Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hate children that correct adults!

199 replies

englandsmistress · 14/12/2010 10:14

My colleague brings her son (9) in to the office today. As they leave I say to him "Happy Christmas, I hope santa brings you the most brilliantest presents"
To which he says, as he rolls his eyes skyward, "it's 'most brilli-ANT'"

and tuts.

Little, shit. He's not even cute Wink

OP posts:
Ingles2 · 14/12/2010 21:20

that is a weak argument for you Anna
Must try harder.

defineme · 14/12/2010 21:21

Yes that boy will do very well in life Bonsoir, if by that you mean well paid job, 'good school' and so on, but I reserve the right to think he's rude and to hope I've taught my kids to have different priorities and that they don't have to live in what sounds like an apalling 'environment' to be content or what I consider to be a success.

My ds1 is 9, has aspergers and social rules are an uphill struggle. I do worry about what people will think of him and spend a lot of time working on this kind of stuff. We do also laugh at the awful things he says, but later after we've apologised and explained to him where he's gone wrong.

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:21

Brilliantest is a bit daft and I wouldn't have said it but that doesn't excuse bad manners and rudeness from a 9 year old. Rolling eyes and tutting, what an insolent little brat. I wonder if he speaks to his teacher / mother like that.

At 9 a child is old enough to know better and old enough to know that the person saying it was only trying to be nice / funny.

My mum would have given me hell if I'd spoken to an adult in that way when they were only trying to be kind to me.

Next time tell him you hope Santa brings him fuck all, perhaps that'll meet his approval. he does seem to prefer more grown up language and all that.

Xmas Grin
petratsdontsmell · 14/12/2010 21:22

If I'd been OP, the thing inhibiting me would have been presence of child's mum- the work colleague.
Would she have understood if OP had engaged in debate with child over the issue?

activate · 14/12/2010 21:22

you said "brilliantest" - good on the kid!

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:24

Activate he should have dropped the attitude. It's uncalled for and bloody rude.

Bonsoir · 14/12/2010 21:24

It's no good expecting children today to not respond to adults. Life has moved on and cultural concepts of manners have changed.

You won't equip your children for life as adults in the 21st century if you teach them the manners of yesteryear.

activate · 14/12/2010 21:26

To hate children WHO correct adults

[rolls eyes]

tuts

runs off laughing manically

autodidact · 14/12/2010 21:26

Is there a correct way to spell brilliantest?
I can quite imagine saying brilliantest. I am fond of using made up words. My favourite at the moment is nincompoopski. As in "I know brilliantest isn't a word you nincompoopski. I just like making up words."

Mumcentreplus · 14/12/2010 21:26

hahaha!..'defense against condescension' add league on the end and you have a force to be reckoned with!!...she was not disrespecting the child..she was having a joke..

bumblingbovine · 14/12/2010 21:30

A lot of children do not understand irony or very sophisticated humour.

Saying a word deliberately wrongly and expecting the person you at speaking to, to understand that you are deliberately making a mistake is quite an oblique sort of joke. Many children would not understand that and would think you had got it wrong and that you had made a mistake.

If you dislike the fact that the child thought you had genuinely got it wrong the mistake is yours as you pitched the humour wrongly. Even if he had been more polite and not corrected you he would probably have thought you were pretty silly and that you had got it wrong, he just would not have said so.

I am still undecided as to whether it is OK for child to correct you or not though. It is not OK for him to roll his eyes and correct you in an impolote way I think but tbh if he had been a bit politer and just pointed out your "mistake" then I think that is OK.

Mumcentreplus · 14/12/2010 21:31

It's your job as a parent to encourage and develop your childs social ability...would you ahve praised your child for correcting the adult in question because they were condescending?

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:32

Bonsoir, children can respond to adults but it's the child's attitude that I think was disgraceful. Rolling his eyes and tutting?! That's uncalled for. You wont equip your children for life if you let them think that sort of attitude is acceptable.

I love it when the child is wrong though. One of my friends DC's was very rude to me when I said are you looking forward to your holiday to "Disneyland." I got an earful! He NO! YOU'RE WRONG! he shouts at me. It's "Disneyworld", THAT's what it's called. He finished with "So there" for good measure. At 7 years old that is a disgusting way to speak to an adult especially when he and his family were guests in my house at the time.

My laptop was on at the time and I took the greatest of pleasure in showing him the official Disneyland website: disneyland.disney.go.com/

The look on the rude little brats face was priceless when he saw it. I won't forget that in a hurry.

Mumcentreplus · 14/12/2010 21:33

would you not have explained the adult was making a (dodgy) joke?...and that eye-rolling and an equally condescending attitude was not appropriate?..

Bonsoir · 14/12/2010 21:34

What kind of adult are you to get "the greatest of pleasure" out of correcting a 7 year old?

You sound perfectly beastly!

Mumcentreplus · 14/12/2010 21:35

As i have mentioned before I live with a corrector...

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:36

Mumcentreplus I would have told my childwhat you said above if I'd been the 9 year olds mother and I would've told him not to be so rude.

I'm not sure if you're asking me.

Mumcentreplus · 14/12/2010 21:37

hahaha perfectly beastly..thats cute...but tbh if you are around a know-it -ll of any age.. you tend to get a kind of pleasure out of putting them in their place...Wink

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:38

Bonsoir I wouldn't have found it so funny if he hadn't screamed and shouted at me protesting how stupid I was. He said that as well for good measure.

Perfectly beastly! I eat kids for breakfast clearly and take a whip to them. Grin

I can tell how you speak to others if you think that attitude from a 9 y.o. is acceptable.

panettoinydog · 14/12/2010 21:38

Get with the modern manners, soir. Not beastly any more.

Mumcentreplus · 14/12/2010 21:39

Sorry A1980 I was not talking to you hun ...Grin

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:41

Exactly mumcentreplus, exactly.

Said 7 yo DC of my friend is a general know it all. You can't have a single conversation with him without him telling you he knows everything about everything and you know nothing. It is cute that I'm so beastly for showing him the website and saying you will have a lovely time at "Disneyland" Grin

That's all I said to him. Nothing more

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:42

Mumcentreplus I coundn't tell as your post was right under my last post so I wasn't sure.

Sorry for intrusion! Grin

FranSanDisco · 14/12/2010 21:42

Is Bonsoir for real?

A1980 · 14/12/2010 21:44

I think Bonsoir is for real, FranSanDisco.

It's quite worrying to think that people are of the view that children can be as rude as they please to adults in this day and age.