Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

For saying hello to a toddler in the park with his parents?

55 replies

MrBloomsNursery · 27/07/2011 21:59

We have a new large sandpit area in the local park and I was standing near the play boat with DD, and this toddler came walking up to me with a big grin, so I said "Hello!", as you do to a baby. Anyway I looked up and his father was giving me evils, but the woman was okay. The man had a can of lager in his hand. Anyway, I felt like I had made a mistake by saying hello to his baby, so I took DD to the other side of the play area.

A few minutes later they walked passed me again, and he gave me evils again.

Is it wrong to talk to another person's baby if it is walking up to you? I've said hello to another toddler when I was in the eye hospital with DD before, and his Mum got pissed off and gave me evils too. Are you not supposed to acknowledge other people's children? Should you just ignore little smiling faces? Have I been making a big mistake by acknowledging these children....I feel like I've been making a mistake all this time....

OP posts:
Henwelly · 27/07/2011 22:01

yanbu I often talk to children - tend to be nicer than the parents Wink

G1nger · 27/07/2011 22:02

Uh no. You just seem to have come across your fair share of nutters.

ChaosTrulyReigns · 27/07/2011 22:02

Lager?

Without a glass?

HWBU.

Grin
LynetteScavo · 27/07/2011 22:02

It was nothing to do with you saying hello. He would have given you evils whatever.

AgentZigzag · 27/07/2011 22:03

I always do and have never had the 'evils' thrown at me.

But then I'm not really looking at the parents much as I just presume they'll be basking in the glory of their beautiful offspring being admired like I do Grin

itisnearlysummer · 27/07/2011 22:03

Oh good grief! I do this all the time I'd be very Angry if someone gave me evils!

I also stick my tongue out at babies and pull faces at them to make them laugh. If the parents see me I just smile at them. I've never been on the receiving end of evils! Most parents are normal and smile back.

I'd never be pissed off if someone said hello to mine!

worraliberty · 27/07/2011 22:04

Evils? How old are you? Grin

KAZAMM · 27/07/2011 22:05

YANBU at all! Thought it was just normal to say hello or whatever to kids who come up to me or DD.

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 27/07/2011 22:07

I thought I was breaking some kind of "don't talk to children" rule....I've had old men talking to DD on the bus about traffic lights and colours of cars and I don't mind it..Some people must be weird then!

I'm 28!! I couldn't think of a more mature word for "evils"!!

OP posts:
babybythesea · 27/07/2011 22:08

Carry on as you were! My toddler will say hello, wait for a reply, then repeat her hello. If you ignored her, she'd turn to me and announce 'Mummy, that people not talking to me. Why not talking to me?' Much easier if people give her a quick grin and a hello!!

I tried to explain that the people in the bank queue were just being a bit British by not making eye contact or talking when they had Important Things to do - not that I used those words but that was the jist of it. She very loudly said "They all quiet. They not talking, are they Mummy? Are they?" (I had to mutter an agreement to try to stop the flow). "I need say hello for them and talk for them. Hello people. I talking for you now. Hello everybody." It went on for some time and the queue moved very slowly.

For my sanity, please say hello!

AgentZigzag · 27/07/2011 22:11

You're not... A Man ...are you? Shock

exoticfruits · 27/07/2011 22:12

Of course you can talk to toddlers-parents can't control the environment when out!

wannabefree · 27/07/2011 22:12

babybythesea your toddler sounds ridiculously cute, LOL!

AfternoonsandCoffeespoons · 27/07/2011 22:14

AZ you took the words out of my mouth! Obviously you shoudl always get evils when talking to a child as you might be a peedo!!!! Shock

IRCL · 27/07/2011 22:15

YANBU.

I do it if a toddler/child is smiling or saying hello to me.

nojustificationneeded · 27/07/2011 22:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 27/07/2011 22:17

Noooooo!!! I am a woman!!! I just like the Mr Bloom's Nursery song...

OP posts:
Lovesicecream · 27/07/2011 22:17

Lol babybythesea how cute! I think drinking beer by the sand pit is pretty unreasonable ! People talk to my children all the time, sometimes they haven't had much of a choice, ds 1 would talk to anyone when he was little

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 27/07/2011 22:19

babybythesea Your baby really does sound cute...Did no one in the bank even give a little smile? How rude!!

OP posts:
AfternoonsandCoffeespoons · 27/07/2011 22:20

Oh sorry MrBlooms! In that case YADNBU! Of course women can talk to children. Grin

nojustificationneeded · 27/07/2011 22:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

plantsitter · 27/07/2011 22:25

Maybe he needs glasses or had sand in his eye and wasn't, in fact, giving you the evils.

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 27/07/2011 22:26

Aaw, I don't mind men talking to my DD; she always talks to old men on the bus about colours; her favourite topic. I just sit there looking out the window and let her get on with it!

OP posts:
AgentZigzag · 27/07/2011 22:27

Maybe the bloke was shortsighted and too vain to wear glasses, and was narrowing his eyes at you because he thought you looked like someone he was sick over on a trip to Skeg in 1998?

It's possible.

babybythesea · 27/07/2011 22:27

Nope. Only one elderly lady who hadn't witnessed any of the above and was going in as we (finally) left the bank. DD cheerfully waved at her as she came in through the door I was holding open and told her "We going now. Bye bye." To which the lady replied "Oh how lovely (to me). Bye bye dear (to DD)." To be fair, all that happened was that she spent the next five minutes saying 'I did say goodbye to the lady, didn't I Mummy? And she did say goodbye for me too, didn't she Mummy?'

Cute? Hmm. There are days when I am tempted to give her away! Like a few days ago when I told her off (again) for pulling up seedlings in the garden and she regarded me for a moment and then said 'I think you a bit grumpy today Mummy.' Toddler, free to a good home.....

Swipe left for the next trending thread