to think if you want to work in silence, don't go to a coffee shop

[whimsicalname]

I was in a chain coffee shop this morning, across the road from our city museum, waiting with my 2 year old for it to open.

I was drinking my coffee, he sat opposite me eating raisins. Other people were working, or chatting, or reading the paper. You know, doing normal coffee shop stuff.

After a while, the boy gets up to wander around. He's not running, he's not sticky, he's just mingling. He walked towards a man with a laptop. Stood nearby him, and then said hello. Man looked up at me, and said 'do you mind, I'm concentrating here' in a really unpleasant way.

If I'd been with a couple of friends chatting we'd have made a lot more noise but I can't help but feel he probably wouldn't have told us off!

We were across the road from the university library (which has some open access areas) and all of 200m away from the city central library, so plenty of options for quiet. Blimey, he could even have sat in the cathedral for some quiet contemplation.

AIBU or was he?

Poor OP. She wishes she'd never asked. Like so many before her.

Hahahahaahahaaaa!!

OP is probably off re-evaluating her parenting style or gagging her child.

that should say ' i said he is busy' to my ds4, god loads of typos, far too many to correct, why do you not have an edit facility on mnet!

I expect she will click 'threads I started' tomorrow and think oh fuck and then Namechange.

The OP's mistake was in using the word 'mingle'.
Without the mingle this thread would've bombed.

Hope she comes back. Such a seemingly benign post.
I have offended the very nice cherry and reported myself already earlier in the thread.

Yes the mingle was the wrong choice of word

Just some comments from this thread:

Put on the spot;
Restrain your child;
Take them to a fecking park;
Manage their children;
Give them colouring books;
Behaving appropriately;
Unfettered roaming toddler;
?DM grooming children for paedos?;
Maybe he?s had a bad day or is infertile.

I?m laughing so much the tears are running down my legs because otherwise they'd be running down my face.

Some people are just miserable fuckers and deserve to live in retirement homes with the orderlies placing their food just an inch out of reach.

I don?t have children, probably never will and despite doing an important job and not going to Starbucks because I think the coffee is overpriced and shite, quite like children coming up to me and saying: ?I love hamsters. Do you??

yes if she hadnt have said mingle there wouldnt have been a problem, had the kid been sat in his seat and have turned to the man sat next to them and said hello, then yes the man would have been rude (depending on tone) but equally he would still have the right NOT to talk to the child. its the mingling that makes it unreasonable, you dont allow your child to walk around and mingle ina cafe!

It's true, people did get fired up over the word mingle. Off to pedants corner the lot of you!
Yanbu OP

Well OP if you do come back or are lurking , I think YANBU

Ignore everyone else that doesn't agree with me

Oooh Mama - you know it's bad when you have to reprt yourself!
Been there.

((()))

I loved put on the spot!

Love it!!

Who says the Uk isn't child friendly?!

other peoples kids are not always charming
nor do i wish to engage with them
now if someone wants to boo hoo that im not interested in their beloved wean in a coffeeshop,well thats tough

Yay for "mingle", I've enjoyed this thread. Before it came along I was subjecting myself to watching a programme about Jodie Marsh bodybuilding.

limited I missed unfettered roaming marauding toddlers and the infertile bits.

pictish I let myself down!!

May I suggest tena lady for you limited to help with your little problem?

We have proof that at least London is london17 hurrah!

Thank you!

Well if nothing else I've had a good laugh. Gave dh a fright a minute ago!

scottish we get it you couldn't give a fuck about anybody or their meddlesome kids!

meddlesome kids haha do you watch scooby do
or is that attempt at comedic mirth

Why so mean to scottish? Is something being brought over from another thread?

I'm not really offended,Mama. I'm being too sensitive as usual.
I have dyspraxia and struggle to tell when someone is being sincere and when they're joking. It's not easy IRL for me to tell the difference,and it's no easier online,so I tend to assume the worst and react accordingly,which is wrong of me.Apologies.