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!

You will, you will be too busy and harrassed and knackered most of the time to notice what they are doing.

I think your dx were rude and so was she.

You will, you will be too busy and harrassed and knackered most of the time to notice what they are doing.

How is that so many parents manage to do a good job then?

Most decent parents would do something along the lines of what amicissimma suggests. Most decent parents would NOT ignore or encourage such behaviour. They certainly wouldn't be blaming the poor woman who's just sitting quietly minding her own business for her own harassment.

I am not particularly saying the kids weren't being cheeky and a pain, of course they were. I am directly referring to names you called someone's children. That's all. If someone called my kids names like that I would not be as pleasant as the OP.

samandy if you ever have children and your dh is taken into hospital unwell you might find yourself a little side tracked too

Although I'm sure your children will be lovely, especially as they have a mother who referes to other children as scummy chav hooligans

You don't sound at all rude

I love the way MN generates such a lack of perspective on both sides of a fairly innocuous AIBU.

The OP's children were impolite although shouting "Mcdonalds" is hardly name calling or a step on the road to sexual harrassment, as some have suggested! On the other hand, the woman was also rude. She could have laughed or made a joke out of it and had no need to snap at the OP.

Sounds like the OP is a lovely woman/lady (delete as preferred) and has taken all opinions on board, though hopefully not the most extreme ones. Most "decent" parents spend a considerable amount of time tired and carefully picking their battles. Curiously, on MN, most parents are not "decent" but perfect, at least in their own little worlds.

Good for you. If some little toerags started harassing me when I was going about my own business I wouldn't be as pleasant as the woman in this situation either. Well, so long as I wasn't worried about being stabbed or having my car vandalised that is!

I like an aibu that is a very clear YABU.

No need to adjust my moral radar then

as a mum of a 7 year old, I would have told him to stop shouting straight away, or else we would not be going to mcD at all (mean mum emoticon)

yabu - you should have stopped the shouting ages before it got to that point - maybe it was a rhetorical question as obviously they were not "under control"

They were being silly in the park and once one started, it egged the others on. It's what 5-7 year olds do. At that point you could have told them that if they carried on shouting and being silly, they wouldn't get a McDonald's. End of.

Instead, they carried on, and, IMHO, were rude when they continued to shout at the woman in the queue/car park. That should have meant no McD's (but only if they'd been warned in the first place).

As it was, you put yourself in a powerless position because you didn't act on the situation straight away.

However (perfect parenting aside ), it can be really difficult to tell off dcs in the presence of a friend, as you think it's going to spoil their fun day out, and you don't really want the friend to go home with stories of you being mean and horrid!

So I can see where you're coming from, and I think a quiet word with ds will make him see sense.

Just one of those things, eh?

Thank you larry, I do my best! :)

Just for the record, I don't have children either and would NEVER call children 'scum' like another poster did.

flexi I always tell my kids off in front of their friends if they misbehave when a friend is around. I found that if I didn't tell them off they thought they could get away with it. My eldest DS gets embarrassed if I tell him off in front of his friends because his friends laugh at him. It works quite well

Samandi-what an absolute classy lady you sound

OP-well done for not going mad at some of these disgusting comments especially that awful poster calling your children 'chavvy scum'.
How disgusting is she?Pondlife.

I used to tell my DC's off in public when they were little. I was not embarrassed to do it, it is a normal part of parenting and it is normal for DC's to be naughty sometimes. Being embarrassed about it and hushing it up is less effective.

Hahahaha @ posters criticising the morals and behaviour of others whilst using horrible language about kids and hinting darkly at how nasty they would have been if they had the chance.

you need to realise that not everybody likes rude annoying children. I would have said exactly the same to you and your unruly children.

Songbird, I have huge respect for the way you have conducted yourself on this thread. I hope your husband recovers soon.

To posters just about to type, having just read the OP....PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THREAD BEFORE POSTING.

Apologies for shouting.

MC DONALDS!

@ tethers....

I would have found this hilarious. I love cheeky little boys, and I love McDonald's.

Win win.

tethersphotfinish

OP, I've come to the conclusion YWBVVVVVVVU.

What sort of MONSTER takes their kid to Maccas when KFC is obviously far, far superior. Dramatic eye roll

KFC! KFC! KFC!

I have already put a post

Has anyone thought about what the aggravated other person in the supermarket was going through personally?

Children should be on psychological reins when in the presence of other people - in any situation or venue.

Case closed