Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

to think this was an ott reaction??

172 replies

amibu · 01/04/2012 00:05

I've namechanged for this.
I went to someones house a few days back,
my DS was unfortunately very overtired , hyper and it had been a long day and his dummy had been misplaced which was making calming it down very difficult. He had an incident with a glass coaster which luckily didnt break when I'd tried to get it off him.
He wanted to colour in the living room but wasnt allowed.
I was trying to get him to sit down when one of the women said;

'I'm not being funny but don't let him touch anything or jump on the chairs I've worked really hard for what I've got!'

I was a bit embarassed and shocked, I didnt respond at all. another person did apologise for the behaviour as the whole room fell silent.

AIBU to feel a bit humiliated by this comment when it appeared obvious I was trying to calm a little monster down?

OP posts:
amibu · 01/04/2012 22:58

'I recommend the Solihull Aproach for learning how to manage your child's behaviour.'

Is there really any need for that ? all children get overtired and hyper sometimes, theres really no need to imply that my child has behavioural problems for a one off episode all children are difficult sometimes.

absolutely disgusting.

OP posts:
Rhinosaurus · 01/04/2012 23:06

Zzzzzz you still here? Thought you were going.

Nothing personal about you or your child in my post.
I wasn't aggressive, none of my posts got deleted. My posts are there for all to see.
Didn't quote back any of your drivel so I haven't twisted anything.
Solihull is for any child not ones with behavioural difficulties - do some research before you jump to assumptions.
Oh I can take it as well as give it, believe me.

Taking this off my notifications now as your unreasonable unfounded rantings are beginning to bore me significantly.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 01/04/2012 23:08

I don't think Rhino's first post was rude though amibu. I think all of her emphasis was on the situation she has experienced rather than on you, until you started to talk about her literacy skills and then she responded to you in a similar vein.

amibu · 01/04/2012 23:09

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Rhinosaurus · 01/04/2012 23:20

LOL

I could report that post, but I won't, i will let you carry on embarrassing yourself.

Cherriesarelovely · 01/04/2012 23:54

There are people with very badly behaved toddlers/children that just sit there and sigh ( I have just had a terrible falling out with friends like this) and there are the rest of us whose DCs very occasionally have a meltdown because they are tired or whatever. I agree it isn't the hosts responsibility to put up with or be ok about the child potentially spoiling her home (absolutely fair enough) but OP has told us that she was trying to calm her DS down, not just sitting there.

SuePurblybilt · 02/04/2012 09:23

Rhino's post 'insanely aggressive'? Grin

Ah, now, it really wasn't. Barely mildly cross.

bemybebe · 02/04/2012 09:36

amibu Hmm

SerendipitousHarlot · 02/04/2012 11:52

Oh dear Hmm

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 02/04/2012 12:15

Amibu is there any chance whatsoever that you know you and your DP should have taken your child straight home regardless of how many times the host insisted you should go back to her home and taking your feelings of stress and frustration out on her (and others here) because you know you made the wrong choice?

I know it is hard to calm an overtired child, I really do. And I know it can be hard to keep saying no to someone who is insisting that you do something, especially if you don't want to appear rude. But if you thought at all that your son would be feeling this way then that's what you needed to do, say no and take him home. I know it's easy to say that with hindsight but I am wondering if that's why you are still so upset about her comment days later and why you are lashing out a bit at people here. Because you knew at the time you were doing the wrong thing, did it anyway while hoping for the best and then felt so stressed and frustrated that you are focusing it all on someone else.

What she said certainly didn't help a difficult situation and it was probably a lot more blunt than many people would have been.

But from what you have described, that your son was over tired and upset, almost broke a glass coaster, wanted to colour in a room filled with white upholstery, repeatedly jumped on chairs and making a beeline for them after you had moved him, looking in all the cupboards and being into everything etc, it sounds like it went far beyond her not moving a few ornaments and I'm not surprised she spoke up even though you were trying to deal with the situation.

And you seem to be blaming her for not moving her belongs and focusing on that. You've said that you were embarrassed and shocked by her comment and I think that's a fair reaction, but you've also said that the only thing that irritated you was that she didn't move the ornaments, as you were brought up to do, said to not move them is "stupid and dangerous", asked if you are alone in being brought up to move eye level things away from toddlers etc, said you are annoyed at people who make no effort to toddler-proof (I think that's what you said anyway, that post at 09:30:55 wasn't entirely clear).

But as you have seen, not everyone will do that and they shouldn't have to, so the safest way to ensure this isn't a problem in the future is to either be more confident about refusing an invite if you feel your son will be overtired and hyper and to accept that some people will expect you to manage your son in their home as it is rather than change it themselves to suit him, regardless of what you would do in your home if they brought a young child to visit you.

And you are being a bit rude to people here, as people have been quite gentle on you really, especially since nobody pointed out that it has gone from being a few trinkets to a collection of sharp glass things etc. That sort of thing is normally jumped all over in AIBU.

Asking if someone has issues with reading, saying several people are twisting your words, calling someone else a liar and insanely aggressive and a disgusting excuse for a human being is wrong. Nobody had said anything like that to you and nobody personally attacked you until after you had been rude to them first, when they responded in a similar manner to the one they were being spoken to in.

I'm not trying to attack you either but I do think you might feel better if you take a step back and calm down yourself and have a think about why you are really feeling so stressed and angry about it all.

empirestateofmind · 02/04/2012 12:22

Good post Noones.

amibu · 02/04/2012 12:41

Noone there were some very nasty and aggressive posts

I've read a few saying 'him running around and you letting him' is absoloutely disgusting and wrong, I wasn't I was trying to restrain him many times.

Thats why I got so angry I wasn't 'letting him run wild' theres a world of difference between that and struggling to restrain. and no-one can say those posts werent made. there were some very nasty ones saying directly I was letting him trash the house which I wasn't.
I did loose my temper, but thats why.

OP posts:
amibu · 02/04/2012 12:47

"Is it our responsibility to stop her letting her kids do whatever the fuck they want to in our house? Should we take our doors off the hinges, tie our cupboard handles together, tell our kids that there personal space isn't that and to move all their stuff above toddler reach? Of course we shouldn't!"

Parents should learn to take responsibility for and control their own children's bad behaviour. Oh, and have some respect for other peoples belongings.

this is what Rhino said to me , absolutely dispicable. How is struggling to restain a cranky overtired toddler 'letting them do what the fuck they want in a house' and how is that me not respecting other peoples belongings.

And this wasn't the only comment like this.

OP posts:
amibu · 02/04/2012 12:49

"I am not angry, merely pointing out that your concept that it is the host's responsibility to make changes to their home, rather than a parent of a badly behaved child learn some parenting techniques, is flawed and self obsessed."

Oh and that aswell but of course its just me being rude Hmm

you can't expect to make comments like that and not get both barrels back,I'd said many times I was trying to deal with it but some people will refuse to hear it so they can be abusive.

OP posts:
SerendipitousHarlot · 02/04/2012 12:54

Honestly OP, the only one being abusive is you. You're so aggressive!

MarthasHarbour · 02/04/2012 12:54

Could you not have taken him outside, i have a toddler and if he is cranky the best way to expend the energy is to let him run round a garden or park area. You could have stayed with him to ensure he didnt trample on dahlias etc..

We have only semi baby proofed the house, just ensured the v dangerous stuff is covered, for this exact reason. We can take him anywhere. He has his moments believe me but i take him outside

Yes the comment from the host was a bit Hmm but YABU and rather rude too.

MarthasHarbour · 02/04/2012 12:55

oh and your attacks on Rhino's literacy had me in stitches, i have to read a lot of your posts twice to get the gist Hmm

SuePurblybilt · 02/04/2012 12:57

Honestly, you're coming across as ten times more 'aggressive/nasty/despicable' than any other poster I've seen on this thread. I think Noones got a point and you're feeling defensive, which is understandable.

But you're not coming out of this well, particularly with the literacy jibes at other posters. Hide the thread and walk away if it's winding you up this much.

BeerTricksPott3r · 02/04/2012 13:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 02/04/2012 13:25

OP in the first bit you quoted Rhino was talking about a situation that happened in her house, not about you and your son. She wasn't saying you did that, she was relating her own experience as it happened to her.

Maybe you don't see why her post is relevant to the thread or to you situation but what she initially said didn't deserve the replies you gave.

By the time she posted the second bit you have quoted you had already called her angry, said her post was irrelevant to your situation, said she was being ridiculous to tar you with the same brush and questioned her literacy skills.

I can't speak for the many deleted posts here, because they were all deleted before I joined the thread. But of the ones I can see, you were rude first. If you were attacked in the deleted posts, or attacked someone else in your deleted posts, then it is right that they have been deleted.

That's why I think you might feel better to take a step back and calm down, because I don't think people are criticising you in the way you feel they are. Some are speaking more generally, some are speaking about a specific thing that happened to them and others are speaking directly to you but I don't think anyone has wandered into personal attack territory on any of the posts left to stand. But I do think this whole situation is still very raw for you, with the stress and embarrassment still fresh in your mind and that you might feel better about the replies here if you had a bit more time and distance between you and the situation.

Rhinosaurus · 02/04/2012 13:46

I think the reluctance to accept anyone else's point of view, delusions of victimisation and inability to take criticism may indicate the root of the op's problem.

I actually use Solihull techniques for managing my teens behaviour, and it is in no way targeted at children with behavioural problems, but general behaviour management.

If that makes me a disgusting excuse for a human being, so be it.

The person who is rude, angry, aggressive, can give it but not take it is now me, look a bit closer to home op!

festivalwidow · 02/04/2012 14:34

Hm, can see both sides. On one hand, a) she was pretty damn unsympathetic and b) anyone who uses 'I'm not being funny' has a big mark against them in my book.
On the other, if you're there for a work-related thing it really isn't the host's responsibility to try and placate your toddler - it's a work discussion, not a chance for the host to be a children's entertainer for an afternoon. At a guess, all of you found the situation pretty tense. I find work phone calls hard enough when DD is around!
I have both a 2 year old and a raw memory of a friend changing her DC's leaky, crappy nappy on an antique rug of mine rather than in the bathroom...

New posts on this thread. Refresh page