I have been unreasonable towards a child, help me to feel sorry.

[Cathycomehome]

So - we looked after next door's liitle boy (9 years old) tonight, and we played a game of Trivial Pursuit. This little boy is lovely but quite arrogant self confident. He had been teasing my son (11) every time he got a question wrong, and saying things like "Durr - I can't believe you didn't know that", etc.

So when he did it for about the 6th time, I said "Right, X who wrote "Dulce et decorum est"?. So he said "Erm, well I don't know". So I said "Right, well you don't know because you haven't been told, and X didn't know who was the first man on the moon because he hadn't been told, and it doesn't feel very nice to be teased like that does it?".

I think you were absolutely right and I think you know it It's actually a kind thing to do to make the child realise the effect his words/behaviour have on others, so in fact I would say you did him a favour.

doesn't sound that unreasonable to me.

sorry , not going to help you feel sorry. sounded quite a good strategy.

bmf

Well - the kid looked a bit upset, and my partner said I was a bit sharp with him, and I probably was, but I don't really feel sorry, tbh winnybella. I know i probably should.

Good on you!!

You did the right thing imo

Good on ya !

I wouldnt have said you were being unreasonable... cocky children need putting in their place

Oh, sorry, missed posts! Glad you think I didn't do anything horrible, he was just really winding me up, and I thought maybe I was being a bit horrid.

I would have said the same thing (with an added durr thrown in for good measure)

But I do agree that an 11yo should know who the first man on the moon was though.

sorry, but i can't help you feel sorry for that. it was totally reasonable i would have done the same.

Did he apologise or stop being rude after you said that to him?

Well, yes, actually he did. . But he also stopped talking to me and went a bit quiet .

Nothing wrong with that at all.

You did the right thing. Sorry to say this but I have s precocious 10 year old who straying into this behaviour. This has lost her friends and caused huge problems at school. We have spent the last 5 months dealing with this. We started of softly but are now finding that blunt rebuttals like you did are the only ones that work. It's so hard I feel like a big bitch most of the time.

You made him realise he was being an unlikeable twit, he went quiet becase that realisation hit him firmly between the eyeballs.

He may thank you for it one day.

You did the right thing

How will he ever learn if people don't come back at him with something like this?

I think you should feel a bit gulity. He is only 9 and a 9 year old will be cocky if he is beating a 11 year old.

Where was the unreasonable bit?

Little snot needed telling.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say YABU.

Because he's 9yo, and you're, like, not.

He was probably just excited and proud to know this stuff, y'know- showing off a bit. Especially if the other kid was a whole two years older than him- that's important stuff to a 9yo.

Hardly a big deal, and not worthy of an 'important life lesson' really. Sheesh

Well - you guys haven't helped me to feel sorry, but you HAVE helped me to fell better, so thanks!

Oops - then I read your post, green eyes, and I am back to feeling a bit bad about it! This is the same kid though, who isn't very good at sports, and we all have to let him win in games situations.

Ha ha

I certainly wouldn't 'let' him win either though, let them get on with it by themselves I say- it usually all evens out.