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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

re telling off in soft play today?

41 replies

HandOverTheChocolate · 30/11/2014 18:28

DS is 18 months and we've started going along to our local bear pit soft play. Unfortunately I got told off today but I don't think I did anything wrong.

Basically DS was in the 0-2 bit and went down the slide crashing into a 4ish year old who was in the process of climbing up it. He went off crying to find his dad who was on his laptop in the cafe at the other end of the warehouse. I was comforting DS who'd hurt his face in the collision. Next minute I'm getting a dressing down from the dad for not supervising DS properly and allowing his son to get hurt. I wanted to respond that if he's been supervising his son at all then it wouldn't have happened, but I didn't say anything because I'm a bit of a chicken.

I was watching DS at the time but wasn't in with him as I have mobility problems so can't climb over the barrier very easily and it happened so quickly. I feel really bad that both of them were hurt but there are signs up everywhere saying no climbing up the slides and I don't think it's fair to blame me or DS because ultimately this little boy was hurt doing something he shouldn't have been doing and that's down to his dad, not me.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Aeroflotgirl · 30/11/2014 20:33

Yanbu at all. He should not have been in the 0-2 bit, and climbing up a slide. That will teach em. Yes I woukd have told dad so.

6031769 · 30/11/2014 20:45

i posted an AIBU earlier in the year after being at a playground and some woman had gone mad at a boy who looked about 4 because he had slided down a slide when her boy (who looked about 8) had been climbing it. The general consenus on the thread seemed to be that if kids climb a slide then they are taking there chances and shouldn't expect others not to slide down

FlyingByTheSeatof · 30/11/2014 20:48

Yanbu but you will have to grow a pair to not let parents get away with having a go at you when it's their DC fault. Just ask them if they actually saw what happened and if they didn't then there is nothing to argue about tbh. This will be happening all the time so you need to ask each child their version etc plus having a younger DC trumps any older cry babies.

Hatespiders · 30/11/2014 20:54

Why is it that children just love going the wrong way up a slide? We used to do it too when small. And the slides in the early fifties were absolutely huge, very tall and steep. We felt going down it was far too tame and always scrambled up it instead.

MidniteScribbler · 30/11/2014 21:08

Kids climb up slides, they always have done, and they always will do. I'm not really a big fan of this sterile "use the playground" properly thing, they should be able to explore and learn.

That said. The rule exists at this soft play, but the children using the slides aren't old enough to be able to read the signs. BOTH parents should have been supervising their children more closely - one to stop their child climbing up, the other to stop their child sliding down when a child is climbing up it.

Fallingovercliffs · 30/11/2014 21:50

The dad was in the wrong. He should have been supervising his child not leaving it up to other parents to watch out for him. But some people will never ever admit they are wrong. It's always someone else's fault. Forget about him. He's just a twat.

grumpalumpgrumped · 30/11/2014 22:13

Our local park has a a slide but the way up (one of the ways) is a slide with climbing wall handles, great idea!

YANBU op.

RachelWatts · 30/11/2014 22:23

I used to tell kids not to climb the slides in our local soft play - not tell them off, but suggest it wasn't a good idea as they might get hurt.

Then another parent took issue with me disciplining her child.

Now, if I see them doing it, I go and tell the staff who will usually run over there and tell them to stop doing it.

The other parent was in the wrong.

AnonyMust · 30/11/2014 23:59

His child was too old to be in there
His child was climbing UP the slide (gonna happen)
He was not looking after HIS child
He is an arse
Breathe
I hope your DS is ok

smokinggnu · 01/12/2014 00:12

Avoid softplay areas at all costs, full of parents that seem to get very hacked off at their child / anyone's child interrupting their toy (well OK electronic gadget) time.
They are treated as zoo cages (chuck in child, ignore unless they're doing something photo worthy for social media) from what I've gleaned. Awful places, truly the ugly side of parenting.

CaoNiMa · 01/12/2014 01:05

YABU for not sticking up for your son. Poor kid.

MrsTerryPratchett · 01/12/2014 02:01

Just for all the people saying that the child should not have been in the 0-2 bit... DD looks at least 1-2 years older than she is and has since she was small. Very tall (off the charts) and active.

However, he should have been supervising.

AnonyMust · 01/12/2014 06:14

Mrs Terry, good point. I have one of those (looks twice his age) children. Sainsbury's used to sell t shirts that said 'I am 2' (3,4,5,...). They were quite handy. I used to wish it said 'only' 2 Wink

MokunMokun · 01/12/2014 06:28

I saw a similar situation that made me think wtf.

At our park there are 2 zip lines next to each other. Dad is queuing with 2 small kids. Rather than having them queue for the same zip line they are queuing separately. The dad helps the girl on and the boy starts crying so the dad rushes over to help the boy. He then helps the girl off and then rushes over to help the boy.

The dad moves slightly to the side and is faffing with the boy and has completely failed to notice his daughter is still standing behind him in the path of the zip line.

Another dad helps his son on the zip line, let's go and the boy kicks the girl in the head who starts crying. Dad 1 finally moved his kids out of the way and is comforting the girl. Dad 2 proceeds to give his son a bollocking and tells him to apologise. Boy refuses. Dad 1 looks offended, Dad 2 drags his son off to mum who just rolls her eyes and lets him off.

Honestly the only people I could see at fault were the two dads. Dad 1 should have moved his daughter to safety, dad 2 should have told his son to wait.

So I think the same principal applies here. Dad should have been watching his kid. You should have told your son to wait.

H

Ifyourawizardwhydouwearglasses · 01/12/2014 07:25

The dad should have been watching and both children need to toughen up a bit.
Being slid into is an occupational hazard of soft play, and shouldn't really be dwelt on for this long :)

redskybynight · 01/12/2014 16:38

Trouble is that even with dad supervising his son, the following could still happen.

  • Boy climbs onto wrong end of slide and starts climbing
  • Dad tells boy that we don't climb up slides and to come off
  • Boy either has a tantrum and refuses to come off, or he does something like trying to turn round on the slide or it takes him a while to crawl backwards. While this is happening a child at the top of the slide needs to know not to come down. If the child is too young to know this then they need to be supervised!

Yes, it may be the "fault" of the child going up the slide the wrong way, but he still shouldn't have a sliding child come towards him when said child can see he is there.

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