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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this rules to apply to "our little darling"

250 replies

NootNoot · 27/03/2017 10:12

Hard hat on & fire extinguisher ready

Went to Kew Gardens over the weekend- gorgeous day, place was packed, lots of families. Plenty of youngsters running about, shouting, having a great old time.

Walking past the Orangery there is a lovely display of small blue flowers which have cropped up on the grass- not bluebells but tiny little meadow flower type things. Signs every 5-10m saying "these are part of our meadow collection, please stay off the grass". Small child aged about 3, running up & down through the flowers, stamping on them, picking them etc. Parents looking on indulgently, taking photographs etc.

Middle aged man with a rather fancy camera (looked like a realy Kew enthusiast) lost his shit with the parents- pointed out the child was destroying the flowers, clearly states keep off grass etc etc. Parents just smile benignly & said "oh but she's having so much fun"..

I appreciate toddlers can be tricky/wilful etc but for the love of god that surely isn't an excuse to trash the place? There's tonnes of "plain" grass areas to run about/pick daisies etc. FWIW we crossed paths with them later on & the father was watching the child pulling petals off the magnolia trees!!

OP posts:
anotherpoisonprince · 27/03/2017 10:14

YANBU.
That's awful behaviour imo.

ZilphasHatpin · 27/03/2017 10:14

Ugh! This cracks me up. Do they think the flowers suddenly straighten up and regrow the instant their darling leaves them?? Those flowers are now ruined for everyone else.

Pigface1 · 27/03/2017 10:48

These kinds of parents drive me insane.

Also that kid will grow up to be the most self-centred little...

Allthewaves · 27/03/2017 10:50

Blah hate self endulgent parents who have no respect for anything

LoveMyLittleSuperhero · 27/03/2017 10:56

Ok, I'm guilty of being pfb and indulgent with my DD 5 months but even I think that is horrific behaviour Confused

HeyRoly · 27/03/2017 10:56

Ignorant, entitled dickwads.

BagittoGo · 27/03/2017 10:58

Must have been the same parent who let her child pick the daffodils on her way to school 🙄

comedycentral · 27/03/2017 10:59

Absolute knobbers! I have always taught my children to look, smell but not to pick them.

SparkleTwinkleGoldGlitter · 27/03/2017 11:01

I don't know what is wrong with some parents of course is not acceptable

Do some people really think its ok for special snowflake to ruin a flower display so nobody else t(hat's paid good money for an entrance ticket) can enjoy it? child will no doubt grow up a self centred little....

nancy75 · 27/03/2017 11:01

You see more & more parents like this. I was in a shop at the weekend and a boy of about 5 was swinging from a clothes rail that looked like it was going to collapse, he was also close to kicking people walking past as his legs swung out. The shop assistant nicely asked him to stop and Mum said he was fine to carry on as he was just enjoying himselfAngry

BreatheDeep · 27/03/2017 11:03

Why do they think the sign doesn't apply to their child?! Disgusting behaviour from the parents.

Anniegetyourgun · 27/03/2017 11:09

It's the same mindset as parents who park right outside the school gates because they are picking up their child, unlike all the other people hanging around the school for no apparent reason Hmm

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 27/03/2017 11:13

I would have threatened with the constabulary.

Megatherium · 27/03/2017 11:16

Did anyone point out to them that, although their child was having fun, they were ruining the fun for hundreds of other people?

ShatnersWig · 27/03/2017 11:17

Good for the middle aged man.

More people need to speak up when they see this sort of behaviour. I think, generally, people are reluctant to say anything for fear of getting told to fuck off (or worse). But if people don't say anything, it basically tells people it's OK to behave as they want regardless of consequences and other people and yes, in many, cases, the child will grow up to behave like little shits and it rolls on and passes on to their children.

Sad to say this thing is getting much worse. You used to get the odd child doing this sort of thing because they'd just run off for a minute and the parent would be mortified, give them a telling off and be suitably apologetic and embarrassed. It was very rarely "sanctioned" by parents as in this incident. Now an increasing number of parents think rules don't apply to them or their snowflake. There is a growing sense of entitlement and I see increasing levels of "we're parents, we're more important" attitude somehow.

user1483387154 · 27/03/2017 11:18

Wow those parents were so rude.

PrettyGoodLife · 27/03/2017 11:21

YANBU! It is much more rewarding for everyone to get DCs to appreciate the flowers rather than trash them.

megletthesecond · 27/03/2017 11:21

Yanbu. I've witnessed this sort of shit before.

My dd can be a handful but I'd be in there hauling her off, not watching her!

Gwenci · 27/03/2017 11:22

Why would you think you'd need your hard hat for this one OP?

Of course the parents were being ridiculous twatty dickheads.

WateryTart · 27/03/2017 11:22

So glad they got a telling off, shame they took no notice. Dreadful people.

Pinkheart5915 · 27/03/2017 11:23

Some parents are just like that though aren't they, you see things like that often. I don't know if they just can't be bothered to parent the child or the genuinely think that little snowflake johnny they have is more important than little Polly who the family behind have so snowflake johnny can do whatever the hell he wants

No it's not acceptable. Yes toddlers will be toddlers but that is no excuse to let them ruin a flower display, my oldest is 18 months and would I let him behave that way in my garden let alone a Kew garden type place NO I wouldn't!

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 27/03/2017 11:25

It's just Kew is such a genteel place, it's a shame to see this type of ignoranty indulging behaviour there.

pitterpatterrain · 27/03/2017 11:25

YANBU
Seen the same. Primary age kids pulling up daffodils in a public park skipping along by their accompanying adults. And not the "rough" Hmm kids, the ones from the local prep with fancy hats. I judged.

Efferlunt · 27/03/2017 11:26

I love Kew. Parents like this give me the rage. Was at an NT property that had a beautiful band of daffodils and crocuses, and some dickheads were encouraging their kids to roll down it crushing all the flowers. WTF is wrong with people that it doesn't even occur to them to think about what they are depriving other people of? DH had to hold me back from having a real go at them. Confrontation really upsets him and he thinks I'm too bolshy.

sparechange · 27/03/2017 11:26

YANBU!
We get similar parents in the park near us - there are signs everywhere in the areas where cycling isn't allowed, usually narrow paths

A few weeks ago, a child came flying along on a bike and crashed straight into an elderly couple in front of us
When it was pointed out to them that cycling wasn't allowed on the path for very good reason, they replied but it was a child cycling, and therefore the 'no cycling' signs don't apply to them Hmm