AIBU to think parents at beach were unreasonable??

[gracieben6]

Currently on holiday in France - went to the beach today with dh and my kids. DD1 (14), DS1 (10), DD2 & DD3 (twins both 7), DS2 (4) and DD4 (1).
DD1 wore a bikini, DS1 wore Bermuda shorts, DD2 & DD3 wore tankinis, DS2 and DD4 wore uv suits. We were topping the kids up with sun cream all day. A Family with 2 kids aged about 13 and 10 and both wearing full uv suits and hats came and sat near us. Mother comes up to me and asks why my 4 of my kids are not in uv suits. I said that they prefer to wear normal swimsuits and I am fine with what they wear. She proceeded to tell me I'm a bad mum for only having 2 of my kids in uv suits and that I didn't care about the ones not wearing uv suits!!! She lectured me about uv Rays even though I was topping the kids up with sun cream !! Aibu to think she was totally out of line?!?

Daisygarden
I suppose the OP could have had a drastic change of opinion from first of all thinking that the other woman was totally out of line to following her advice but I don't think I am the only person on here who is a bit sceptical.

FeckinCrutches
She just walked up to you out of the blue? How odd.

pearlylum
I can't imagine a stranger coming up and saying this out of the blue.

Northernlurker
I simply don't believe this.

Actually I can't be bothered to list the rest of there are so many other people who are a bit sceptical.

I haven't put UV suits on mine since past age 3 (now age 8 and 6).

They wear normal swim shorts on the beach now and i'll put a loose cotton T shirt on them for an hour or two in the middle of the day.

What the absolute fuck is a UV suit? Lived by the sea all my life and never heard of this? Sounds like something out of Star trek.

If she came to Greece she'd die of shock. Thousands of local chestnut brown kids playing in the sun all day long without a lick on suncream.

I just Googled. So it's a wetsuit then? Except not one that keeps you warm?

So you are British on holiday in France and another random British woman comes up to you and starting questioning you about UV suits?

Only another Brit would. I'm in France and have not seen any children past toddler age wearing UV suits. Certainly no teenagers.

goddess they are wetsuit 'share' but made of swimsuit material so not thick or heavy they just cover all the most sensitive bits. They are great if you are too lazy to worry about suncream on their backs and chests!

My DS is 4 now and i have got rash vest and shorts now for him, as I think the all in ones are a bit babyish. When he is older though he might just want to go with shorts, but the rash vests are quite funky and when you go to all the surfy places in Cornwall etc lots of adults are wearing them.

It's a bit cringey when you see an 8 year old in a long sleeve long leg UV suit, it rather screams OTT parent.

I'm not sure i believe the OP either. I think that she may have overheard the woman making a comment about the kids not being in UV suits and embellished as necessary from there

Shape not share!

Yanbu at all, interfering busybody. I can't imagine they do uv suits for 14/10 year olds, anyway they probably would not want them. Tell her to keep her helicoptering to herself thank you.

OP where was the other Mum from?

Ok, sorry, I read above. British.

I suspect she has had a bad experience with skin cancer. What I imagine is that she saw OP,clearly iaware of the dangers and hence UV-clad her little ones, and in the course of conversation pointed out that even the older ones were still at risk.Op has inferred this as being criticism of her parenting, rather than a helpful hint!

Snowy - interesting point. I may have interpreted it wrong!!! Probably thought it was worse than it was because of tiredness! Six kids are gorgeous but can be exhausting!!
Thanks everyone for commenting about older kids wearing uv tops. Maybe I need to be more stern will my older ones!!

Aero "I can't imagine they do uv suits for 14/10 year olds, anyway they probably would not want them". They do indeed do them! Debenhams,M&S, Next (just for high street fashion stores) and then Decathlon and other sporty shops as well.

I think some people are imagining they are black wetsuits made from scuba fabric suitable for surfing. They are not!! They are simply swimming costume fabric like any other swimming costume for kids, in pink and turquoise and yellow and just about any colour or fun design (Fireman Sam, Superheroes, Frozen, Disney just like swimming costumes) but they are usually an elbow length top and shorts. To protect the shoulders and back. Kids are often bent down on digging, playing or splashing on their fronts so the shoulders and back are usually where the sun catches the most.

People who are saying rash vests are "cringy" and "ridiculous" obviously do holiday in surfy places or water sport resorts. They are fairly commonly worn even by the coolest kids.

Nazi mum. Sounds like you were absolutely taking precautions. What a tosser. Can we say that about a woman?

I hope you told her to get to fuckery and mind her own beeswax?

Dd2 and ds1 (5 and 10months) wear uv suits. Ds1 because he's a baby and dd2 because she's a little bugger about wearing a tshirt over a swimsuit as she hates it. Dd1 wears a tankini and lots of sun screen

What's a uv suit? How was I harmed by not having one as a child?

Has she had her darlings tested for rickets? Vit D deficiency no longer a thing of the past. There is balance to everything

Maybe she is a skin specialist? Or had a bad experience?

I don't put mine in uv suits because it helps their bloody awful eczema to have sun. Likewise, I don't slather on sun cream every 5 minutes. I'd have had a very interesting conversation with this other lady had it been me she approached.

I do not think anyone has ever walked up to a stranger and told them they are "a bad mum"

Well, apart from mumsnetland- where it happens every single day, multiple times.

Tell her to mind her own fucking business!

We go away tues and my son has uv top and shorts.