to think this woman was rude to my DSs and not the other way around??

[songbird33]

I took my DSs (7 and 5) and their friend who is 6 to the local park, and they were really keen to go to McDonalds on the way back so my DS1 shouted 'MCDONALDS' very loudly on the way back to the car. There was a woman, probably in her twenties, sitting in the car reading and she did look up and give DS a strange look (she had the windows open.) This prompted my other DS and their friend to all keep shouting MCDONALDS as I was fumbling around, putting their bags in and so on.

As I was driving off there was quite a long queue of traffic at the lights s we were sort of parallel with this woman's car and my DSs and their friend started shouting MCDONALDS again through the open windows to this woman who had been giving them dirty looks as they were shouting and this time she put her book down and looked at me and said in really terse tones "can't you keep those children under control?"

AIBU to think she was the one being rude? She was parked next to a children's play park and leisure centre and I assumed she was waiting for somebody but if she wanted peace and quiet there were better places to wait? I accept my children shouldn't have been shouting AT her but then they wouldn't have if she hadn't given them a funny look to start with!

Your kids were rude

sorry song I think your kids were being rude. She probably gave them a surprised look or a startled look. They shouldn't have shouted at her.

I think she was rude to say something so nasty, but you were rude to let them keep shouting at her, that could be really unpleasant. If they'd just been being noisy it'd have been fine but you said they were actually shouting it at her through the open windows of the car?! That's not nice, is it, nothing to do with her wanting peace and quiet.

I think if they were shouting at her then YABU. It's quite cheeky behaviour really.

wow your kids were very rude, and you should have stopped them

If she gave a funny look at all it was probably because she thought it rude for a 7yr old to shout MCDONALDS at his Mum in the first place.

Then to have the kids shouting it at her at the traffic lights...well I imagine she thought that was beyond rude.

Your 7yo was actually shouting MCDONALD'S at a woman who was doing nothing except look at him? And was encouraging younger children to do the same?

Sorry, it the woman had a point. You should be keeping better control of them and tell them not to shout like that. They weren't in the park anymore, and random shouting in the street is very anti social. Your dc and their fund wet being rude.

Of course they were rude, surprised you even need to ask. Did you not ask them at any stage to stop shouting?

I think she doesn't have kids. My ds x2 shout when they are excited too. It's not like they were making rude hand gestures, which is what me and my friend used to do in the car to other drivers! And I grew up to be a responsible member of society. I think they were funny... is that wrong? She should get a life.

Friend were. Damn autocorrect.

In the car park I thought they were just shouting to be silly but in the queue they were definitely shouting at her.

I will have a word with my DSs when their friend goes home, thank you.

She was rude first. Your kids just emulated what they saw. I don't believe that children should be seen and not heard.

Disrespectful of them to shout at her.

Did you tick them off?

I don't have kids and I am so far the only poster who's said that she was rude too, apart from you spanky. Just saying.

You noticed all this and didn't tell them to stop?

Ah. Or I was when I started typing!

You were in the wrong for letting the children shout at this woman. I have three dses, and do understand very well that children are noisy, but there is a limit and I am afraid that your children overstepped it. I would have told mine to stop shouting.

You mean you didn't have a word with them all at the time and nip it in the bud straight away?

When I started reading your post, I thought she was just intolerant of children but once you described them shouting at her through the car window at the lights- that was incredibly rude and you should have stopped them.

Is a 'strange look' rude then?

Your children were rude.

If mine shouted like that in a public place they would be in trouble.

Did you tell them to stop? Were they expecting to go to McD's? After all the shouting I would not have taken them.

ButIBetYouDid

Why didn't you stop them shouting at her? The whole thing sounds weird.

wow so you did not tell your children not to shout at a complete stranger, and you think she was rude!!
wow

'This prompted my other DS and their friend to all keep shouting MCDONALDS'

Wow. Powerful looks that woman has

I am undecided if I think she was being rude. She, twice, had children shouting at her. If someone started a thread saying

"I was sitting in my car waiting for DH to return with DC when two children yelled MACDONLANDS very loudly. It made me jump as previously I had been listening to the pleasant sounds of the children playing in the playground. When I looked at them to work out what was happening they started yelling it at me! Anyway, the mum was harassed getting the kids in the car. However, when driving out of the carpark, her car was parallel with mine again and they did it again! Yelling MACDONALDS right at me. Was I being unreasonable to snap at the woman for not keeping the children under control?"

Personally, I wouldn't say anything but I would be pretty annoyed. Shouting at someone is erring on aggressive. I know they were just being daft but allowing them to shout at someone because they looked at her does suggest they were out of control.