Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Beach etiquette question

68 replies

CocktailQueen · 09/03/2014 17:59

Aibu to expect other people to keep a reasonable distance on a quiet beach, not come and sit literally 2 feet from us and let their dc play in the castle and most my dc were building??

Because that is what happened today... Gorgeous day, kids loving being on the beach, but I felt uncomfortable that these people came and stood right by us, and also that they let their dc paddle in the canal and moat that our dc were building? Without asking us/the dc??

OP posts:
WitchWay · 09/03/2014 18:01

Completely unacceptable behaviour IMO - I'd've been furious

tallulah · 09/03/2014 18:04

Always happens to me too

formerbabe · 09/03/2014 18:04

Maybe they thought your kids and theirs would enjoy playing together?

5Foot5 · 09/03/2014 18:05

Yup that would have annoyed me too. I wonder if some people just can't cope with the idea of space and feel they have to be cheek by jowl with other people.

Or was it that they only had one dc and thought it would be more fun for their kid to come and play with yours? So they wouldn't have to bother entertaining him/her themselves?

We don't do beaches very much these days and, when we do, they tend to be very quiet ones. But when DD was little we sometimes did and I must admit we are the territorial sort of beach users. By the time we had put up our beach shelter, laid the picnic rug in front of it and got GPs in deck chairs flanking either side then we had usually carved out a reasonable amount of space that was clearly "ours"

QOD · 09/03/2014 18:06

Arrgh!! I live by the beach and I definitely sympathise ...l get orf moi beach!

PickledSprout · 09/03/2014 18:07

Had you DC built the canal? How old were their dc? Perhaps they thought the children would enjoy playing together. Did they stay long?

fluffyraggies · 09/03/2014 18:09

YANBU

We had a family pitch up camp about a meter in front of us at the beach once. Wind breaks, the lot. And we were, what we considered to be, at the sea edge! The waves must have been lapping at their bloody blanket!

It was so rude it was almost funny.

WorraLiberty · 09/03/2014 18:09

Are the kids old enough to be verbal?

itiswhatitiswhatitis · 09/03/2014 18:09

I hate this too. Last year DH dug out a speed boat Hmm and before we knew it we had 6 other children in our space going through our bags and toys so we filled it in and moved.

I'm taking a leaf out the book of those who build barriers with dozens of wind shields next year.

MrsDavidBowie · 09/03/2014 18:13

Oh I hate this.
A 4mile stretch of Welsh beach and the Clampitts sat within hand holding distance of us.

We got up and moved pointedly.

elfycat · 09/03/2014 18:22

On holiday in Tenerife years ago my sister would sunbathe and I would build a castle (not a sun worshiper). I was a magnet for the kids and the parents would wander over to chat to the strange woman and then leave as I'm strange but not weird-weird Grin I ended up running an informal creche.

I haven't really had this since I had the DDs, but I can imaging DH turning into Alpha-male-defending-territory if anyone upset our DDs by destroying one of our creations. He's usually laid-back but since he's extended his territory to include the DDs...

CrohnicallyFarting · 09/03/2014 18:35

I had something similar. Deserted beach on the east coast- one of those with miles of sand dunes and mud flats and it takes you half a day to get to the sea when the tide's out. Family plus dog were building sandcastles and paddling in the pools of water left behind. Dog was off lead due to deserted nature of beach and we could see for miles so no chance of him disturbing anyone else.

After a while we saw a horse rider so recalled the dog and put him on lead. The horse rider then proceeded to exercise her horse up and down in front of where we were stationed, then got off and had a bit of a rest maybe 50 metres away- close enough anyway that the dog took great interest and I was concerned that he might bark and make the horse jump. She stayed for maybe half an hour and I had to hold the dog back for all that time.

Why she couldn't have moved along the beach or further out to exercise her horse I do not know. It wasn't due to suitability of the surface I don't think as she was confident riding her horse along the rest of the beach as she arrived. And she could easily have gone further away to rest. We couldn't easily move as with 5 adults (1 pregnant), a toddler and a dog, on the beach with a picnic for the day, we had rather a lot of stuff with us!

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 09/03/2014 19:25

Glad I'm not being U!! Yes, our dc had built the canal with some help from me. They didn't ask if their dc could come and play. In fact, the two mums were standing chatting - 2 feet from us - and ignoring their dc. And ignoring us, too. Maybe they did want to come and play. They were aged about 3-4. If they did think the dc would like to play together, they went about it very oddly. My dc were Hmm at their canal being played with without asking/any kind of communication.

OP posts:
winterhat · 09/03/2014 20:13

YANBU. Not much you can do about it though.

Agggghast · 09/03/2014 20:36

It is the beach Ffs buy your own if you don't want to mix. I have a beach hut and one of the joys is the way people mix. Relax and enjoy, the next tide will wash it away anyway!

AdventColander · 09/03/2014 20:39

YANBU. I think they do it so they can ignore their kids for a while and hope you'll supervise?

Coldlightofday · 09/03/2014 20:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TSSDNCOP · 09/03/2014 20:41

The proximity would irk me, but YABU about kids playing on a beach with sand.

That's what kids do.

TSSDNCOP · 09/03/2014 20:44

Unless there's a Mumsnet beach now to go with the never-ending chicken, watch towers around P&C spaces and blanket ban on toilet brushes.

Sparklingbrook · 09/03/2014 20:52

was there any cat poo on the beach though TSSDNCOP? Shock

I am astounded by how much stuff people take to the beach. Multiple windbreaks, deckchairs, tents, tables, cool boxes, swingball, wetsuits, dinghies, disposable BBQs.......

Whatever happened to a blanket and an ice cream? Confused

Coldlightofday · 09/03/2014 20:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sparklingbrook · 09/03/2014 20:58

I am coming to the beach with you Cold. I will bring a beach ball. Sorted.

Crumbelina · 09/03/2014 20:59

I hate this too! People are such bloody sheep ...

Coldlightofday · 09/03/2014 21:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

carlywurly · 09/03/2014 21:05

Yanbu. I bloody hate it when they pitch up right next to you and start smoking the most.
Or put up those giant tents. We live in cornwall and have packing for the beach down to a fine art Grin

Swipe left for the next trending thread