AIBU To be annoyed that a complete stranger picked up my child and tried to play with him!

[Sunny08]

Went to a beautiful wedding on saturday, on sunday we had a celebration bbq. ds didn't attend wedding but did come to bbq next day. Whilst he was playing he wandered over to this group of guys and girls, and one of the girls without warning just scooped him and started spinning him round trying to get him to play. He is only 18mths and shy at the best of times. She made a comment about him being mr grumpy as he was struggling to get away from her and as I was only a few feet behind her I walked up, took him off her and said 'I'm sorry he isn't great with complete strangers especially when they just randomly pick up!' I turned and left as didn't want to cause a scene at our friends celebration. She had been drinking and I was polite but obviously annoyed - I had never before seen or spoken to this girl in my life and it was quite obvious she was trying to use my son as a 'look aren't I good with children' infront of her friends'. Apparently she complained to the bride later that I was really rude to her - AIBU? Personally I thought I was bloomin polite given what i was thinking of saying!!!

"maybe he is not good with strangers, because neither are you?"

I know very few children who are good with strangers. Most are cautious and shy. Many are very anxious at a young age. It's hardly unusual at all and really necessarily anything to do with the parents at all.

Perhaps it is just better to not pick up children you don't know and assume they'll be happy about it?

Ffs drip feeding drip.

"smash your face"?

My word. The subnormal IQs are coming out again.

This is getting mean.

Plutocrap I agree - unfortunately this got mean a long time ago. Poor mum has probably run screaming from Mumsnet for good thinking we are all a bunch of nasty b which is a real shame.

SoleSource - really, what an insightful contribution!

Oh is this still going on???? Reflecting on this I wonder if the single person who had had some unspecific amount of alcohol in a manner acceptable at a wedding actually picked the little one up in a bid not to get his sticky fingers all over her best frock, thus held him afar and aloft and as she was generally unfamiliar with children of that certain age and attempted to make the whole episode 'fun' by swinging him around and therefore was justifiably upset when her good intentions were met by ire. I rest my case m'lud.

You were not being unreasonable at all - in fact if anyone was being unreasonable and acting inappropriately, it was the idiot who decided it would be a good idea to randomly pick a child you, who they do not know, and swing them round and round. Had that been my child, who has aspergers and does not like being physically man handled by people he does not know - he would have freaked and I would have given her a mouthful which would have included a piece of my mind. One does not go around randomly snatching up children you dont know - regardless of your intentions, you have no idea how their parent is going to react, or how the child is going to react.