To tell this mum off?

[Potterhead113]

I was on a long bus journey in central London yesterday (35 minutes) and a woman and two children got on (aged 6 and 3) and sat Behind me. After 2 minutes the 3 year old proceeded to jump up and down and scream and hit my chair. After less than 5 minutes of this I turned around and asked the mum to get the child to stop as it was annoying me and the screaming was annoying an elderly lady down the bus. 10 minutes later and the child is still doing it and mum is doing nothing. I turned around again and said 'if you won't parent your children I will' and I told the child nicely to please stop. The child stopped for the rest of their journey. The mum made noises and muttered the whole time about how rude I was and how I obviously must hate children (I don't)
WIBU?

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The world needs more people who aren't afraid to speak up. Well done OP.

Mrs

OP how did you know the ages of the children? In this situation YABU, you should have been the one who got up and moved seats, instead of thinking it's ok to tell off other people's children.

Why should I move when it is someone else's child screaming and annoying everyone. Also the screaming would have annoyed me wherever I was sitting. I guessed the ages as I have family the same age and the children looked around 6 and 3

Tell off the child, don't tell them off, either is fine. Nothing to get worked up about.

I told off two 12ish year olds in a queue the other day who made sexually lewd jokes at my seven year old and then grappling with each other knocked me forward hard. So yeah, sometimes it is ok to tell other people's children off.

Yeah, you were totally being unreasonable. Who do you think you are? "If you won't parent your children, I will." WTF?!

Get over yourself.

Really loyalty I'd have done the same bloody thing as OP

rebornslippy so it's okay for people to let their children be a nusence in public and annoy around 7 other people for 35 minutes

I think you done nothing wrong OP. As a matter of fact, you done something most of us couldn't even if we wanted to, so well done.

You did right OP, my children are adults now but I would never have allowed such behaviour from them, a look would have been enough.

Not unreasonable at all.

Good on you op, wish more people did this, instead of entitle parent.

Some funny responses here. In my opinion you did the right thing - wish more would say something when necessary.

It wasn't 35 mins though was it. Less than 5 for the first telling off and 10 for the second.

By doing nothing do you mean she was sitting there saying absolutely nothing or was she just ineffective with what she was doing?

Loyalty I think it's fine to tell off other people's children.

If a child is behaving badly, in a way that endangers or distresses other people and their parents aren't intervening then I have no problem at all stepping in.

lenl what I meant was if I didn't say something it would have been 35 minutes. And she didn't say anything to the child after I first asked her that's why I did it myself.

@Potterhead, no, that's not what I said. I just think you swooped in like the God of Parenting with your patronising one liner to polish it off. Then you've come on here looking for your pat on the back (which you'll get, there's a few of your type here) for the 'awesome' job you've done restoring civility and order on the bus. Yawn.

I think you did the right thing OP. Some of the comments you've received on here are from twats, so just ignore them.

My friend got all uppity because a stranger told off her 6 yo yesterday (not in London and not on a bus ) for being a nightmare in a restaurant. She was full of indignation until I pointed out that she rarely bothers to control her DDs (either of them) behaviour and it's been an issue in my house before, where I've had to step in and tell them to pack it in. My attitude is that if you won't tell your kids not to do something, someone else will and should!

reborn no, I came here because I worried if I'd done the right thing given her reaction. I'm a calm person and don't like confrontation.

'if you won't parent your children I will'

The whole thing would have gone just the same way without this piece of superior smuggery though. This was just for your benefit and I think it makes you a bit of a dick.

You may think it is fine, but I don't. I would never tell someone else's child off!

I understand that the mother did nothing, but we don't her situation, she could have lost control over them.

This is why the continent is better for children as strangers WILL tell off misbehaving children rather then entitled parents thinking only they have the right to discipline children and has the knock on effect of them being more tolartented.

Yes. You did the right thing. She, and her apologists, are selfish twats.