That angry Dad shouts at me in church?

[verysomething]

I'm a regular, he was a drop-in for a christening... and his 2 DS's (5 and 3) were making an almighty noise behind me, kicking my pew and hitting me in the head with their toys. It's a big church (could seat 500) and there were no more than 70 people there, so there's lots of room to move and take fractious DC's up the back.

Normally I would never have said anything, it's so hard for DC's to sit still we all understand that, and I wish I hadn't now. But the volume level got so high, I mean REALLY loud, and Dad wouldn't shush them at all, and everyone was kind of distracted by it. I turned around and said in what I thought was my most gently and smiley and (so I thought) anglican voice "hey, shh shh, little ones - this is a church!"

Dad tore strips off me, said "don't you dare tell off my children! Nobody but me has the right to do that! You talk to me, not my children!"

I didn't realise what I said was so bad. My point is that I thought I had said something in a gentle, caring, non-judgmental way... but obviously he saw it as a criticism of his parenting . I was in tears and am still really upset.

Mea culpa, am ready to be flamed for being so out of touch with how we act in public now

katiestar, I was waiting for someone to post that - no-one says kids shouldn't be in church. But there is a difference between welcoming a child to church, and a parent blindly letting their child wreck the service and physically attack another member of the congregation. Perhaps parents who think that is ok should remember 'Love thy neighbour'.

The OP was very gentle, and didn't ask the kids to leave, she just gently asked them to shush. (And probably to stop whacking her on the head with a toy).

FFS why did I click? Where is the eye bleach

This secret squirrel stuff is v v confusing.

wtf????????????

is it like a treasure hunt through wierd old threads or something?!

I hope the prize is at least a better looking naked man

code is here

You talk to me, not my children!

Did you not reply 'Sorry I thought you were deaf, sorry if I presumed. What with the kids making an awful racket .

YANBU at all, he should have had the courtesy if there were plenty of spare places to sit away from people, as young children can be fractious and noisy. I feel for those children what a good example he is setting for his children.

You just met a real live chav, OP.

Can people be thrown out of church for bad behaviour (the man I mean, not his children).

His parenting needed to be criticised. Well done!