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!

But you say your mind was elsewhere and you know they were rude, so why the aibu? Why did you need to ask if she was rude?
Clearly you have discipline issues.

I can't stop laughing at the typo "McDonads"

your children were rude and abnoxious and I would have been tempted to say the same

Yes YABU, but I think you get that now. What concerns me is that you couldn't see it in the first instance, you had to check.

Children should respect adults, and stopped from being cheeky or rude by their parents.

My sister was reading over my shoulder, she said she would of just shouted KFC back at them.

Well done on cancelling swimming, bet ds doesn't behave like this again.

Ewwww, McDonads.

That's got me put off chicken mcnuggets if I wasn't already.

I would have said something to you. I don't see why anyone should put up with 3 kids shouting at them and trying to wind them up.

Well I agree with the others your kids were rude to shout Macdonalds at here. I have kids but would have told them to be quiet. What dd you do op to stop them shouting, does not seem a lot tbh

Normally I would Vbisme, I perhaps should have mentioned in my first post that my husband and the boys' father is in hospital at the moment, he's going to be fine but it was quite major surgery. I have been rushing around a lot, hence the McDonalds and also not sleeping too well and I suppose I just spaced out a bit in that I could hear them shouting but I didn't piece everything together if you like until later. I do regret that now as if I'd realised at the time I would have told them to be quiet and made them apologise but at the time it all happened within about a 3 minute timeframe and my mind was elsewhere.

They aren't rude as a rule at all, but DS1 is prone to showing off in front of younger children so I should have been a bit more switched on, but they had fooled me a little by being angels at the park, incredibly solicitious towards younger children on the equipment and politely asking if they could pet various dogs so I didn't have my 'mummy' hat on as firmly as I should have.

All comments taken on board.

AmazingBouncingFerret :)

I never think of a funny or witty comeback until after the moment has passed!

Why wait till the friend goes home? I'd tell the friend off too.

Oh and you do know some people have McDonald as a surname and may be startled by having it shouted out near them

I'd give them a look and if the adult in charge let them keep shouting at me I'd be rather miffed.

I think we've probably all zoned out at times, and I know what you mean about showing off in front of the other kids.

I hope your DH is up and about soon that does put other things into persective.

I think the woman's look and comment are irrelevant. Even if she did give them a dirty look, what would concern me would be my child's behaviour. You will never see this woman again but because you did not say anything at the time, your children will think it is okay to be horrible if someone is horrible to them. Not the sort of lesson you want them to learn.

Your children were rude, I'd have told them to stop it myself.

Thank you VBisme, he has had amazing care from the doctors and nurses and he will soon be far happier and healthier (long awaited surgery!) but still stressful as you can imagine, I think I probably wasn't a great parent this afternoon and do feel bad my sons startled or made the poor woman jump.

We all let our kids do things that they shouldn't sometimes.

"I perhaps should have mentioned in my first post that my husband and the boys' father is in hospital at the moment, he's going to be fine but it was quite major surgery."

What everyone has to realise is that other people, have problems, even the woman that was sitting in the car park.

If anyone is behaving badly towards you, a child included you have the right to say something, it isn't being chekky.

This is why kids grow up with the idea that it is ok to verbally abuse others in the street, because you cannot shut them up, like you can another adult.

Boys tend to go on to sexually harrass girls with the language that they use ,it is disgusting what you hear on buses and out and about, especially now girls are wearing skimpy clothes. (Although girls say even worse stuff if they think that they can get away with it).

It is a matter of respect.

Is this going to go on for ages with people ignoring the fact the op has been polite and taken people's comments o board?

Is the Pope.. Etc

Birds, I promise I would not ever tolerate behaviour like that from either DS and it really isn't typical of either of them, or their friend, hence why I didn't notice it properly at first as it is very out of character. DS1 is prone to silliness in front of younger children and showing off but they have never done anything like this before and have been told off thoroughly and their Dad will also let them know we are upset and disappointed.

Both have cried when I shouted at them (I didn't really shout but I raised my voice and told them they were rude and had let me down and their Dad would be upset as well) and I do feel they aren't future terrors but rather silly little boys who got over excited and pushed it too far. I accept they were wrong, I was the one really in the wrong for not calling them on it and I appreciate that, but as a rule they are quite nice and certainly not the sort of children to shout after strangers usually or call girls names, DS1's showing off tendencies mean he's actually quite gentlemanly to girls, he always has been since he was a toddler and would stand back with a little bow to let any girls through to the wendy house, quite comical really :)

YABU

A 'strange look' when a kid shouts MCDONALDS at his mum is not really very rude.

Shouting AT the woman was super rude and it's right for her to pull you up on it.

Yes your kids were a bit cheeky and if I was the woman driver I'd probably have given a dirty look and thought "cheeky little feckers" to myself but come on for fuck sake people, they were hardly bearing their arses at the woman and shouting "FUCK YOU!"

Commenting on the OP's parenting skills are way out of line too....How hard it must be for you to live among us mere mortals and our horribly obnoxious children ...

OP- Cake and tea for you...hope your hubby is on the mend soon x

THE OP ADMITTED SHE IS BU AND HAS POLITELY TAKEN COMMENTS ON BOARD

(But, of course, don't let that stop you ...)

MC DONALD"S!!!!!