DP got told off in the supermarket last night

[OnlyBaBaBiss]

DP went to the supermarket last night when he finished work, he took a couple of kids so I could bath the baby while he was gone so he took DD1(6) and DS2(2) with him

He said while he was there an old woman was laughing at something silly DS was doing (being a frog) and came over to say something to DP, he was expecting it to be something nice about DS so greeted her with a smile and got “he’s very sweet but honestly he’ll never learn to behave properly while you’re bringing him out at this time, take him home to bed!”

It wasn’t even 7pm!

DP said he was so surprised he just said “oh ok will do”
DD was so amused that Daddy got told off

AIBU to think that 7pm is not too late to have a 2 year old out ... on a Friday night ... in the summer! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Had similar a few nights ago - away at a family dinner at 7.30 in nearest family pub with toddler who's 3. She was very well behaved and this older wifey came across and tried berating me for having a child out after 9pm in a pub having a drink (I'm pregnant so lemonade here).

Really snippy so just turned to her and said "run along now, tuck in service will be looking for you to fluff your pillows!".

Hate ignorant people but she got the point and I got free drink from the bar as she apparently had done it to others to get kids home.

Bullshit. My grandmother has just turned 70 and the children followed her routine, no demand feeding, no co-sleeping.

My DM is in her 80s and demand fed and avoided rigid - as advised by Spock, child rearing guru of the time.

When mine were born Penelope Leach was queen of child rearing along with natural birthing etc. I'm 50s, the books were passed onto me by friends ten years older who used them with their own kids.

What the hell is it to do with anyone else!!

I’m informed that the frog routine consisted of a little bit of ‘ribbit’ing, a lot of sticking his tongue out eating flies and a merry little song about bananas That does sound very annoying.

Seriously Bertrand pops up on every thread where ages or MIL's are mentioned, it just what she does. You just expect it and ignore what she says

Bertrand's quite right.

@derxa I find a lot of people annoying, the way they eat, smell, talk etc but I don't say anything because only a twat would

That does sound very annoying And this sounds unnecessarily unkind and intolerant.

I wonder, if she’d been young and I’d described her like that, or if I’d said a teenager would you be angry about me using that age too? Or is it only older people that are exempt to having an age?

Hmm, perhap mentioning that someone is teenager in this scenario is reasonable, because she'd be unlikely to be an experienced parent herself, or to have the confidence to confront a strange man about his parenting.
But I think it unlikely that most posters would have mentioned the age of a woman aged 20ish to 60ish, so I find it unreasonable to do so for an older woman.
You weren't "setting the scene", OP, all you said was "an old woman was laughing at him".

I find a lot of people annoying, the way they eat, smell, talk etc but I don't say anything because only a twat would I'm an old woman but the most I would do is tut inwardly. I just want to get on with my shopping without having to smile indulgently at 'cute' toddlers.

Maybe OP has experienced what many of us have when out and about, too many comments by elderly people. I have twins and literally every shopping trip (small ish village) there are 3+comments about my parenting choices, it gets boring and annoying. "oh are you eating chocolate? It's not even lunch time!" "ooh did you have them naturally?" "don't you have a TV?(I have 3 kids and I'm guessing they're saying I just have sex all day.)" as a result, I find myself actively avoiding elderly people in shops. Might not be ideal to say she was "old" or even mention it, but maybe OP is fed up.

She was an old bat(insult not ageism), ignore her, your kids your choices nobody else's business. The same way how you describe situations is no one else's business either, calling someone old is a factual description of who they were the same as tall, short, man, women, nothing more nothing less! people need to look for a bandwagon less!

The fact she is old is relevant because the majority of older people simply forget what it was like to live with very young children. Rightly so, everyone transitions to another stage of life. Memory is a slippery thing. Be sensible and stop trying to paint that as ageism.

I remember my mum complaining about her parents forgetting what it was like to have young children and now she has herself by her own admission forgotten!