Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wish parents would stop toddlers charging after birds

159 replies

yesterdaysunshine · 21/10/2016 16:35

I've already had a mini whinge about this but it's happened again and I'm fed up.

When a kid charges towards pigeons, they fly up en masse and seek to find somewhere else to go, which means because they don't get up very high, they are eye level with your face.

So while YOUR toddler has had the time of their life, MY toddler has had a horrible fright!

so have i

Why, oh why do people not appreciate its really anti social?

OP posts:
Ilovehedgehogs · 22/10/2016 11:16

It's generic namecalling- anyone who lets their dc hurt living things is a thicko.

Ilovehedgehogs · 22/10/2016 11:19

And some birds are not capable of feeding from higher up than the ground, it's a biology thing, not a choice because they enjoy being kicked or run at Hmm

MrsKoala · 22/10/2016 11:30

Bumsex - it isn't age so much as ability to understand. My boys are 2 and 4, but the 4 yo has ASD/PDA. It's a total pita that an area where he could run off steam is now out of bounds because people want to feed the pigeons. When ds1 was 2+ and ds2 was a baby i was basically housebound and couldn't even take them to the park because of this. it was utterly miserable and i felt very angry that people feeding the pigeons were making the park another place (the last possible place really) we couldn't go. I used to sit home crying wishing we could go out.

CheshireChat · 22/10/2016 11:32

I hate this too and I never let my toddler do it. He does occasionally stamp to get a reaction out of an animal/ bird bug there's less I can do about that, albeit I try.

CheshireChat · 22/10/2016 11:35

Stomp clearly, he doesn't send them a letter.

noblegiraffe · 22/10/2016 11:42

I once saw a mum and dad laughing and filming as their toddler chased a herd of deer.

FuzzyBadger · 22/10/2016 11:45

YANBU

I can't stand it when it see kids charging after petrified birds and normally, the parents look on in delightful or are totally oblivious.

Why would you not correct the behaviour? You're allowing your child to frighten and bully - how is that ok? They are not toys simply there to keep children occupied. I bet if an emu entered a playground and began chasing the frantic and terrified children it'd be a different story!

bumsexatthebingo · 22/10/2016 11:46

My son has asd too Koala and at that age I'd have him sit with me (or you could strap him in his pushchair if you still use one) when he did things he shouldn't and wouldn't stop. He would raise hell but eventually he did learn that he needed to listen to me so it was worth persevering rather than letting him do what he wanted or avoiding situations because it's easier.

MrsKoala · 22/10/2016 11:51

That doesn't work with ds1. The paeds told me not to do that.

MrsKoala · 22/10/2016 11:54

I meant to say he doesn't do it really now. It was 2-3yo when ds2 was 0-1.

TriniRedVelvet · 22/10/2016 11:57

If only there was a way to legally stop idiots breeding and raising more idiots..... Hmm

bumsexatthebingo · 22/10/2016 11:58

I've never heard that advice from a paediatrician before! And we've seen quite a few plus had the Earlybird training etc. Did they say why? What did they suggest you do then when your child wouldn't do what you asked them? What if it was a dangerous situation? No wonder you felt like you couldn't go out.

MrsKoala · 22/10/2016 12:02

Sorry, i meant they said don't persevere by putting him and myself in a situation where he was constantly being told no for something he wasn't able to understand yet. He wasn't developed enough to understand the cause and effect of if you do y, x happens. So would never realise being put in the buggy was because he chased a pigeon. He is still finding that link hard but at 2-3yo it just wasn't possible, so an exercise in misery and futility for both of us.

cherryplumbanana · 22/10/2016 12:07

I am so amazed by all the posters who think chasing pigeons is cruel. Even as an adult, if a pigeon gets near my table when I am having a meal or drink outside of a cafe, I shoo them away. So what do you do? Share your food with them? That's disgusting. You do the same with rats?

bumsexatthebingo · 22/10/2016 12:12

Again this isn't shooing them away to protect your food. This is allowing toddlers to scare birds purely for their own entertainment. It's not only cruel to the birds but also cruel to the toddlers to teach them that their entertainment is a reason to cause discomfort to other living things.

bumsexatthebingo · 22/10/2016 12:15

Mrs Koala I think if a child is running at birds to make them fly off they have some understanding of cause and effect.

MrsKoala · 22/10/2016 12:24

Actually i don't think he was ever trying to make them fly up - i think he wanted to touch them and actually got frustrated when they flew away. And no, he has very little understanding of cause and effect. Especially where it comes to the effect of his behaviour or understanding the effect on others or why punishments are happening to him. He also has completely inappropriate responses to discipline, discomfort and pain so finds it hard to understand in others - including animals.

FuzzyBadger · 22/10/2016 12:38

Yes, cherry, that's exactly what we do Hmm
Those of us who think it's cruel to chase anything - especially defenceless creatures - can often be found sitting sharing a banquet with pigeons and rats. This Christmas I have a couple of mice joining the party too.

Ilovehedgehogs · 22/10/2016 12:40

Grin Fuzzy enjoy your Christmas lunch

MrsKoala · 22/10/2016 12:49

To be fair we often do have Pigeons at our banquets, only we are eating them and not sharing with them. I draw the line (just) at eating rats tho.

Ilovehedgehogs · 22/10/2016 12:54

I like pigeons, they are reasonably intelligent and can be trained.
I have this cushion too

To wish parents would stop toddlers charging after birds
PopGoesBang · 22/10/2016 13:03

Haven't rtft. Sorry!

But, my 3 yr old dd saw someone else do this and then wanted to, I explained it wasn't very nice and it scares them, and sometimes others around. She looked a bit 'yeah right' at me. And then. And I'll never know why, but I then said and sometimes when things are scared they poo. You don't want a bird to poo on your head do you? No, no she doesn't. No more bird chasing, and she's been heard to tell others 'nooo don't chase them, they'll poo on your head'

Whatever works, right?!

PoppyBirdOnAWire · 22/10/2016 13:06

OP:
When I read the title, I thought I was going to agree with you. However, your concern is not the fact that bratz alarm the birds but that they fly at eye level. Oh dear.

bumsexatthebingo · 22/10/2016 13:35

Ok Koala I don't think the op is aimed at you as you didn't just let him do it.

Psychomumsucks · 22/10/2016 14:09

I'm a bad mum then because I actually taught my little one to do this, she doesn't run though she wants to touch them (which doesn't happen because they fly off) and she likes to see them fly she gets upset when they go into memorials and I say she can't go in there but she also doesn't do it all the time. I don't mind it and had to do it for a mate of mine who is terrified of pigeons so I would run and make them fly away so she could walk through lol