To think that if you must let your children into the disabled viewing area

[Hurr1cane]

Then you shouldn't let them climb all over another child's wheelchair and almost knock it flying and then use the excuse that there's nowhere else to go.

Fine, if there's nowhere else to go and there's space in the disabled area, by all means use it, even if staff have kicked you out twice already, but must you really put my child at risk because you can't be bothered watching your children?

Or am I being PFB about it all? I am often.

Not sure of the context but sounds out of order

Are you being pfb about someone letting their child mess with a wheelchair?! Of course not!

We had a similar experience at Dusneyland paris, at the Armageddon special effects show. We were let in early with dd's wheelchair and were at the front. A pair of brothers decided to climb all over dd's wheelchair, trying to stand on her footplate a and generally being obstreperous. I asked them politely to stop, twice. Then I started shouting 'No' at them. Them one tried again and squashed her foot so I physically removed him. No idea where the parents were or they'd have got a gobful of outraged Frenglish. Completely unacceptable. I hope you gave them a verbal pasting, or asked for them to removed.

Ok context without outing myself, it was an outside viewing area of an extreme sports events, there were single fences all around the area and then a double fence with a sign to show where the disabled viewing area was.

It was very busy, so the children probably couldn't see if they couldn't come into the area, and I really didn't mind that, there was a very well behaved child who ended up being shouted at by his mum because other children that were running riot pushed him right into DSs lap, I told his mum that it wasn't the child's fault at all and she thanked me but moved him out anyway.

The children were also throwing stones into the sports area and generally being the way children are when left unchecked. All young, say 2-5 year olds.

One of the parents stood right behind DS, leant on his wheelchair and sparked up a cig. Now I smoke, but it was loads of signs that say no smoking and also, I never smoke around children.

It just ended up ruining the whole experience because I was too bloody polite to say anything.

YANBU They'd already been kicked out twice so shouldn't have been in there. Even if they hadn't been kicked out it doesn't give them the right to let the child climb over the wheelchair potentially hurting your child. Sounds like they're the type of parents who think their precious child can do no wrong. The type who can't be bothered to do their job and actually parent their child.

Thank you everyone. I've ended up coming home, putting DS to bed and having a massive cry because it started up all of the 'why my child' emotions that haven't come up for years because they're ridiculous.

One of the parents stood right behind DS, leant on his wheelchair and sparked up a cig

And you managed to keep control of yourself and not rip their head off? Hats off to you, you have the patience of a saint. I'd have needed a shot of ketamine to maintain that level of control.

I MIGHT have shoved it backwards a bit with my foot so she stumbled... Maybe...

I wish I had he confidence to confront people like that, but I just can't, I go mute around people I don't know. I feel like I'm letting him down not sticking up for him.

These are people who aren't actually normal at all! They are anti human beings!

Nothing to do with you being PFB, if you were that you would have properly ripped them a new one quite early on in all this nonsense!

You were more than reasonable, more reasonable than I would have been!

YANBU at all. The parents were entirely at fault for letting their DC behave like that.

We had to pull our DS out of a Scouts group because of something not dissimilar…DS participated in all activities with the children as far as possible in his wheelchair. All the other children were warned not to touch the wheelchair & we also paid for a one to one carer for DS during the sessions.

Despite this a child touched the chair & managed to injure herself in the spokes. Her parents made a huge fuss & threatened legal action, the group leader was panicking & asked us to take elaborate precautions to make the chair 'safe' by taping over the spokes etc. We couldn't help feeling sorry for him…bearing in mind that he was a volunteer giving up his own time for these sessions. So we felt we had no alternative but to bring them to an end.

Yanbu, in that situation I would have lost any thoughts about politeness and told those brats off.

Hurr1cane - I am very sorry that this upset you so much. As parents of disabled DC we often rely so much on other people's consideration sense of decency…unfortunately there are just a few don't know how to behave, a minority but still enough of them to make our lives hell at times.

Someone threatened to sue because a child was messing with another child's wheelchair??

I would have threatened to sue them because their child had messed with my child's wheelchair and upset him.

No I wouldn't... I'd have gone home and cried and thought of everything I should have done because I'm a pathetic excuse for a human being.

Thanks everyone by the way, I can't rant in real life because my friend bought DS the tickets and I don't want them to think we didn't thoroughly enjoy every bit of it.

Thanks Dixie, no we didn't find any other group as funnily it put us off the Scouts….however we have found other activities for DS to enjoy.

Dixie DS has a typical autism. In his case it means autism caused by a genetic disorder not autism from birth, but seeing as it's his only diagnosis it's the one I work with, and run support groups for etc.

Children with autism are bloody amazing, I promise, and adults with autism... Well, just google some blogs. They have so much to give. I bet your DS is lovely

Hurr1cane - you are so not 'a pathetic excuse'; please don't be made to feel bad because of these people, don't be hard on yourself. Plenty of times I have gone home and cried in private because of the way DS has been treated by certain people, you are not alone.

Thank you

YANBU at all. Can you complain to the venue maybe? Even young kids should be being told that touching someone's wheelchair should be treated the same as touching the person- you don't do it on purpose without asking first. Hope you and DS are ok now.

I'm so with you OP.
Went to an event in my town last Easter, something we've enjoyed many years before and people were STEPPING OVER my kids in their wheelchairs. Like they just weren't there.
These are 18 inch wheel wheelchairs, they're not small, so obviously they tripped most times, then gave US evils for being in the way!

Boils my piss.