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

[dillydottydally]

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?

And those kids could have trapped their fingers in the doors stupid irresponsible behaviour all for 5 minutes peace

Oh that would wind me up too op.
If my children started doing that I would tell them to stop and if they didn't we wouldn't be stopping at the gift shop on the way out. TBF my three children wouldn't do it anyway as they know lockers are for adults to use and not children's toys.

The lockers at the zoo sound very annoying I'm not denying that but in my swimming locker scenario, my DD who was 1 at the time did it about 3 x maximum as did others siblings before we collected our older children to change. I don't believe in consequences for a 1 year old.

My DC are very well behaved, my DD is now 4 and I've just come back from a corner shop where the owner offered her a lollipop as she is so 'well behaved compared to some who come in here', was his actual remark.

I have to say as well that at the swimming pool, the toddlers were closing them no more vigorously than a person using the locker. The problem to me was climbing in them.

I would let my daughter do it. Better than her screaming and having an tantrum. My daughter 3 and a terror

And why do you think she is a terror? Do you think it could possibly be because she knows if she screams you let her get her own way?

And for the people saying you can't ask 1 yo children to stop doing something, you don't have to, you just pick them up and distract them!

Not when everyone is hot and bothered by the sauna experience and the 1 year old is thrashing about if you picked them up and there's nothing to distract them with as the place is crowded with people waiting for their children. It is not an emergency and it is 3 minutes.

My annoying brats get offered lollipops by the pizza guys all the time. Must be because they're deceptive little angels or the pizza guys just hoping we'll spend longer on the premises and buy more.

Not the same at all. We'd already bought out stuff and were leaving. What a charming and affectionate mother you sound?

A bloody child of about 6 scooted into me at the co op today when I was reaching up to a shelf to get wine down I exclaimed 'bloody hell!' before I could look and see what had gone into me, the kid just looked startled and scooted off, no apology, mum was in the post office queue at opposite end of the shop. Sorry but you can do all the 'you don't know how stressed the parents are, 'they're just kids leave them alone', 'parenting is hard YABU' shite you like, it's NOT ACCEPTABLE how some people let their kids behave, and it makes it ten times harder at places like playgrounds and soft play for parents who actually give a shit to keep their kids from being hurt accidentally or otherwise by unsupervised kids!

Yannu at all op but as you can see from some of the replies it seems it's just easier to let the kids carry on than to do anything

Mamieof3 - you can bet your bottom dollar that if the child on the scooter had hurt themselves instead of you, the parent would have been blaming the store and everyone else around, and would have had zero comprehension of their own responsibility for the incident.

I have wrangled three energetic boys round the supermarket and in many other circumstances, without having to resort to letting them behave badly and annoy or hurt other people in order to get them to behave.

What is letting kids scoot indoors about anyway its an epidemic kids on scooters in shops is rife where i live and the shopping centre is like a playground i shouldnt have to avoid 6yr olds on scooters