To have refused to remove our coats from free chair in the pub

[user1498921160]

We were out earlier in a local pub for lunch. There was five of us sitting around a table, with our jackets, cardigans, elderly person's walking stick etc on the sixth chair.

A family of four came in and went to a table for four behind us. The daughter, aged about six, put her stuffed toy on one of the chairs and then kicked off that there was no seat for her.

Mother then came over to our table and asked us to move our stuff off the spare seat so her daughter could have it. We pointed out that there was a spare seat at their table and she said 'oh the giraffe is using that chair'. We replied that our coats etc were using our spare chair and she went off in a huff.

WWBU. Obviously, if the seat had genuinely been needed we would have moved all our stuff.

Will no one think of the giraffe?

It doesn't have to be either or. Either coats or a firm no to the child. As I said upthread, the middle oath of telling the kid that "Giraffe is poorly today and needs a cuddle" allows the child to feel useful and the coats to stay put. Why do people have to make parenting so difficult?

I would of have given them the chair, it would of have only taken 15 seconds to stick the stuff somewhere else*
And it would have taken 2 seconds to move the damn giraffe.

It might only take a minute to make someone else happy, but that also means that you are indulging that person, who might consider her/himself in the future to always be indulged. And that breeds an entitled little shit.

Sometimes NO is a good thing.

Will no one think of the giraffe?

Far too many people were thinking about the giraffe. That's the problem

Would the kind souls who'd move for a toy giraffe also give up their seat for an imaginary pal?

I'd have laughed in the mother's face...

YANBU and all the people saying they would have faffed and moved a pile of stuff because of a sodding toy are the ones who have entitled, spoilt children (poster who explains about childs autism excepted). I agree with OP too that I would not pander to every ridiculous request on the off chance there are SN rather than a severe case of PFBitis.

Maybe you could have offered to let the giraffe sit on Old Coat Mountain op?

Did they order the giraffe a meal too?

(YANBU)

Obviously it's unlikely those 2 chairs were the only free ones in the entire pub so hardly worth getting worked up about is it? She asked you said no

I wouldn't pander to an autistic child either sorry and I have some experience.

Did they order the giraffe a meal too?

Oh! I bet when it's an inconvenience to their pocket they don't give in to the giraffe

Well that's done it!

Giraffe loses seat, no question. People do indulge their offspring to a ludicrous extent sometimes. YWNBU.
(Hope Giraffe wasn't giving you evils afterwards).

all the people saying they would have faffed and moved a pile of stuff because of a sodding toy are the ones who have entitled, spoilt children

I disagree, I think they are considerate people who would make a child very happy.

However, I can't say that I would have been so kind, so I am a hypocrite. It would have depended what sort of mood I was in, I might have indulged the kid, I might not. I suspect there were hooks somewhere for the coats though.

Looking daggers.

Yeah but. Now giraffe is going to get shitfaced on cider and start a fight with you. Giraffes love cider. Trufax.

Yes - I am now wondering when they brought the menus did the Mother ask "Oh yes and can we have the kids' menu and the giraffes' menu too please?"

Indulging a child to that extent really isn't helping anyone in the long run is it!

My now teen DD used to have an imaginary friend when she was a toddler. At the park one day my DD was in a swing and the 'friend' was in the other swing. Another child tried to get in the second swing and my DD screamed that her 'friend' would get squashed. She did not want the other child to get in the swing. Did I pander to her ? No, I approached the 2nd swing, saying come on Victor, ( the name of said imaginary friend) time to let some one else play. I had to mime lifting a child out of swing. Yes I felt a right twat, but I could see that my own child should not be indulged on this occasion.

Oh.my.god at the amount of people who think a stuffed toy should have belongings moved for it. The belongings of strangers who were there first and using the chair at their own table what's more.

Oh.my.good.god at the parent who asked.

I'm quite speechless.

I think in real life the most an indulgent group of adults being kind would have done is suggest giraffe had a seat on the coats.

Allthebestnamesareused - yes, ''and a chair for the giraffe please too waiter'' .... Can you imagine?!

'I approached the 2nd swing, saying come on Victor, ( the name of said imaginary friend) time to let some one else play. I had to mime lifting a child out of swing. Yes I felt a right twat, but I could see that my own child should not be indulged on this occasion.'

Very sweet. And sensible.

I approached the 2nd swing, saying come on Victor, ( the name of said imaginary friend) time to let some one else play. I had to mime lifting a child out of swing. Yes I felt a right twat, but I could see that my own child should not be indulged on this occasion
That's lovely, sensitive and totally sensible.

Proof you can be kind without indulging children's unreasonable demands.