To think people should discipline their own kids...

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Ok... First things first. Kids will be kids, accidents happen, etc etc.

At the not very local naice park and PFB (but is now 2.5 so I'm really over PFB syndrome now, I promise) was playing on a suspension bridge type play thing and they came on (must have been ten and eight) and bounced it loads. DD basically shit herself and started crying. Not too fussed about that as I'm sure they had no idea.

So, later she is on the slide about to go and it turns out there is another one about 6 in the family. They all push past her on the slide, when all the other kids are politely waiting their turn so they pushed infront of a few kids, again not too bothered about that. Perhaps DD will learn to not be a pushover from it, or something. It's a tad unfair but not a biggie.

Then, they all went down the slide while DD was at the bottom and went into her. I asked the father if he could actually watch them but in a wry polite way that was something like 'can u just watch your kids please cuz they keep going into my daughter' he looked as if he was ignoring me n then shrugged n went 'yeah' and about 2 mins later went 'chill out girls' half arsed.

Yes I should have moved my daughter quicker and whatever.

But am I being unreasonable to expect that you teach your kids to share, not hurt other kids, not push them, take turns etc?

I wasn't so much bothered by the kids, just their dads attitude to it.

Well, yes, I would hope that parents watch their dc and remind them to be careful around littler ones, but then I would also have said something to them

(on the bridge) -'Hey guys, can you hang on a sec until she gets to the other side please?'
(on the slide) - These children are waiting - the queue is here' type comment, helping the children to learn the right thing to do without getting into anything too confrontational.

I am mega surprised because these threads are ALWAYS about howwible boys!

Yes to speaking out to the children - steady there, oops here's the queue kinda thing

The "normal" thing to do IME is to warn your own bigger kids to watch out for smaller ones... but I would have spoken directly to the kids in that situation too, in a good natured way, as BackForGood suggests - this may be more acceptable in some areas than others I guess... where I am parents are often not immediately supervising kids of that age, but before now I have warned kids that if they misbehave towards my kids again I will go and talk to their parents (did that on Thursday when 2 delightful little boys of 4 or 5 threw mud at my 2 year old, - that only works on the assumption the parents will actually care!

I saw a great cumuppence this morning for an inattentive mum. Her beautiful child was hurtling round the tables in local, non chain coffee shop.

Reckless I thought, hot drinks and all. But it was nowhere near me, so I carried on reading my trashy weekly magazine (OK, you got me, Chat etc are my guilty secret, every now and then).

A member of staff caught racing sproglet by one arm as it whizzed past the counter, just under the nose of a man with a tray full of hot stuff. It screamed for its mum, mum arrived and, after a whispered conversation with the member of staff, they returned to their table. All was quiet.

Then there was a crash and a screech.... mum had gone to the counter for her order and sproglet had scooted under her tray and tripped her. Kid was fine, no hot drinks, but food all over the floor.

I left before finding out if they replaced the spoiled food for free or made her pay again.

Karma, I thought. Occasionally it bites when you can actually see it!