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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be peed off with these mothers at the zoo today?

87 replies

dillydottydally · 09/04/2015 21:47

We went to the zoo today. I was half dreading it being school holidays and all but was actually having a really good day. Whilst DS was playing in the massive playground DP had the beginnings of a headache. Thinking the heat may be part of the problem (he is ginger and can burn at the merest hint of the sun) we headed to a covered seating area. Along one wall were lockers to store your stuff when using the soft play next door.

We sat down then couldn't help but notice a group of mums and their daughters. There were about six girls between about 2 - 5 years old. For about 25 mins the mothers sat down happily watching the girls slamming the locker doors. They were shutting each other in the lockers and banging the doors. This wasn't just once or twice, it was constant.

All the other families were sitting at tables having drinks, chatting etc. They were totally oblivious to the risk of one of the kids hurting themselves and the annoyance of everyone else in the room.

I'm a long time lurker but thought I was safe posting this as surely I am not being unreasonable in finding this rude and irritating?

OP posts:
IDoAllMyOwnStunts · 09/04/2015 21:49

YANBU. I would find this sort of thing really irritating too. Even more so on a hot day when my irritation levels would rise!

TiredButFine · 09/04/2015 21:50

It's really annoying but seemingly less annoying than actually supervising the kids!

MajesticWhine · 09/04/2015 21:52

YABU. Kids happy playing, mums happy chatting. I don't see why it bothered you.

Ubik1 · 09/04/2015 21:54

Everyone who has three children will understand those mothers

NotallTravellersarebad · 09/04/2015 21:54

Yabu. It's a non event.

Marmaladedandelions · 09/04/2015 21:55

That would really annoy me and I would tell mine off for doing it. Anyone can let a locker door go once by mistake but to keep making a loud noise over and over again is not on.

WorraLiberty · 09/04/2015 21:57

YANBU

It's a bit irritating but also as a PP said, it's a bit of a non event.

OrlandoWoolf · 09/04/2015 21:58

It sounds annoying to me. Kids playing is great. But if their play affects other people, it can be annoying.

drspouse · 09/04/2015 22:03

Surely it isn't safe to put another child IN a locker??

MrsTedCrilly · 09/04/2015 22:10

YANBU, I would stop my child doing that.. It's teaching them that it's okay to annoy people. How can the parents be so unaware.. I think I'm a relaxed mum but I'm aware of what mine is doing.
Normal loud kid noise is all good though!

Original poster
dillydottydally · 09/04/2015 22:10

I have three kids myself so know what it's like when they are bored and play up. I guess what annoyed me was there seemed no need for them to be bored. There were two playgrounds just outside one just for the little ones or a soft play area to the other side. All of it with plenty of seating.

It probably was a non-event but bloody irritating at the time. I'm not going to lose sleep over it or anything Smile

OP posts:
MaidOfStars · 09/04/2015 22:13

That would have wound me off the clock.

Ubik1 · 09/04/2015 22:14

I've sat and watched mine do stuff which would probably have me burned at the stake on mumsnet.

MrsHooolie · 09/04/2015 22:15

Yanbu

26Point2Miles · 09/04/2015 22:17

Slamming locker doors.... So it's ok for these kids to be left to potentially break the zoo's property then?

DianeLockhart · 09/04/2015 22:20

Yanbu

This sounds very irritating for everyone else around so they need to show some consideration and look after their kids properly

Ubik1 · 09/04/2015 22:22

Don't you get bored with all these threads about minor incidents which were slightly irritating?

And then all the self righteous posts that follow?

tartyflette · 09/04/2015 22:25

OP, I use a changing room in a private health club which is also used regularly by non members (mums with children coming for specific lessons) and the one thing that winds the menbers up more than anything is the children playing in and out of the lockers and continually slamming the doors, while the mums either ignore the racket or look indulgently on. Lockers have been damaged and left in a real state, too. So YADNBU.

26Point2Miles · 09/04/2015 22:37

Minor incidents? What if they broke one? Or a finger became trapped? Or worse

SunshineAndShadows · 09/04/2015 22:38

On a slightly different note I was at the supermarket today and two kids were whizzing up the aisles on scooters! Since when has that been ok? Irritating and dangerous. OP YANBU Its deeply irritating and inconsiderate when some parents decide their little angel's irritating behaviour is not a big deal and do nothing about it.

sneepy · 09/04/2015 22:54

Irritating yes. But it's the end of halfterm. I have lost the will to live, let alone the ability to tell my kids off for anything that's not life threatening. Hope your DS never does anything annoying! Smile

Fairenuff · 09/04/2015 22:56

It didn't annoy you enough to make you move away?

Ubik1 · 09/04/2015 23:01

What if a polar bear escaped?

(You could do a bloody fantastic AIBU)

serin · 09/04/2015 23:11

Perhaps the parents just hadn't noticed? Or were too frazzled to notice.

I would have just moved away or if I felt the children were genuinely at risk I would have shouted something like "Be careful you don't hurt yourselves", I would never leave a child at risk, no matter how irritating they were.

Original poster
dillydottydally · 10/04/2015 10:59

Frazzled I understand, I have been there. However knackered I was I at least put up a token fight to get my kids to behave although there were places I never went back to due to the shame of temper tantrums from hell.

Someone hit the nail on the head by describing the mothers looking on indulgently. It wasn't that they didn't notice as there was a couple of times they thought they had lost one of the girls but said it was okay because "she is only in that locker over there". They just didn't see that there was an issue at all so I wasn't about to wade in to warn about trapped fingers etc as I would have if the parents were simply unaware.

They kept saying that they were about to go so we hung on in there, if they were all settled with drinks etc we would have moved much sooner.

We still had a lovely day I was just surprised at what some parents find acceptable Smile

OP posts: