To think the parents really should've stepped in?

[RevoltingPeasant]

I was at a friend's house last week for a gathering of about 20 people and one couple brought their DS aged either 5 or 6 with them. Whilst they were in the bigger room with the wine and nibbles, their DS came into the smaller room at the back where a few of us were chilling out and chatting.

He started trying to entertain us, as kids do, but imo, he pretty quickly got out of hand. He started by running up and down the corridor between the two rooms and shouting (fine), but then slamming open the door of our room so that it was banging into the wall quite forcibly.

He then started playing with the landline phone that was in our room, even though the host who was there asked him not to. The host doesn't have DCs and was obviously not willing to really discipline someone else's, but eventually he got ticked off and took it off the little boy - who then climbed on his lap, hit him, and started trying to grab it off him

He also started shouting, 'Be quiet, all of you, SHUSH' to us whilst we were chatting.

AIBU to think for a child of school years this is pretty bad behaviour and the parents really should've intervened?

YANBU

No way is this acceptable behaviour. YANBU.

Yes, the parents should have intervened, but if they were not in the room, I think someone else in the room should have done.

yanbu, but...did the parents know? did anyone tell them?

or did they think little Tarquineos was being his charming little self amusing the guests?

Parents on the naughty step, methinks.

I imagine they were cowering in the other room, gulping wine, not meeting anyone's eye, and thinking "stuff it, the hosts can practise being parents this weekend - we're doing them a favour really."

It's not great behvaviour, but tbh, not beyond the pale for a young kid in the company of adults with no other kids to play with. Poor planning on the parents' behalf and yes, of course they should have intervened.

Were the parents in the room? If so, they should definitely have intervened - either of my DC would have been out in the garden for me to shout at reason with them so fast their feet wouldn't have touched the ground.

If they were not there, then I would have gone and fetched one of them - and/or frogmarched the child to go and find a parent.

YANBU

The DS was clearly bored, so I'd blame the parents not only for not intervening, but also for not bringing something to keep him occupied

out of interest, were there any other children there?

YANBU. But if the parents were in another room someone should have gone and told them their little darling was acting up.

minipie yes someone else's DS was there and he was a little hyper but basically stopped when his mum (who stayed with him) told him no.

People did something to the, er, boisterous child, but he just shouted 'NO' at them. tbh, it was a party of work people and I don't think anyone wanted to start saying something narky to a colleague...