to have told these kids off?

[otaku]

The neighbours DC had some friends over aged about 4-5, my DB with complex needs was outside playing and these children were heckling him. They were shouting him over and over again and then laughing when he was having difficulty understanding them as well as trying to make him do things. On top of that they were laughing at his quirks . I told them to stop bothering him and they just told me to leave them alone! So I told them to leave DB alone or I would be round to talk to them and their mum

Am I being a she-bear or AIBU?

I would have done the same - only i would actually have gone round and spoken to the parents too.

4-5 is not too young to learn right from wrong, to be considerate and not take the mick or be lead on by your mates.

As a mum of a child with complex needs you may have to fight this fight many times, don't stop, and never doubt yourself.

Not unreasonable at all. I would have marched right round there and told the mother exactly what I thought of children tormenting a vulnerable person.

"they just told me to leave them alone"

Cheeky disrespectful little buggers. I would have gone round and spoken to the parents. Disgraceful behaviour.

I would have done the same, quiet word with the children and then i would have had a quiet word with their parents so they can - hopefully - reinforce the message as to why it is wrong.

You did the right thing-after speaking to the children I would have spoken to the parent. Don't worry-we need all adults to be unafraid to tell children off if they need it.

Thank you everyone I'm feeling a bit better now I felt a bit uncomfertable because it's usually adults that we have problems with parking toilets etc. having a child be rude is difficult because you can't be as quick to give a sharp reply for fear of upsetting child or thier parents

I wouldn't worry about upsetting the parents - most parents would want to know to use it as a chance to talk about why it is wrong, if the parents are the type who would get upset/angry with you then they are idiots!

Ha I did this recently, my 3yo ds2 was playing nicely in a public play area & a kid throws 2 balls deliberately at him. One hit him in the face & the other in the shoulder. I see it all, ds2 starts to cry & the kid aims another ball. So I go up & ask the kid firmly but politely to stop hitting my child with the ball, he says no then I have the mum appear in my face shouting at me to not speak to her kid. Apparently she expected me to be able to know who his mum was amongst all the other mums sitting around & for me to approach her directly.
Fucking cheek, I asked her how was I to know who his mum is & she backed off

If my 5 year old was doing that I'd want told. I'd go round tonight and say something.

In terms of their treatment of your db, I wouldn't look at it as telling them off so much as helping them to understand polite behaviour and respect for others. So yes, tell their parents and maybe be prepared to explain a little about your db's needs. They are old enough to listen.

As for the way they spoke to you, you are perfectly within your rights to tell them off directly, IMO. Pure cheek. I would be happy for someone to deal with my ds if he did that!

At the "just leave us alone" comment I'd have been round to the house so fast.

Cheeky horrid little brats.

My mum used to have to speak to neighbours about their kids behaviour toward my DB. I am glad she did as we needed to feel safe in out garden.

I would take this chance to have a quiet and polite word with your neighbours. It's totally perfect timing as your neighbour can save face and as you can both blame the visiting children. You will be nipping something in the bud, hopefully thn it won't happen again.

You were right to tell them off, they were being horrible and shouldn't get away with treating people like that. If mine behaved so horribly, I'd want to know so that I could punish her harshly enough to ensure she would never dare be so nasty again.

I'd make sure their parents knew what happened. If they're half decent, they'll sort it out.