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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU Children pushing noisy chairs?

42 replies

Cutiecat · 05/02/2014 10:25

At our local village coffee morning several toddlers, including the children of my friends, were pushing chairs around noisily on the wooden floor making an awful noise. I had my toddler with me who was doing something else. I went over and took the chairs from the children saying, 'thank you for your help, I will put these away now' and I stacked the spare chairs.

One little girl burst into tears and so I said to her mother, who I do not know but see regularly, that i didn't mean to upset her but the noise was really awful in a friendly manner. The woman blanked me and said to her daughter 'I know you were only trying to help' as if I have been really unfair to her.

AIBU in thinking that sometimes children need to be told that something they are doing is unacceptable or was IBU to have spoken like this to other people's children.

OP posts:

RainYourRottingMyDhaliaBulbs · 05/02/2014 14:37

I suppose if your child gets the drum then or a noisey shaker you will be happy for someone to come and take it out their hand!

Everythingwillbeok · 05/02/2014 14:40

I would have done exactly the same some people think if their DCs are having fun that's all that matters but in a public place you have to consider others.

Only1scoop · 05/02/2014 14:41

Blimey.... I always hated the 'group' things but I wouldn't have worried about little ones putting chairs away a bit noisily....

Starballbunny · 05/02/2014 14:46

YANBU, because scrapping chairs messes up the hall floor varnish and some poor sod organising the event will get a phone call from the hall committee or caretaker.

These people have absolutely nothing better to do than moan at very very very great length.

They want a representative from WI, non of us will go, because we know the whole village hates the hall committee.

IneedAsockamnesty · 05/02/2014 16:36

star

I'm in the WI as well, we have the same issue with one of our village halls

Deadhamsterssmell · 05/02/2014 16:38

YANBU, pushchairs are for pushing, chairs are for sitting on. I hate the noise of chairs scraping on floors not to mention the scratches it makes in the varnish.

I think there is a big difference between noise, such as shouting, laughing, playing musical instruments and other such activities, and scraping chairs across the floor.

Children, including babies and toddlers do not need to experience everything.

Starballbunny · 05/02/2014 16:43

I know it's a thankless task running g the hall, but they are the least helpful people on earth.

They don't seem to understand that if they were nice to the PTA in particular (not charging extra for setting up time etc.) they would use the hall a lot more (school is awkward sometimes), and have birthdays and soldiers there and support fund raising events.

cate16 · 05/02/2014 16:44

When we had an Ofsted early years inspection - we were actually told we were not to drag chairs as the noise was unacceptable for young children...... just saying.................

Lottapianos · 05/02/2014 16:45

YANBU at all. Yes children do make noise but that doesn't mean everyone just has to grin and bear it! it sounds to me like you dealt with it very pleasantly. That chair scraping noise is horrendous (shudders)

Original poster

Cutiecat · 05/02/2014 16:53

RainYourRottingMyDhaliaBulbs - Just to clarify this is not a toddler group but a morning coffee session for the village run by the church. Yes there is a box of toys but it is not a playgroup session. It is for all the villagers, run by volunteers and we all make a donation for our drinks. We don't pay the church for use of the hall it is provided for the community. It has been recently been redecorated and is very nice.

OP posts:

Original poster

Cutiecat · 05/02/2014 16:55

*when I say 'nice', it might have sounded like 'naice' as in ham. I was just trying to express that it is a cared for building.

OP posts:

blahblahblah2014 · 05/02/2014 16:56

YANBU - Stupid mums leaving their toddlers to push the furniture around in a public place!! If it was my kid i'd stop them immediately and then give them a right bollocking if they ever did it again. Discipline wont break them you know!

KatnipEvergreen · 05/02/2014 16:56

Fair enough to me OP, it's a horrible noise. And you didn't do it nastily, by the sounds of it.

DoJo · 05/02/2014 19:06

YANBU - I just had to stop my son from scraping a fork across our kitchen floor as the noise was hurting my entire body! A child pushing a chair across the floor in an attempt to be helpful is one thing, a group of children parading round with a load of chairs and making it difficult for other people to enjoy a community event is quite another. There are plenty of places toddlers and small children can go to make as much noise as they please and not enough for older people where they can have a conversation which they can actually hear.

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 05/02/2014 19:10

I don't think you were BU at all.

ScrabbleBabble · 05/02/2014 19:16

Your updates have changed me to a yanbu

Stinklebell · 05/02/2014 19:29

I don't think you were unreasonable either.

The noise from scraping chairs is horrible, and from my experience it buggers the floors - my DD's school hall floor had to be re-varnished at great expense because of chair dragging

Squealing toddlers, screaming babies, drums and badly played recorders don't bother me in the slightest, but chairs scraped across a floor makes me cringe

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