to tell playdate to get off device?

[emkana]

Took one of ds's friends to a softplay place with us today - he brought his ipod along and instead of playing he just stared at the screen, until I told him that that wasn't really what we were there for - he said his mum had said it was ok...was I being unreasonable?

Glad to see there are others with older children who enjoy soft play!!! My 8 year old dd still has fun at playgrounds and soft play - she loves anything physical. I am keen to encourage it for as long as I can. You were not being unreasonable.

OP, did you not do anything? Really? Not taken it off him and told him to go play and you will look after it for him. Or replied 'oh, she told me she wanted you to play with x, so go do that first'. Or something???

Is he the boss of you now?

Same here notcontent, I don't think my DD, nearly 8, will have outgrown soft play in the next year.

Our local one has a section for under fours and one labelled 4-10

Really 8 is old for soft play? My dc love it up to age 12.

They pretended to be 11 as that was the max age.

Soon no it's not too old of course not but some DC grow out of it faster. I was pointing out that this child may be one of those. Or may be a child who has simply never enjoyed them. I have two DC and the older one has always found them annoying and too violent.

i would have taken the devise (have done before, im a nanny, and a child came with his ds and played on it without sharing/letting other join in) so took it off him and said he had come to play with child A and he could have it when he went home

he started to say well mum lets me ,,,,,, and i replied well im not mum mean nanny lol

i also mentioned to the mum when she picked up, and seemed child sneaked into his bag ...... so she was in full support

i find older kids love soft play if go every now and again, esp 8/9yrs