with - I will call her NM) was there with her daughter, 3, as well. Another neighbour (GC), who has a 5 year old DD, sent her out with her aunt, who has few months old twins. (I am close with my both neigbours, our children play together daily and they are close to each other too. So we are all moms and protecting (or over protecting). My son is very active and naugthy too. Girls were playing with baby dolls in the prams and my little one wanted to join them, but they took their stuff and went away. I am generally keep on looking at him, as I know he might can kick or hit, but not every time starting.
So I saw a 5 year old who hitted my son. He run after her and hitted her back. Her mom was not around, just her aunt was. I said: please no hitting! And went to the direction. At the same time the NM and aunt came to me. While I was saying no hitting, they both came upset, shouting where I was when he was hitting her with a stick. NM was shouting at my son to apologise and demanded her turn to speak. The aunt said: Where you were when he hitted her with a stick previously? (He didn't have a stick at that time, so not sure when he did it and why they did not come to me then!) My little one said: I'm sorry XY. But NM was keep on speaking very loudly demandind is her turn to talk and I said I will talk to her mom instead. Then NM said she feels like she is her daughter too (although we all play together and sometimes I take her for a walk or somewhere so I am definitely not a stranger and they see each other daily). GC(girls mom) appeared and I got up to talk to her, saying I will talk to her, then the aunt said: talk to me, I am her aunt. I walked off but they came after me. I went to GC saying, I'm sorry, my son hitted your daughter. I said - I think they should sort them out themselves, but she said they obviously can not as he is keep on doing that. (yes was not the first time, but she told me too, that her daughter in question was literally hitting every single child on the playground when she was 3 and this is actually not the case with mine...) however... They came to her, telling her whatever and I took mine aside and scolded him. Then they all walked off and we did not talk again.
Another neighbour who was sitting in the area told me later that went I went off to sort it out, her son (3) came to her telling, that my son was getting hit.
I know he should not be hitting or kicking and I am working on that!

It's all a mess. And I know what I wrote is hard to understand. I will sort it out with girl's mom tomorrow and I will explain I was upset cause both our negibour and her sister was mainly shouted on my son, the aunt actually told the girl to hit him back, which I would not tell him ever, beside the girl is 5 and she is much stronger than him. But neigbour NM, who is my good friend, was she not out of place shouting at my child? To be honest she complained to GC before, saying how rude XY (her daughter) was to NM daughter. (!!!) Another day she had a problem with another child on the playground, so badly, that she actually walked off and call police to patrol the area. After she walked off furious, other parents were discussing her behaviour as overreacting, that she should know better as she is a mom.
I think she is over sensitive and although I agree her daughter normally doesn't do anything bad, even if she would it will never be in fault.
Not that this is related, but yesterday the debate came on the attack of India (as she is Pakistani origins, though born in the UK), saying that she doesn't believe it was a terrorist attack and the biggest terrorists are Jews in Gaza and that she admires Hitler who should have killed more Jews. This kind of debate on the children playground. Am I delusional, or this woman is toxic and over sensitive...

We planned a day out with another mom on Wed and now I don't know if I will go for it. She never says I'm sorry anyway as she never does anything wrong apparently. I am always on egg shells around her.

I don't know if I am looking for an advice or I just needed to rant.
Am I AIBU thinking that NM should not interfere that much and that she had no place shouting on my child? As well as the aunty should not told XY to hit him back?
Any advice how to get my child to stop hitting? Not that I am apologising his behaviour, but just to explain he doesn't do it hard or more than once (it is not numerous out of control hits that doesn't stop immediately).

OP posts:
KarlaKK · 28/04/2025 00:07

You need to be with him and vigilant when he's out in the garden playing with other kids - for their sake and also his - so he doesn't hit them and they don't hit him. He's 3. You need to supervise him every minute.

INeedAnotherName · 28/04/2025 00:25

My son is very active and naugthy too. I am generally keep on looking at him, as I know he might can kick or hit, but not every time starting.

You know your child is naughty, you know they hit and kick. You need to be with him every minute and not rely on others to look after him, until he stops hitting and kicking others.

What are the consequences when he hits others?

Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 00:35

INeedAnotherName · 28/04/2025 00:25

My son is very active and naugthy too. I am generally keep on looking at him, as I know he might can kick or hit, but not every time starting.

You know your child is naughty, you know they hit and kick. You need to be with him every minute and not rely on others to look after him, until he stops hitting and kicking others.

What are the consequences when he hits others?

Edited

I take him away, I take him off from playing. I talk him through. But he is not always one who started and I was told from others it was not actually his fault but the certain mom only saw him not her child, so

OP posts:
Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 00:41

KarlaKK · 28/04/2025 00:07

You need to be with him and vigilant when he's out in the garden playing with other kids - for their sake and also his - so he doesn't hit them and they don't hit him. He's 3. You need to supervise him every minute.

Thank you, I get that. But what to do with my neighbour situation?

OP posts:
TheCountofMountingCrispBags · 28/04/2025 06:07

Any advice how to get my child to stop hitting? Not that I am apologising his behaviour, but just to explain he doesn't do it hard or more than once (it is not numerous out of control hits that doesn't stop immediately).

Wow. You know your son physically attaacks other children yet condone this behaviour? There's plenty of info out there to help kids stop bullying. What does his dad think?
I'd be shouting at your child if he hit mine, and giving you a mouthful because you won't apologise for him bullying mine.
If you don't agree with anyone's views, you don't have to interact with them

Theunamedcat · 28/04/2025 06:15

TheCountofMountingCrispBags · 28/04/2025 06:07

Any advice how to get my child to stop hitting? Not that I am apologising his behaviour, but just to explain he doesn't do it hard or more than once (it is not numerous out of control hits that doesn't stop immediately).

Wow. You know your son physically attaacks other children yet condone this behaviour? There's plenty of info out there to help kids stop bullying. What does his dad think?
I'd be shouting at your child if he hit mine, and giving you a mouthful because you won't apologise for him bullying mine.
If you don't agree with anyone's views, you don't have to interact with them

Tbf he was hitting BACK not attacking

TheCountofMountingCrispBags · 28/04/2025 06:18

Theunamedcat · 28/04/2025 06:15

Tbf he was hitting BACK not attacking

But he does hit other children and the OP is unapologetic about it!

ForWhomTheBellPepperTolls · 28/04/2025 06:23

Theunamedcat · 28/04/2025 06:15

Tbf he was hitting BACK not attacking

The other adult there implied that he hit first with a stick. It’s entirely possible that what the OP saw was the other children retaliating.

Chellybelle · 28/04/2025 06:38

He's too young for you to be leaving him to play like this where things can go wrong. You need to supervise him properly. I don't know what you can do about your neighbour, talk to her maybe? And "hitted" isn't a word, for future reference.

Vallmo47 · 28/04/2025 06:46

OP the problem is that you’re aware your 3 year old sometimes hits and kicks and you’re leaving others to deal with it.
A 3 year old who misbehaves should be supervised by parents - actually, ANY 3 year old should be supervised by parents. I would let this one go personally - you were not there to supervise so it’s all hear say. You know he’s previously been naughty so I’d accept he’s likely been naughty again OR he’s been naughty so many times before that the other children don’t want to play with him anymore. I’d be so ashamed if my child had ever laid a hand on others, no way would I expect others to supervise them until I’m confident this issue has been resolved.

LynetteScavo · 28/04/2025 06:47

It sounds like you need to supervise your son very closely at this age, he’s only three, and stop socialising with people who admire Hitler.

parietal · 28/04/2025 06:48

He is v young and needs to be watched all the time so he doesn’t get a chance to hit.

ignore the neighbours political opinions and just concentrate on parenting your own child.

MoistVonL · 28/04/2025 06:55

You need to be much, much more vigilant - the moment he goes to hit someone, you pick him up and take him home.

Every time. Without exception.
No matter how inconvenient it is to you.

I’d be unimpressed by a parent who thinks 3 year olds should “sort themselves out”. They are 3, they don’t have the skills.

Ignore the crazy racist.

SD1978 · 28/04/2025 07:04

Your three year old shouldn’t have been unsupervised, period. If you know je has a habit of being aggressive with other kids, you can’t rely on someone else being ok with that or sorting it out. You need to apologise to the other parent, explain it won’t happen again and you will supervise him until her stops being randomly aggressive, and it howpifully blows over.

ThejoyofNC · 28/04/2025 07:12

I don't blame her for telling her child to hit back. Her child isn't a punching bag.

RawBloomers · 28/04/2025 07:41

TheCountofMountingCrispBags · 28/04/2025 06:07

Any advice how to get my child to stop hitting? Not that I am apologising his behaviour, but just to explain he doesn't do it hard or more than once (it is not numerous out of control hits that doesn't stop immediately).

Wow. You know your son physically attaacks other children yet condone this behaviour? There's plenty of info out there to help kids stop bullying. What does his dad think?
I'd be shouting at your child if he hit mine, and giving you a mouthful because you won't apologise for him bullying mine.
If you don't agree with anyone's views, you don't have to interact with them

What OP means here is that she isn’t making excuses for his behaviour (when she is tells us he doesn’t hit hard), not that she isn’t sorry.

She clearly said further up her post that she said sorry several times.

Sherararara · 28/04/2025 07:44

You lost me at calling a neighbour NM on MN.

RawBloomers · 28/04/2025 07:46

Agree with others that you need to be much more vigilant and stay close to him when he’s playing with other children.

With your neighbours I can only suggesting apologising again and hoping that works if you really want to spend more time with them. But if you have other options you may want to look elsewhere for playmates for your DC. It sounds like letting little ones hit each other and then being affronted by it is a standard parenting approach amoung these families and I doubt that’s going to make it easy to help your DC to learn not to hit.

Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 08:58

Theunamedcat · 28/04/2025 06:15

Tbf he was hitting BACK not attacking

Thank you!

OP posts:
Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 09:00

TheCountofMountingCrispBags · 28/04/2025 06:18

But he does hit other children and the OP is unapologetic about it!

Not even close! We always apologise for everything! But I will not have this behaviour from an adult who creates issues wherever she goes, constantly. And I am not talking about having issues with me, but with other people.

OP posts:
Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 09:03

RawBloomers · 28/04/2025 07:41

What OP means here is that she isn’t making excuses for his behaviour (when she is tells us he doesn’t hit hard), not that she isn’t sorry.

She clearly said further up her post that she said sorry several times.

Thank you! I am very sorry that it happens. What bothers me is that we are all very close to each other and we do things together constantly with both moms, so does other children. And this is why I believe she was out of place shounting on him, when I was there sorting out the situation, she demanded to speak not even letting me found out what happened. But then she would call me every day when she needed a favor and so. You don't treat your close people like this.

OP posts:
Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 09:04

SD1978 · 28/04/2025 07:04

Your three year old shouldn’t have been unsupervised, period. If you know je has a habit of being aggressive with other kids, you can’t rely on someone else being ok with that or sorting it out. You need to apologise to the other parent, explain it won’t happen again and you will supervise him until her stops being randomly aggressive, and it howpifully blows over.

He was not unsupervised.

OP posts:
Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 09:08

LynetteScavo · 28/04/2025 06:47

It sounds like you need to supervise your son very closely at this age, he’s only three, and stop socialising with people who admire Hitler.

This is the first time that came out of her mouth, I had no clue.

OP posts:
Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 09:09

ThejoyofNC · 28/04/2025 07:12

I don't blame her for telling her child to hit back. Her child isn't a punching bag.

It was not her child.

OP posts:
MoistVonL · 28/04/2025 09:15

Mayana1 · 28/04/2025 09:04

He was not unsupervised.

He clearly wasn’t supervised if you don’t know whether he was hit first and didn’t dash in to intervene before he got to hitting - particularly if he was hitting with a stick (that you didn’t see)

Supervising a 3 year old who is prone to hitting or kicking doesn’t mean “being vaguely nearby”, it means actively monitoring him.

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