Toddlers on scooters in Skate Parks

[BrendaFlange]

AIBU to think that whilst teens should not use playgrounds and equipment provided for younger children, it is unreasonable for parents to allow small children and toddlers on scooters to monopolise skate parks?

The skate park near us is well used by young teens (and younger children, 7 years and up) who are learning or proficient in skateboarding, stunt biking and stunt scootering. Amongst themselves they have a well ordered etiquette for ensuring that people do not crash. There is no other provision for teens anywhere in the vicinity.

My son and his friends have frequently had to come home because parents of 2 and 3 year olds are allowing their children to use micro scooters in the skate park, and get very shirty with the teens, telling them off, warning them not to skate, shouting at them (they would NEVER endanger a child). My DS asked a child who was sitting at the bottom of a ramp just enjoying the time of day to sit elsewhere, and got an aggressive mouthful from the mother. There is miles of alternative space for toddler scootering - but their presence in the skate park makes it unusable for skate boarders.

And suppose a toddler wanders into the path of a skateboarder in the skatepark and gets hurt? A 12 year old may not be able to anticipate the next move of a pre-schooler.

AIBU?

I'm going to against the grain here a little bit and say YAB a bit U.

My 3yo ds has skateboarding lessons every weekend, has done for about 7 months, and is pretty bloody good at it. He is fully aware of the dangers of the skate park, always looks before he walks, won't skate unless he has his helmet and pads on. just because he's little doesn't mean he doesn't he has no right to be there, he is just as able and respectful as the older kids and has been known to shame those not wearing safety gear

YANBU about scooters in general though, the things are an absolute hazard and it doesn't matter what age the person riding on them is, they never have any awareness of their surroundings.

If he's learning to skateboard is fine. But plastic cars and tricycles? Parents are twats

Breadstix he may be a great skater but if an older child/teenage learner crashes into him he's going to be badly hurt. Not everyone learns age 3 and older kids also need a space to practice without worrying about hitting tinies.

The other thing breadstix is that as your DS is 3 there will be a parent within close range at all times and part of the attraction of the skate park to older DCs is the lack of adults hanging about and the freedom to discuss teen related matters. Your presence as parents may well inhibit that ability to chat.

I'm not saying your DS shouldn't go - he obviously enjoys it, but may be worth taking some of the comments on board about going when it's less busy.

Also seriously what other people are wearing should be none of his concern - whilst you as an adult may find it amusing, teens may not enjoy having a small child lecture them on safety gear as they may well get enough of that at home.

YANBU - I've been amazed to see parents letting toddlers just wander around in skate parks, often out of sight behind ramps so a teen/older child coming round at speed would have no chance of seeing them.

Yep, sorry Breadstix but having a mum and precocious toddler hanging round lecturing on safety wear will dent the older kids enjoyment of the skate park - however good a skate boarder your child is. Stick to early mornings or during the school day.

My neighbour does this. She takes her 4 and 1 year old to the skate park when there are older children trying to enjoy it and spends the whole time running between the skateboarders trying to stop her children from being run over .

I take mine on but only when it's empty or a couple of smaller kids on.

I actually thought this post was about me this morning

Depends. Are these toddlers skating prodigies? Or are they just milling around on the ramps?

In any case, I think if you're going to put your small child in the big kid area you do so knowing you're taking a risk. I keep my toddler in the toddler area of the park with the kiddie slides and baby swings. I get upset when I see rambunctious 7-10 year olds running around and jumping all over the equipment clearly meant for kids half their size (and the big area is a few feet away). Alternatively, when DD wanders into the big kid area, I know that there's a chance that she's going to get plowed over by a running child, so I keep her away. She's still gotten bumped by the bigger toddlers and it's a good learning experience to teach her how to watch where she's going.

But with a large skatepark, bigger kids do bigger damage. If the parents can't handle that, they need to put little Johnny in a more kid friendly area or come back during big kid school hours when the littles can have it to themselves for a bit.

It's not just skateparks - we went to a family farm type place with jumping pillows and go karts and climbing frames. basically two sets of everything one for older kids and one for younger - additionally there was extra play equipment for the younger group as understandably that is probably more their target audience - anyway, the older DC 9/10 couldn't get on half the equipment intended for them as people were standing while their toddlers painfully slowly climbed up the frame for a turn on the slide, or monopolised the bigger go carts even though they were too small for them. The farm clearly marked the expected age groups for the equipment and I am sure there would have been a riot if the older kids fired themselves onto the younger kids play equipment but they are just expected to suck it up if it happens the other way round.

YADNBU - Does my head in.

YNBU. DS had to wait until age 8 to be old enough to go on the ramps. So frustrating, but a good excercise in your time will come. When you're going hell for leather down a half pipe and a toddler scoots in front of you their aren't many courses of action available where you won't get hurt.

There are heaps and heaps of places where tinies can scoot and do so safely. Expecting bigger kids and teens to be accountable for toddler safety in their designated area isn't on.

sea I completely disagree. Safety wear should be everyone's concern and any person taking the risk in not wearing it should be told. The fact he is little is neither here nor there, it is totally irresponsible to partake in an extreme sport without the necessary protection.

And as for it being unfair for my ds to take away the enjoyment of the older kids because they may hurt him, well that's just tosh. They have a responsibility to be aware of their surroundings.

My ds has lessons in a professional skate park, indoors, and attends the under 11's class so there are plenty of young 'uns about and the older kids are asked to be an example to them by being careful. He uses the outside parks for practice as and when he likes. And my ds is not 'precocious', that's pretty offensive, he is just very safety conscious and thinks everyone else should be too.

bread why is the onus on older kids to be responsible about their surroundings, why don't you be responsible and go when it's quiet?
Also be realistic, unless he's a prodigy at that age he is hindering the older kids. And whatever you're reasons for lecturing on safety, the exact way to ensure a teen/older kid ignores your advice or any respect for you is to gatecrash their space and encourage your preschooler to harangue them on the subject. My dd does an activity that due to exposure/ opportunity and her love of it, meant by 4 she was actually better than a lot of mid teens never mind older kids that did it as a weekly activity. And I would have pulled her up short immediately if she'd ever felt the need to go round giving unwanted advice, not being proud of her precocious attitude. And nor did I inflict her or myself on more experienced older kids or teens and spoil their fun with the attitude they should be 'responsible'.

Lurked, bread's DS is spesh tho innit?

Then maybe teach him to mind his own business a bit, he sounds (not his fault of course) annoying and rude. Protective clothing is not required by law so is a matter of personal preference.

Whether people have an awareness of what they are doing or not, accidents happen at skate parks. Rather than pissing on everyone's chips because you can you could maybe show a bit of consideration.

3 year old patronising teenagers while mummy looks on accordingly at her precious little man. Bloody hell, I bet they all start rolling their eyes heavenward when you two turn up.

Take your child when the teens are in school, they only have six weeks holidays and I think they are probably seriously pissed off at a)having to get out of the way of a three year old and b) being told off by a three year old.

You are storing up a heap of trouble for your son. One day he will be at school and will start lecturing the wrong child.

Can't believe Bread thinks that it is acceptable for her 3 year old to lecture older kids on safety. This is exactly the kind of attitude which parents of older kids loathe.

At our local skatepark, the teenagers are fabulous with the younger ones but I make sure that mine (age 7 and 9) are respectful and get out of the way when the older ones are practicing.

I am a great believer in the phrase that just because you can do something it doesn't mean you should. My elder DS is really good swimmer - he could have happily swam in the fast lap lane at the pool and kept up with the adults using it - would I let him? hell no! Nothing worse than trying to have a bit of adult swimming time and being faced with a 7 year old lapping you in the fast lane....

There is a time and place.

I am biding my time and will come back to continue the discussion when mini breadstick is 13.

But surely wanker you at least took him at 4 to open fun sessions with teens bombing in and dunking each other etc to lecture them on pool safety while you smugly gazed adoringly on?

I would have thought the language coming from the skate park area is enough to keep any parents of toddlers away....or is that just our local skatepark (which is actually badly situated right next to the swing park)?

LOL

oh of course Lurked how they smiled adoringly at Ds while he told them their bathing shorts were too long and that they should have appropriate goggles and swim cap :o

I'm going to be totally controversial and say this is the exact same attitude that some cyclists have. They are promoting a healthy lifestyle and being carbon neutral etc while at the same time pissing of every other person in the process. Lets face it, they cycle because they enjoy it, the fact that they think they shouldn't have to use cycle paths, stop at any junctions etc because they are cyclists totally pees me off while every other person either in a vehicle or on foot has to sometimes give way for others road users they seem to think they are exempt.

Lovely sunny day on Sunday so of course they were out in their droves all round the country roads, loads of hills so they understandably are doing about 10 mph in a 60 zone, holding everyone else up. Passed one going the other way with a coach and about 30 cars behind - there is not going to be anywhere for about 20 miles that that coach can safely pass so that's about 100+ people inconvenienced so one person can enjoy themselves - selfish.

On that note, I'm going to bed and leave the backlash for a nice morning read :)

A ing a pre-teen and a toddler myself, yanbu.

The big kids have the skate park and learn to share safely.

If toddler ds wants to play on herr scooter, she is allowed on the ground, at the edge, out of the way.

Maybe as a pre-schooler, I would let her walk up the ramps while the big kids were in school...

Many parks have signs saying "for kids age 8 and over"

Oh dear breadsticks, I bet you'd take your 3 year old to southbank to skate there too wouldn't you, and of course all the really good skater their wear protective equipment? You do talk utter tosh.. your 3 year old is good. So was mine at football, but sure as hell wouldn't let him play when the teens were having a game on the big pitch at the park, much as he wanted to join in. If i did and he got hurt, its my blooming fault for being a fool.

You sound like the utter twerp that this thread is about dear, stop letting your kids do stuff because "they're entitled to" so are others, majority rules in these cases so back the hell off.