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

[NootNoot]

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!!

YANBU. Of course children should have fun, but I also believe that consideration and respect for others and their property should be taught to them from a young age.

My 5yo has a serious flower-picking habit which I have to clamp down on. I caught her picking daffodils in the park and was giving her a right rollocking when my friend started in on the 'ah, it's only daffs, she should be allowed etc etc'.
I was somewhat miffed, especially when triumphant DD presented said friend (50 ffs) with the purloined flowers.

If she has any of my irises again there will be consequences...

PurpleHebe that drives me INSANE

I was back in the UK recently and the kids didn't seem as bad as they used to be. I can't say mine were better than the average.

I took mine to a play park. My kids wanted to play on the swings, however a bunch of teenagers were loitering on them. Well, I asked them to move, and they did and perfectly nicely too.

I will say that I noticed how very non-confrontational parents were being with their children. I witnessed lots of cajoling but not much straight forward "don't do that, this is why", and no actual tellings off at all. I felt like a massive gruff by comparison. Still, I thought the kids I encountered were OK.

Last summer, as an American tourist, I went to the British Museum, and the Natural History museum. The number of children racing recklessly on scooters was astounding. I was worried they might crash into display cases or senior citizens. Scooters are outside toys that should be checked when going in.

The story about the chick made . I've seen a lot of children like this a lot recently. 3 examples stand out for me in the past week.

1. Last week I was shopping in town when I saw a Mum pushing her 2 year old around in a circle, chasing the pigeons and getting in people's way. What was worse was the pigeons were scared and were flying low.

1. The second incident involved a teenager who was showing off pretending to be Spiderman and ran across the road and did a karate/high kick, he nearly kicked the windscreen of a bus which was waiting at the red light. Cue lots of people . Bus driver was fuming but did not tell him off.

1. Last week, I came home from work and cut through a car park to get to my street. I saw a Mum and her teenage DD and her younger DD and the teen DD was encouraging her little sister to run around in the car park. A car came inches from hitting them. The Mum just ignored it.

I have two kids with SN (both in mainstream) and I don't tolerate this kind of behaviour. It makes me so angry when I see lazy parents letting their kids destroy things. I have to work so hard, all the time, with my kids, to help them be good citizens, but it's my job. Parents who couldn't give a toss deny other children the chance to enjoy beautiful things and places in peace. It's so selfish.

Agree with it being the children of Thatcher's children. Selfish, greedy and no sense of the collective good.

I live in a 'naice' area where, according to government stats, 3/4 of the area is pretty well off with about 1/4 struggling to just-about-OK. IME the kids at primary who are entitled spoiled brats, bullies, nasty and refuse to obey rules are all from well off families.

I went to an NT place at the weekend. There were signs saying please don't park on the grass, but because the hard surface car park was full, someone had removed the rope on the grass area and the grass was full of cars!

Inside the grounds, the grass lawn was roped off, with a sign saying that the grass was having a rest, but people had climbed over it and were having picnics!

No wonder the kids don't know how to behave!

(My small child of 21m managed not to destroy the plants)

Disturbed to hear that, Ericaequites. I work in one of those museums and we certainly don't allow that. I certainly intercede if I see a visitor doing anything dangerous or anti-social or against the rules and I seem to spend half my time at work yelling "NO RUNNING" (safe in the knowledge my manager and bosses would back me up if a parent complained). I can only assume it was so busy they were able to evade staff.

I didn't observe anything like that when I visited the BM.

Frankthey were playing football in a shop?? (mind boggled). I did something similar to you once except it was in the school playground.. Bunch of older boys kicking a ball around very close to the younger ones' climbing frames and not really caring if the littlies got hit or not. I asked the boys politely several times to move away a bit. They ignored me and next thing I got whacked on the back by the ball. Which made me so mad I grabbed it and booted it to the far side of the playground. Then I realised the dad had been standing next to me all along. Saying nothing...

Wigbert-that's them! Aren't they gorgeous!

Wigbert-that's them! Aren't they gorgeous!

So many parents are scared of upsetting their children. If that was my 2 and a half year old I would have been the parent dragging their kid away kicking and screaming.

I live near some Kew-esque gardens and a sign has had to be erected requesting no scooters or bicycles. On what planet do some parents live where they think it's acceptable for their kids to scoot across the grass or go off-road through the shrubbery? Actually I wish they'd ban the 4X4 pushchairs as well... everywhere. Worst is Waitrose on a Saturday where you get big pushchair flanked by two outriding scooters (yes, scooters in a supermarket) steaming down the Ella's Kitchen aisle.

I would have to say something, or go find a gardener, and get them to have a word, (though, they probably wouldnt) so many parents these days seem to think theeir children are in charge (good luck when they have a hormonal,stroppy teenager, who is bigger than hem) Its all about respect, I would say, I would offer to let, my kids, grandkids, dogs come and do the same in her garden! Dont think she would like THAT

Daily Mail today, bloke desides to stop beside the road with his children and pick daffodils for his wife and Mother for Mothers day, cannot understand why he got arrested and flowers confisgated. Said his children were upset, finders is not keepers in any circumstance, what if everyone helped themselves like this.

Those parents were obviously complete morons, of the type who allow their children to run around in restaurants annoying everybody. Why do they imagine that any rules do not apply to their family?

Saw the same at another London 'attraction' where parents let a child onto grass and reach into water feature for a photo when the signs were clear and then saw same parents telling child not to go on grass at a point further down the way because of the signs!?! I know it's not EVERY parent but I always thought of myself as a relaxed parent until I moved south.

Yes RhodaBull I hate this kind of behaviour too. Typically two middle class yappy mothers taking up the whole width of the pavement on a busy road, with children on scooters ahead of them banging into the shins of everybody within reach. Now I simply stand still and wait for one of them to move aside so that I don't have to walk in the road to get round them - they scowl as they move aside, obviously I am expected to risk life and limb in the road rather than inconvenience them.

It isn't only children unfortunately.

Many years ago, we had a magnificent display of gladioli (don't ask) in our tiny front garden. One saturday afternoon, I heard voices and caught 2 middle aged ladies picking them and peering in through our front window. When I gave them a mouthful, they said that they didn't think anyone would notice as there so many!! They just didn't seem to understand why I was so annoyed.

It'll be their precious grandchildren stomping your flowers Op.

I was also at Kew at the weekend and told off a family who were letting their older kids ramapage through the blue flowers. There are signs. Annoys the hell out of me that they think it's ok to let their kids destroy things. I pointedly said "it does clearly say please do not walk on this area, it's a shame you think your kids should be allowed to ruin a beautiful floral area". They looked annoyed but called their kids off. I'm not known as Mrs Victor Meldrew for nothing! 😉

Those poor flowers will be ruined :-( The Daffs appeared to have survived- maybe because they have little railing around them, or possibly there's a sniper in the palm house to shoot pickers!

What a wonderful outcome WindwardCircle! I've only once flown business class, when my husband was working in the US, and was appalled by the behaviour of the entitled middle class in the business lounge at the airport. The children were demanding free alcoholic drinks from the staff who were obviously not allowed to give to them, and the parents were annoyed and complaining. The result was that the parents gave the children their drinks and they were all actually ejected, hurling abuse, from the lounge.

Maybe we should offer Kew a voluntary NM guard.