AIBU? London terror attack radio at childrens' playcenter

[Userleafy76]

We are at a london softplay center with our 2 children this morning and they have the radio on throughout. At regular intervals there are news updates on the terrorist attack last night. I watched a father ask the staff to turn it off but they only lowered the volume. They lowered it further when I complained too but it is still on. Obviously exposure to some news is unavoidable, but surely not at a soft playcenter which even has a baby section?

I highly doubt the children are listening to the radio. YABU

I don't think babies will understand what's being said on the radio..and children generally don't care what's on the radio during soft-play. Odd thread.

Do you know babies who listen to the radio? Blimey

I'd be surprised if anyone could hear the radio over the shreiking of the children, but none of them are going to be old enough to sit and actuall listen to the news, are they?

YABU.

The selfishness of people never ceases to amaze me. It's the radio. At a soft play centre. People are dead. Not necessary to start a thread on mumsnet.

Get. A. Grip.

I know there are some gifted babies but I doubt any of them can follow the news on radio.

Of course YANBU. At DS's nursery they had newspapers across the tables showing details of a war including a lot of graphic photos. the staff were surprised when I asked them to turn them over. A month later they took me to one side and asked if we had relatives living in X country as DS was talking about the war there a lot.
Children are like sponges.

YABU

Yabu. Im saying nothing else but people have died, were hurt.

Well there's children too. During an average play of a few hours it is appropriate for a child to hear about deaths and stabbings just near where they live?

Therapists tell people not to discuss distressing events in front of children. They hear individual words and tone of voice. We dont argue in front of them either, they arent oblivious.
In any case maybe the parents didnt want to listen to serious news at soft play either.

YANBU. Lots of small children are intelligent and absorb all this stuff. It should be up to parents whether to expose them to this sort of news. The radio news is often sensationalised and reported in a way that is very different to how parents would explain it to their children- it is aimed at adults.

This is reality. We need to hear about it. It happened to real people and it's still happening.

YABU.

HTH.

How do you know that relatives of people working at the playcentre were not caught up in the attack? I understand that you want to protect children from the horrors of the world, but the staff did turn the radio down. I doubt many children would be listening.

This is reality. We need to hear about it. It happened to real people and it's still happening

Do small children need to hear about it? Really?

""I'd be surprised if anyone could hear the radio over the shreiking of the children""

Then why have a news report on that will constantly state how many people are dead and injured?

It isn't appropriate for a early years play provider to have a News channel on. It wouldn't be deemed appropriate by the L.A, the people who give permission for the place to be open,or the regulatory bodies that inspect it.

It's either a case of child interesting music or nothing.

Lots of small children are intelligent and absorb all this stuff

A barely audible radio amongst the noise of soft play? Don't be ridiculous.

Yes the reality is that's it happening, we need to talk about it to our children using age appropriate language but repeated news broadcasts talking about stabbings, deaths etc. whilst they play?
Anyway they've turned it off now - more parents complained.

""This is reality. We need to hear about it.""

Not at children's activities, we don't and the children certainly don't need to hear about it, in a non age appropriate way.

Yanbu. People think chikdren aren't listening when often they are taking in a huge amount of what is going on.
I wouldn't have tv /radio reports about this on when there are preschool/infant school age children around.

YANBU I'm switching to music whenever the news comes on today. 2yo doesn't care but 4yo asks a lot of questions and doesn't need to know.

I'm from Manchester, all my family and friends live there and I visit the city centre often (multiple times per month) with DS who is a few months of turning 3.

Since last Monday if I've not had Sky News on then I've been listening to Key 103, which is a Manchester radio station so the attack has also been mentioned a lot on there.

So AIBU to have the news playing constantly and talking non stop about the attack of a place that not only is the city where majority of our loved ones live, but also where DS frequently visits with me

Are you sure your babies are in the right environment, OP? Perhaps they should be in university if they're that clever to be able to understand what's on the radio? Is this just a stealth boast that you've got really clever children?

Yanbu. I don't think small children need to hear/see distressing news anymore than they need to hear/see scary movies.