To tell off sticky fingered, grubby children?

[PolkerrisBeach]

It's our village show today. Lots of floral displays, kids races, decorated plant pots and the suchlike. Lots of entries in the craft and baking tents as there always is. I entered a few things, one being a knitted white rabbit in the soft toy category (came second and won £1)

Went back to the tent to check how I'd done and as we were looking round there was a family with two small children of about 3 and 5 prodding and poking all the entries in the craft section - luckily the baking had been covered with cellophane. I didn't fancy dirty toddler fingers all over a brand new knitted toy so when the child went to grab the bunny, I told her not to, and to leave other people's things alone. The older woman with her said nothing but flared at me as if I had two heads.

So AIBU to expect parents to teach children that they look with their eyes and not their fingers??

Totally agree - 'look but don't touch' was one of my mother's key sayings when we were little - people seem to have forgotten about this!

YANBU.

I feel like a dragon sometimes with my DS who’s nearly 4. I always think if you can instill manners and a respect for others and their belongings when they’re young then they’ll be nicer more well rounded adults.

yanbu
can't stand children that 'see' with their hands.

Can't stand dirty kids ... I blame the parents. Anyhow no, I don't think you were in the wrong for telling / asking the kids to keep their fingers away from items which were on show ... again I blame the parents ... lazy parenting 101.

Can just see the dm headline "Child touches toy" shocker.

If you'd said it nicely fair enough but you seem quite proud of the fact that you were horrible and that you don't care about it.

If you'd spoken to my child in a snappy, rude manner I would have put you straight. Politely of course because children learn from the adults around them.

It's quite funny that you believe a child touching a toy is worse than a grown adult who should know better speaking horribly to a young child

moondance the children probably weren't dirty. It was OP's assumption that all children are dirty and sticky. Which is, of course, utter shite.

So you actually snapped “leave other people’s things alone” to a 3 year old? Tbh I would have glared at you too.

Last year I took my 3 year old to Homebase to get some paint and he was looking at the plants, whilst holding my hand. Hadn’t even touched them or gone anywhere near them before one of the workers snapped at me to “keep that child under control”. Total overreaction. Maybe you’re the same person.

Maybe children shouldn't be invited if they're so unwelcome?

I agree that they should be taught not to touch other people's things with dirty hands... You don't know they were dirty.
Also, plenty of adults would pick something up to admire it. Would you tell them off too?

My youngest has sensory processing difficulties and often simply isn't aware she's touching things without thinking (She's really undersensitive to it). I would have reminded her not to as it wasn't hers but would have done so gently- if any of the more snarly posters on here decided to jump in all guns blazing I would have defended her though.

tbh I wouldn't be happy if adults touched displays like that either...

I think you should not have been nasty about it. You could have asked the child not to touch it without being nasty. Yes, her parents should have stopped her but I think you were OTT and prickly. The kid was only 3.

It was the older child. 5 or 6.

And totally agree that adults shouldn't be touching either.

At 5 or 6 she should have known better yes.

I've never let my children touch things in any shop or place unless it belongs to them. It's instinctive to most people I think.

I don't think you were very nice. I make things, too. I think it's ok if children touch them. Not very realistic, otherwise.

YANBU.

I hate that many parents these days let their offspring do whatever they like without teaching them. I had my cousin around yesterday. Her 2 DDs were jumping all over my sofa, walking around with food, hands weren't wiped and crisp fingers all over my large ornament on the side, I did speak up then and say they weren't to touch that and made a hint about sticky fingers. Our sofa is new and I was cringing. Then there were the toys I had put out of the way, they somehow lifted it down and started throwing it everywhere. I again intervened when my cousin gave her 3 year old strawberries and she climbed on the sofa to eat them! My DCs wouldn't have been allowed to do any of that but my cousin is far from in the minority.

My cousin brings her PFB to visit and I can't stand the sticky grubbiness.
Little girl wanted ice cream, I dished some up and she tried walking around with it so I took it off her and said "sit down nicely so you can eat the ice cream"

Cousin said "don't talk to her like she's a dog"

She visits every couple of weeks and I wish she would fuck off

YABU simply because you seem to be revelling in the fact you were pretty horrible to a young child, yey go you .

YANBU if you would've just asked.

And before you get on your high horse I would've probably warned DS not to touch anything before we even got close as he's really tactile.

PFB? So... Her child then? The order in which your cousin had children has shit all to do with it tbh.

"Don't touch what you can't afford and you have no money so you can't afford anything" is our shop mantra

"came second and won £1"

What was first prize - £1.50? Still, I suppose it's the taking part that counts...

Tell who lets their children run wild here
YANBU, children - and adults shouldn't be touching things in this scenario without invitation. Personally I would have handled it differently, but the message would have been the same.
Of course kids want to touch things, it's how they learn, so it's up to the supervising adult to check it's an appropriate thing to do.
My youngest is often tacky so I err on the side of caution by bellowing EYEBALLS NOT FINGERS whenever we're entering craft shops/shows.
Once you've bought or won an item-fine. Throw it in the mud, wipe your arse with it, but until it's yours, just look.

Some people are hugely ignorant. I work in an art gallery and when we have exhibitions, there's always some fool who comes along and TOUCHES or MOVES installations.

There was one particularly lovely thing with a number of items placed across a sort of box on the floor. The artist had placed them as they were meant to be displayed and I saw a woman pick one of the items up!

I was amazed. It's obviously not a shop! It's a gallery...with art in it.

can't stand children that 'see' with their hands.

Like kids with visual impairment, you mean?

Maybe one day on this site I’ll read a thread where people aren’t making offensive sweeping statements / assumptions, or where people will realise that their experience of the world is not universal.

*Ok - but were you horrid about it?

Quite possibly. Do I care? No. Woman with the children clearly saw nothing wrong in letting them prod and poke everything.

It's just common courtesy not to go around handling things which for one thing aren't yours, and for another are entries in a competition.*

I see a real hypocrisy here. You are expecting exemplary behaviour from a young child.
By your own admission your behaviour was horrid rather than showing any common courtesy.
It would have been a far better example of common courtesy to politely ask the child not to handle the toys until after the competition.

dont know why the quoted parts are not in bold 🙄