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?

[RebornSlippy]

@Ropsley, you're so right, there are some twats here alright. They like to pop up on threads to lower the tone with personal insults and name calling. A thread discussing and berating poor manners no less. The irony.

[Allthebestnamesareused]

You didn't need to say the if you won't parent your child line. You could have merely turned round and told the child to stop screaming and hitting your chair which they'd have done because they did when you asked them to.

[AwaywiththePixies27]

you should have been the one who got up and moved seats,

It's London. At the height of summer. Given the last time I was on a bus in London at the height of summer. All packed in like sardines without standing room. I'm guessing there weren't no free seats the OP could move to.

[MoonfaceAndSilky]

Ha, you did the right thing op. I probably would've just glared at them and maybe added a little tut if I was feeling brave

[elevenclips]

People let their kids behave like utter animals in public. I had to move yesterday as a 7yo girl wanted to climb on my seat. All the while complaining that nothing in the shop was to her liking. Everything her mother offered her was met with a filthy scowl and a heap of backchat. I have an autistic dc and we get stared at sometimes but this girl who was just full of attitude made mine look like an angel!

[contrary13]

It must be the week for having to parent the children of others. Went to Wisley yesterday with my son and (literally) had to grab a toddler as he started to fall into the glasshouse "hippo" pool because his nanny? Was too busy texting on her 'phone whilst he and his older brother did their utmost to drown.

He was balanced with his shoes half over the edge of the water's edge, on those (admittedly quite tempting to stand on if you're little) stones, trying to reach the "hippo" with... a bit of plant.

I may have pointed out that children can drown in less than 3 inches of water and she'd do well to keep her charges ("oh, thank you: his Mama will be so cross with him!") under a watchful eye.

However, further on, there was a mother playing 'Pokemon Go' - or so my 12 year old tells me as he recognised the music - whilst her small son sat next to her, sans anything but an empty water bottle, looking very pissed off/bored.

Sometimes I admit to wondering about how the 'cell'phone generation is going to look after children... and then something like yesterday happens, and I genuinely worry for the future of mankind in more ways than one!

[AwaywiththePixies27]

contrary how scary!

[YouTheCat]

If she'd tried her best to keep her child under control then you'd have been unreasonable to interfere. However, she did bugger all. I don't blame you for telling her kid off as she obviously wasn't going to bother.

[AwaywiththePixies27]

I remember a teacher having to come out of class after school to tell another kid off after hours. (think there was an after school club his sibling was in). He was swinging a metal pole around near younger children (reception age). His mother was too busy on the phone to bloody notice!

OP. I don't think you were U to ask her to stop doing it. Or telling her to parent her kid to be fair.

[Malters87]

I don't think YABU. If I couldn't control my child I actually would be so mortified by their behaviour I would be glad someone else said something and made them stop. Sometimes kids respond differently to another adult than they would their parents. So you did her favour from being embarrassed in front of the whole bus for the duration of her journey. Well done for having balls

[AwaywiththePixies27]

Their office sorry. Not class.

[quercuscircus]

YANBU. Like you said if she won't teach her child to behave nicely, someone has to.

I might sigh internally but always smile at parents whose kids might be disruptive but who are doing their best to sort it out. Then there are some parents out there who do NOTHING to control their children.

It is cruel to let a child to grow up without basic manners and being taught consideration for others - how will they do well in school, jobs and the rest of life without them? They'd be forever in trouble and , and the rest of us would be annoyed!

[MidnightSheep]

I think we've found "that"parent 😀 waves at LandL!!!
I think people who object to others telling their children off are usually embarrassed as they've been caught out at their crap parenting - I speak from experience of a group of sad women who objected, and still do, several years later, about me reprimanding their ill behaved, and old enough to know better, children who were spilling drinks and food over chairs and the floor at a newly opened sports facility of which we were all members.

[upperlimit]

I make a fortune while my kids play out on the streets : ///follow me///!!

[maxthemartian]

Not unreasonable at all.
If people don't want others telling their children off then they shouldn't let them misbehave.

[upperlimit]

That makes no sense now - can't believe how quick that post got zapped.

[upperlimit]

And I posted, thinking that I was on another thread. You know when you mess things up so badly that you could only hope there was an edit button here. Arrhhh.

[Tensecondrule]

I'm with you on this one. Not that I've ever been brave enough to say anything, I just turn round and huff and puff a bit 😂

[TealStar]

Not unreasonable at all. I was on the train recently when a mother and her two sons got on. Don't know how old they were, but she ignored both of them while the youngest balanced precariously on the luggage rack at the back of the carriage. The oldest pulled down the tray and kicking the back of the seat with it. People eat off this early trays and he had his shoes all over it FFS.

Mum sat there in the phone the whole time, surreptitiously picking her nose (boak).

I don't care if I sound judgemental.

[TealStar]

Not sure how some words got in there, I swear autocorrect has dumbed down these message forums (another thread!)

[JakeBallardswife]

Well done for speaking up. So often we don't, normal chatter or laughter is fine. Even screaming if its a tantrum, we've all been there, sympathy is needed then. But kicking chairs and hitting, bloody annoying. Well done.

[HorridHenryrule]

You probably scared her op she will have nightmares of the scary bus lady. I think you were right to say something but your tone was wrong you were both rude. My daughter is the same no patience in her at all you have to learn to ignore people. I have heard of mothers having fights with there children around them. Out there you don't know what animal your up against.