AIBU for bollocking into these kids today

[ElleBellyBeeblebrox]

Me and my two (3 and 7) were at a local stream thing today, paddling with buckets and little fishing nets etc. Lots of other children and various parents scattered about. Three slightly older boys (maybe 8 or 9) had found a dead pike, and had it in a bucket to show people. Ok fair enough. But then they started holding it by the tail and twatting it on rocks. I went over after a few minutes to say that I thought they should stop and it wasn't very nice etc,and went back to my dcs. But after hearing much shrieking 5 minutes later they had managed to rip it in half and were throwing its insides about which the other kids were watching with kind of shocked/curious/disgusted faces. At that point I went back over and told them they were upsetting the other children and to pack it in and stop being horrible. Which they then did.

I wasn't BU to firmly tell them off was I? I know telling other people's kids off is a bit of a tricky one!

You did right.

Yanbu, that is horrible.

Yanbu that's disgusting. I'd have been much more harsh and asked if they'd do the same with their pet cat/dog if it died. Awful behaviour.

YABU they sound gross

YANBU, feel a bit sick after reading this!

I think I would have done exactly the same. YANBU

I know it's grim :( I'm sorry

NOT unreasonable. Sorry left out vital letter

It's not tricky, you did the right thing.

I'm so shocked nobody else said anything to them!

You did the right thing that's horrible behaviour. I'm assuming their parents weren't around to witness it? If they were then its shocking they didn't intervene.

I can't get worked up over a dead fish tbh.

That's horrible, you did the right thing!

Once they started throwing fish guts around (at other kids?) then yes, they should be told off.

Ooh I'm surprised at the responses here. My instinct was to say that this was unreasonable. But I guess it is potentially dangerous if they put their hands in their mouths. I hope you told them to go scrub their hands rather than just shouting otherwise it's a bit pointless!

Meh. I don't really see what the problem is. I remember looking for roadkill with my sister so that we could squash it further under a big rock we had for the purpose. Kids are pretty gross.

I was fascinated by roadkill at this age. A dead bird with maggots would have made my day. I think it's normal 8-year-old behaviour.

I think fascination is one thing, my Dd is 7 and loves all things insecty, weird and wonderful but joyfully dismembering a poor sad dead fish i thought was beyond natural curiosity

I still remember a dead cat in a pool of water in our local woods.

It kept me fascinated for weeks until it eventually decomposed completely.

joyfully dismembering a poor sad dead fish i thought was beyond natural curiosity. Ooh completely disagree with this and now think yabu for considering a dead fish to be "poor" and "sad".

......and no I didn't dismember it but I definitely gave it the occasional prod with a stick 😳

Yanbu i would def said something.
That's horrible, don't really care if it's just a fish.