to think parents should look after their children at toddler groups

[JammySplodger]

or at the very least keep an eye out for them pushing other children off slides, running over other children with trikes, throwing metal toy cars randomly across the room and wearing raincovers as space helmets.

And why is it down to those parents who can be bothered to actually play with their kids to do all the mediating, policing, and preventing injury!

I'm sooo not going back to that playgroup.

Yanbu. This is a pet hate of mine too.
I must say I persevered with these sort of groups and I don't think my ds benefitted particularly. I prefer the more organised- music groups, kindergyms etc.

I think I'll have to start looking for something new to fill our Monday mornings. It's a shame as it's the closest group to us and alot of the children will end up in the same pre-school and primary school, so it would be nice for DS to make friends there.

It just does my head it after a while as they're quite a lively bunch of kids and get up to things I can't just turn a blind eye to. I feel completely taken for granted by the busy-drinking-coffee brigade, maybe it's best I don't go rather than start a row with the future school gate mums.

YANBU. When my DS was abit boistrous I always followed him around making sure he wasn't rowdy/running into babies etc and if he snatched toys etc I would make him give it back, say sorry etc. Some mums do chat and let their kids run wild. I loved one toddler group and hated another with DS but the one we went to I think he really gained from going and mixing with other kids. I also gained some nice new friends and got to know future school gate mums at the same school. I would try some different ones.