Mean to not have asked him to get off? At the park

[Pyjamaramadrama]

Took ds to the park, it was on the way back from somewhere and getting dark so was only spending 15 minutes there at the most.

The park had completely emptied apart from one little girl. It's a big park, lots to do. Ds headed straight for a single swing, there are other swings but this one is a bit different.

The little girls parents called her to go home all within 60 seconds of us arriving. The little girl started crying that she wanted to go on the swing again before she went and stood by the swing ds was on. She stood there all arms crossed and grumpy faced waiting for him to get off.

For a second I thought I might ask him to let her have a go but thought better of it as she had the whole park to choose from.

Her parents stood there for 2-3 minutes before calling her away.

Ds is the most sharing child you could meet really he's always the one standing at the bottom of the slide letting all the other kids go first, he's always very patiently waiting for toddlers to decide if they want to go down the slide and stopping bigger kids from bashing into them so I thought sod it he's having his turn.

So many 'kind and gracious' people here... I don't believe half of what some are proclaiming they would do.

I wouldn't have got my child off either OP. The girl had been on the swing and had been called off by her parents. What were they doing exactly to let her stand and scowl? If my daughter had done this we would have been going home straight away. She only wanted the swing because your son was on it and that shouldn't be encouraged at all.

Why would we lie?

No idea, Fanjo. But some do post extraordinary things in their rush to portray themselves as if they were being personally assessed for immediate ascension by Archangel Gabriel.

This has NOTHING to do with kindness.

It has all to do with people getting on their high horses.

If my child only sat on that swing for one second, the next child better wait for their turn. Now... THAT is polite. Waiting until someone has had their turn.

Well that is quite insulting really

The other day I took DD to the park. It was empty apart from one woman and a very young child (maybe 6 months). She had the child in the only toddler swing and was on the phone talking while pushing. My DD stood there waiting for a turn for 15 minutes.

I thought she was mean but was a bit chicken to say anything!

Why is it insulting? It is my opinion that much of what is written on MN now is mostly complete tosh, posted for effect.

SnowBells... I agree with your post; it was impolite of the little girl - who had already had her turn - to expect OP's son to get off so that she could have another one. Her parents should teach her that she needs to wait and her wants don't trump those of another child.

Well they haven't and maybe won't, so all that it achieved was she stood there feeling upset for a few mins while the OP's son stayed in and the Op felt awkward, no big life lesson learned there.

Now if I was the other parent I'd be bloody glad that you'd left your child on there as I had already said time to go.

Nine pages on this??

I'd have taken it as a small child trying out a useful strategy to delay having to leave the park and guess it's worked for her at some point. And I'd have swallowed a smile, taken no notice and let her parents handle it.

Oh its a tough one.
I like to get them to take turns.
But as your ds had just got on I would have let him have his go. My stanadard phrase is "ok, soneone it waiting so we can have five minutes/ 10 swings/ whatever" i would not have had my ds get off the thing without having. "Reasonable" turn.
So overall
Yanbu
Imo.

So, Fanjo - you'd be happy to undermine the parents of a girl you do not know who told the girl they were going to leave for home?!?

If my I told my child we were heading home, he/she had a tantrum and I find you undermining my wish as a parent, and told my child to go on the swing instead...

... I'd be very annoyed with you.

God you lot are scary

It's a swing park. Not a battlefield

Reply, Fanjo - would you really undermine another parent?

It's like those parents who offer a child sweets because his/her parents are so mean to not allow him/her eat sweets.

YABNU l think she only wanted on the occupied swing as she didn't want to go home.
The little girl has learned that she just can't expect to get what she wants as soon as she wants is.

(Have I missed the bit about why the swing is so special...?)

Err some propel would have got the kid off, some wouldn't. Why would anyone lie?? It doesn't make either party look best - on one hand trying to be kind, on the other bring fair. It's just opinion. On the subject of "what we believe to be true" I don't believe that half of you would be so forthright in real life as you are on the page.

People Fgs not propel!

So typical. No replies when a valid question is asked.

Just like in Question Time when David Dimbleby very often leaves the most interesting questions unanswered, opting to go for the lowest common denominator instead.

Yes a random post about a child on a swing is just like Question Time isn't it? Being of national importance and all. I can see the parallels: come on answer the question!

Snowbells no i won't answer you. Will you pin me down and interrogate me.

My 2 year old is always wanting something just because someone else has it. This little girl might be older but it's a common sight in the groups I go to. Child leaves toy (in a clear, moving onto something else way) Other child picks it up. First child has a tantrum because they want the toy. But they only want it because the second child has it now. I teach my child to share and say it's the second child's turn now and when they're finished she can have it back. I'd say the same in this situation. If the little girl's parents decide she needs to leave before it would reasonably be her turn again (OP has suggested 5 mins. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me) that's not the OP's problem and it's certainly not her DS's problem. Why should he miss out because the little girl's parents have decided it's home time for her?

I wouldn't undermine another parent who seemed scarily aggressive and over invested in the swing issue, no.