To have got annoyed?

[ohcraptoday]

Went to a car boot this morning with my parents and my daughter (4yo).

She'd got a few things with a few quid that my parents gave her and was happy.

She saw some peppa pig stuff on a stall and went over to see it, was figuring out how it worked and what happened when she did.

I said 'come on DD, let's leave it now, we best be catching up with grandpa'. She wasn't listening so I said it again. Then the woman on the stall went mental! Shouted at DD, snatched the toy off her and started shouting. DD was shocked and ran off, crying. I obviously ran after her.

Really angry and told DD the woman had no right to speak to her like that, that some people are nasty.

If it was something that could have been easily broken, fair enough, she would have ever reason to be a little irritated. But it was a fucking car boot and a second hand, cheap Peppa pig toy.

I didn't get chance to say something to her because I had to run after DD - no one has ever shouted at her like that. Especially a stranger!!. But it spoilt the morning as she was very quite and clingy after that.

Honestly if DD was being a brat or even rough with it, I would have told her to stop, but she wasn't, she was seeing how it worked. Tbh if she'd have asked for it, I would have bought it too - she loves Peppa (not sure why but that's a debate for another day).

Aibu? I wanted to go back to say something but my parents said to just leave it.

She shouldn't have shouted, but YABU for letting your DD play with items for sale. It is disrespectful.

She was out of order. But i hate people handling stuff they have no intention of buying.

But shouting was over the top.

six of one half dozen of the other, but there was no need to go 'mental' as you say the woman did, but perhaps she has had stuff broken / stolen by people 'just looking' or 'trying stuff out'. it does happen.

Be interesting to hear the other side of the story.
"Went mental at her" is quite subjective.
Letting your small dd wander off and start playing with things on other people's stores that you have no intention of buying is wrong.

Are you all mad?! At a car boot the whole point is that people are selling off all their old shit so of course your pick it up to make sure it works!

The woman was OTT, maybe she thought your daughter was bending some easily breakable part?

Pretty easy for an adult to say 'be careful' to a small kid and tbh if you think it's disrespectful or don't like it when people touch or pick up stuff you're selling I suggest you get a grip.

FeliciaJollygoodfellow:

The OP could have tested it easily without giving it to her DD. Which she didn't anyway. She allowed her unsupervised 3 year old to pick up anything she felt like at a car boot stall. Not my idea of responsible parenting and certainly not respectful of the fact that people do actually own this stuff.

Op said her DD was 4yo and I cant see the bit where she left her unsupervised!
Ridiculously over the top of the stall holder to react how she apparently did, a polite request to put it down would have done. People lose their shit at the slightest thing these days.

yerbutnobut:

She said her DD 'went over'. She said her DD was 'seeing how it worked'. So at some point her DD managed to pick up the item and start playing with it. If she was supervised, that is rude - the OP should have stopped her. If she was unsupervised (which was my impression as the OP said her DD went over, not that she took her over), then that is irresponsible. Either way the woman was right to expect her not to play with a toy she hadn't bought.

Didn't say she wasn't right to expect her not to play with a toy she hadn't bought, I stated that her reaction was OTT in the circumstances explained in the OP. Going on your ethos then, big toy stores should be clamping down on parents letting their children 'play' with the toys before purchasing? Books/magazines should not have their pages turned for fear of tearing them before purchase? Perhaps as grown ups we should set an example to all children, whether our own or not, and not handle any goods before purchase i.e furniture, beds, gadgets etc...the OPs DD basically did what she's learnt from the behaviour and etiquette of others around her.

Totally agree with Felicia. Have the rest of you actually been to a car boot sale ?

I'm afraid I'm going to be that person but YABVU to use the term "going mental".

DD was supervised.

The toy never left the table. There was a small handle at the side that she turned.

We were looking at the stall and she went over to the toy.

She did go mental. I've had mental health issues since being a teenager.

Would it have been better if I'd have said she should be put in a looney bin? No because that's insensitive and frankly disgusting.

I said mental because in my opinion no one of sound mind would behave that way towards a CHILD who was being very well behaved.

Either way I Guess I'm being unreasonable.

Yanbu. She is 4 ffs. 4 year olds fiddle. And you did gee her along. It sounds as if she'd hardly touched it when the woman went nuts

YANBU - that was a massive over-reaction on her part. Shame on her!

She does sound like she overreacted. But I still think you probably annoyed her by letting your DD play with it without making it clear that she was testing it.