To think that some parents are idiots

[Singsongsung]

At the park today with dd1. The park is driving distance from our house and much bigger than local parks. It has a huge wooden climbing structure with slides etc. The structure has signs all over it saying that it is not suitable for under 8s which is reasonable judging by the size of it. Dd1 loves it (she's 9). However, there were some children on there who didn't look older than 2. They were struggling to walk around the grass nearby let alone manage the challenges of the equipment.

Some parents were sat miles away, whilst others were encouraging these toddlers onwards (and upwards). Bigger kids were having to queue in some pretty unsafe spots as these children clearly couldn't cope.
I just think if it says 8 and over and your child is way less than that then you shouldn't be on it. The park has ample provision for little ones which I don't let my 9 year old go on.

Yes that too was.

My DS has no qualms about telling parents in a loud, clear voice exactly what the rules are and how they and their offspring are breaking them. It is funny seeing their faces when a tiny, serious, newly confident reader points out the signs to them.

If there's nobody on it it's not a problem, and parents should be allowed to use their judgment. If they aren't affecting you or your children let them get on with it.

But no 2 year old is big enough to go on a climbing frame made for 8 year olds. A parent who chooses to allow their child to do so it, in my opinion, an idiot.

And as I stated in my OP, they did affect my child today as they caused her to linger in particularly tricky places as they were so slow. If any of those children had fallen off goodness knows what the outcome would have been. Some parents seem to have this absurd notion that climbing equipment is utterly safe. It isn't.

Huge helter skelter slide one of those you use mats to whizz down and once you have set off you cannot stop. Some parents I kid you not allowing toddlers to climb UP the slide! At one stage I instinctively grabbed one before she got seriously hit by a shocked older child coming innocently down the slide. There I was holding this baby looking round for parent who was sitting there gawping. Just ..unbelievable!

Thing is skiing if people were allowing their toddler on stuff for older kids like I did, climbing up right behind or alongside with an arm behind, nobody would be complaining, because I only did it when nobody with older kids were there.
And yes it does effect my now older dd and her peers. When 5 or so older kids could charge up eg a net frame, they can't incase they wobble it while dear little tarquinette is on it. So they have to wait for however long. They can't run across the playground incase they knock her over. They can't go down the slide because tarquinella is sat at the bottom 5 minutes after her go. They can't manically swing the huge swing that crams in them all because tarquinella is running across it. And when they are already on something, tarquinella follows them to join in, while her parents loudly tell her 'the big boys and girls will give you a turn in a minute'.
When actually tarquinellas parents need to fuck off somewhere more appropriate.
Dd floored someones toddler once. Entirely not her fault. Tarquinellas parents didn't see it that way.

I'm with Skiing. It is a matter of personal judgment for the parents, especially if they have several kids, not all of whom are within the 'right' age range. But even if not, I wouldn't get worked up about it. Not your circus/monkeys.

I'll let dd know next time a tiny kid is in her way on the big equipment it's 'not her circus, not her monkeys' and to carry on as if they were big then shall I? And if said tiny falls/ gets launched colliding with 5'7 of 11yr old racing up a climbing frame, or traveling down a slide the parents will be rushing over saying 'it's ok it was my decision'. Oh no that's right we won't, cos my dd has been brought up to be careful round little ones. Like her friends. So they get to stand and watch.
However I suppose there's no reason if it's a free for all her and her friends can't go and practice bike stunts in the little kids bit if I as a parent decide its ok. Let's all be selfish.

bolleaux my three year old would want to be all over that helter skelter like the proverbial toddler rash. He'd be shit out of luck mind, as I'd not trust him or want him to endanger himself or others. There would be toddler shinything lust and wailing about slides though. Probably with a hefty portion of flounce and the possibility of an all limbs on the go floor-flinging wobbler. Got to love being the meanie big beanie mummy! parent :o

As an unrelated aside, my phone wishes helter skelter to be belter smelter which I thinking a far better name :o

It is a brilliant play area so it's usually busy with big kids who like to climb where they shouldn't, cue 9 yr old ds saying, 'Mum they're climbing on top of the nets/up the outside of the helter skelter, can I?' Which of course I answer, 'Not a chance matey boy!'

He came back to me complaining that the bigger kids were 'so rude' just pushing past him up the tower, (v. naice my children!), so what chance madmum thought her 3 yr old had up there on her own. Still they breed them tough in Crawley, survival of the fittest and all that.

I'm trying to picture a belter smelter, do you think I might regret googling it?

I'm imagining it's one of those highly polished jobs that makes you belt down it so fast you end up smelting your trousers/arsecheeks:o

New rule, all fucking awesome tube slides are now belter smelters

What are climbing frames for 8 years and older kids? Are they just the normal ones you find on most playgrounds? I'm one of those parents who let their toddlers climb on them, the ones round here don't have any age limits on them so I've always assumed, as have other parents, that it's fine and it is up to us to make sure our children are playing safely on them. I don't think there are any age-separated play areas here either. but kids (with a lot of help from their parents) seem to know how to behave around older/younger kids.

But if the age limit was clearly visible then you could always point it out to the parents of toddlers.

Yes though sadly it was the toddlers that were getting belted due to their thicko parents. Couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was no way older children could stop once they launched from the top and they came down fast. It was in a soft play with a whole cordoned off bit for toddlers too. I know you are not supposed to judge but I really really did

Well perhaps you're not supposed to admit to being judgey, but hells bells, if we didn't have any judgement the world would be insane. On a side note I was quite judgey about the life-size diamante encrusted model of a bulldog I saw for sale in town today.

What in god's name were they thinking?

stunning

Crap on toast that's vile bolleaux!

Parks near us tend to be destroyed very quickly so no fucker can play on anything, solves the age inappropriate problem rather neatly:o

urgh...mind soap mind soap

I think it's pretty easy to tell which play equipment is designed for the over 5s. As a general rule of thumb, if you need to help your child every step of the way and/or they crying but you're geeing them on, they're too little for it. HTH

I'm totally in agreement with you OP.

Yanbu, and can we include those silly mums who think that the toddle ball area (under 4yes sign in situ) at soft play is the ideal place for a 3 month old then get cross when a 3 yo act like a 3yo and bounces round it?
Not they really don't need to chew the pissy balls before their full course of vaccinations (or under 1 imo but that might be unreasonable)

Ok i'll do the yabu bit. I cant remember ever paying any particular attention to age ranges on play equipment. We dont sue either.

YANBU. I have two ambitious climbers. Eldest is tall for her age so can reach to climb stuff and does it well so she's not getting in anyone's way and people tend to assume she's older than she is so I just let her get on with it. Small one is short and suicidal (toddler so not going on really big stuff, just normal things aimed at about 4yo) so she'll climb stuff for older kids with adult help provided it's not busy and she's not getting in the way of older kids who can climb it properly. So while I let my kids on equipment intended for older kids I wouldn't do it if it were hindering any child of a more appropriate age use the equipment because that would be really selfish.

Yanbu

Near us there is a fantastic outdoor adventure Park which clearly states it's for age 8+ children. This is because one part is a good 10-12ft up and to bridge the gap from one section to the next you need long arms and legs. If a child gets scared it's tough shit they have to keep going as there is no way down and no way to rescue them.

Yet I've seen mums encouraging really small kids up the ladder then the small kid gets scared and they're stuck. I heard recently one set of parents had to call the fire brigade out to rescue a small child from this apparatus!

YANBU of course.

However it's not just mothers of toddlers who can be inconsiderate as these threads often go. My toddler has been knocked over by older kids in under 5 soft play. And had to wait for the toddler swing because some 10 year old was playing on while his mother watched.

Some parents are just inconsiderate.