Ice cream

[LockedOutOfMN]

Went for a walk with the children. Bumped into an ex colleague at the ice cream shop. Our ice cream shop offers cones or plastic cups and we always tell the children to have a cone as it can be eaten or if thrown away it will biodegrade. Our son who is nearly 9 asks for ice cream in a cup and we refuse and offer him the same scoop in a cone. He says he'd rather not have the ice cream. Daughter gets her ice-cream and we go outside to where there are benches and a play area. Husband goes to the loo. Ex colleague who was queuing behind us comes over and says several times that I (not we) am cruel not to have bought our son an ice cream. I am pleasant and say that we always try to think of the environment. She continues to call me cruel. The children both go off to play and my husband joins them. Ex colleague eventually gives up and wanders off so I go to the play area too. Moments later, as we're about to head off, she comes running over with her husband and presents our son with a huge ice cream in a cup and announces to most of the play area that I was too cruel to buy him one.

Are my husband and I dicks for our cone-only rule? Today was the first time either of the children has quibbled over it; both of them like cones.

I have defriended the ex colleague on Facebook but do hope we don't see her again any time soon.

Some kids don't like waffer.
But the OP said, her kids do like the cones.

Yes, the colleague was weird, sticking her nose in and undermining parents. It's not 'cruel' to offer a kid who likes cones an icecream cone FFS.

then throw the wafer away.

Or offer it to a friendly dog, mine would have been appreciative

Well you might not be right about the cups, that's down to each individual, but you have every right to hold that opinion and to teach it yo your children, I think cups aside she was really rude. I think that after I picked my jaw up off the floor I may have told her so too Fair play for being restrained she was really rude

The colleague was rude.
But you've told your son the reason you would rather him have the cone but he's decided he still wants a cup. If the kid can't have some control over how he wants his ice cream served up, well, what can he have control over. I'm all for the environment but I'm not anal about it.

Environment or not it's a bit controlling forcing him to consume his ice cream in a way that suits you.

Parents tend to control most of their child's life though don't they? It's in the job description.

Not stuff like that FGS. Supposed to be fun going for an ice cream. Not a battle of wills.

Your rule sucks.

I'd much rather have a cup than a cone.

I can eat at my pace, not eat it as quickly as possible to try to prevent it from dripping on my hand and resulting in a sticky hand for an unknown period of time.

Your colleague was wrong, but your rule sucks.

Mastering the art of eating from a cone takes time. My niece, aged 8, is only starting to manage it. Nephew, who is older, would had ice cream melting all over his hands and down his shirt if he had to use a cone.

misses point of thread

For God's sake is right.

Kid who normally enjoys an ice cream cone is offered ice cream cone by his parents. How awful of them!

This thread will definitely appear on the Mumsnet Madness twitter feed !

That's crappy rule - I hate cones, it contaminates the ice cream and makes it taste manky.

However, your friend should not have interfered.

WonderMike
That's crappy rule - I hate cones
The rule doesn't apply to you...both of our children like cones.
Where's the broken record emoji?