to think that people could at least be polite to my DS

[FunnysInLaJardin]

on holiday recently with 2yo DS2. He is a chatty little fellow and I was amazed by the number of people who just ignored him when he wandered over for a chat. Whenever a child speaks to me I will always respond, even if we don't speak the same language.

Makes me rather irritated that when he is being friendly he gets ignored. I suppose some people just don't like children.

Have you not considered your DS is being rude.

I think it's really (prepare for a mn word) entitled to expect people who have no responsibility to your child to talk to and entertain him. Do it yourself, I don't want to be harassed by children all the time. Maybe I'm having my 1 day a week without my dc and relishing it maybe not. It's your child not mine and I'm not interested in his babbling or waving or whatever it is.

You get people occassionally approaching you in the street talking shit, usually they have mental illness and what do you do ignore, so why am I going to pay attention to a child doing the same.

We had a family in a restaurant who, in the middle of OUR meal, put their screaming and tantruming child in a CORNER. A fucking NAUGHTY corner, in a restaurant 5 tables away from us.

They then LEFT it screaming in the naughty corner until it "behaved".

Get. It. Out. Of. The. Restaurant.

Rant over. Ish

Ok jareth. well whatever it is, I hope its not too bad. Or at least tolerable.

Oh well, on the bright side it gives you the chance to teach your child that some people like to chat and some don't and that it's rude to carry on talking to people who are minding their own business unless it is urgent.

Ouch guru. that would piss me right off. To the point that I may deliver said child back to their table.

thanks.

Meh. it's crap, but I'll get over it.

Posh Mum should have stopped her Cute Toddler wandering over to me while I was trying not to cry, and the scowl from her when I didn't engage wasn't really necessary.

i always talk to little children well if they want to chat to me

The mother was sitting with the daughter at the table with her back to said child screaming in the corner!! I was horrified, I must be honest.

I was talking VERY loudly about VERY bad, VERY selfish parenting while my DH was trying to hide under the table

I can't stand the sort of parents who allow their small kids to wander round 'socialising' then getting the hump when nobody wants to socialise with them..

But actually this has made me think about what I let DS do. He's only been ignored a couple of times, most people smile and chat to him. If someone ignores him I move him away. Generally he's not out for a long chat anyway - he just wants someone to tell him he's clever or cute then he's off to the next victim person.

Is this annoying or is it just annoying if he hangs around?

Kick I could not have controlled myself. Would have had to intervene and open my massive gob said something.

I really cannot stand kids coming up to us when we eat let alone cry nearby.

The thing is... 99% of the time I'm actually happy to talk to small children. I like them. I have one. THey are cute.

Today was not one of those days and I'd appreciate it if some of you realised that. (and have psychic powers)

The thing is, one's own DC are wonderful. The children of close friends and adored family are pretty great as well. The neighbours' children are okay but a bit annoying if they want to natter every time I pop out to hang some washing out or take the bins out. The kids across the road do my nut, but they have no boundaries and ride their bikes into my car and occasionally almost under it. And sit on the bonnet when they think I'm not looking. . The kids of people I don't know really don't register, sorry.

I don't quite understand why parents of children I don't know want me to interact with their offspring. I will say hello and smile but it's a little awkward and a bit forced, to be honest. Some of us aren't that great with kids or anyone of any age, if the truth be told . I'm sure yours are wonderful (mine are) but I kind of want to get on with doing whatever I'm currently engaged in. Plus, what if you're one of those scary people who think everyone's a paedophile? You know that you're not, but I don't know you. You could be a maniac, yet here I am, awkwardly forced into conversation with your child. Eek.

The other thing you need to consider is that I might be a maniac. I know I'm not, but you don't know me from Adam.

I think polite, nay, cordial mutual suspicion is the way forward here.

Jareth what happened??

I think some people find it annoying. Others don't

The point is not take it to heart as a parent if people don't want to. Or get annoyed with people who do interact and perhaps...pick them up

it's such a shame that normal interaction is considered rude. If I say hello to someone I don't know I consider it friendly, not rude, and the same applies to my child.

I personally dislike adults I don't know trying to socialise with me. Children even less so.

Especially on the bloody bus.

I always think if a child is dressed like a panda or some sort of bear and they wander over to me, my ovaries do some kind of whoopsey and I have to talk to them.

If they're dressed in say, a Barbie doll dress, my ovaries do slightly less.

YABU. Your child isn't as interesting to other people as he is to you.

funnys normal interaction for you. Annoying and rude to others. Some of us are shy and quiet and like a bit of peace. That's not "a shame". That's just the fact that people aren't all the same.

It's always in the train for me.
Yes I'm well aware it has been raining for three weeks solid and how well we are doing in the Olympics I'm trying to read my book quietly now SOD OFF!!

But what were the other people doing? If they're mid conversation, or eating, or snoozing, or reading a book, then it would be quite annoying (and the same would apply if an adult was the one doing the interacting).

Certainly very selfish and thoughtless of her jarath. esp in a doctors surgery. You never know what people are going through when swift judgements are made.

guru i would have been talking very loudly too, esp if someone had moved the problem near to me to give themselves some peace.