Who is in the wrong here?

[MrsCherryBakewell]

On holiday and staying in an apartment overlooking a field full of cows. This morning a boy of about 7 or 8, unsupervised by a parent was throwing stones into the field of cows. My DH knocked on the window and told the boy not to throw stones at the cows.
This evening when we got back to the apartment, the mother told my DH that he has ruined her holiday. Her son is now afraid to go outside, and actually he wasn't throwing stones at cows but at the cow pats in the field. Was DH genuinely being unreasonable or is the mother barking mad?

@MrsOliphant are you sure they hadn't escaped from an enclosure themselves? Some parents are just beyond hopeless.

She sounds totally batshit. Ruined her holiday? Really?

And good on your DH for looking after the cows and telling the little brat off.

so glad when I hear of adults prepared to tell strangers children off. Thats the way it should be. Lots of people are reluctant these days

YANBU at all!

I can't stand that type of parent but I sometimes think they are becoming more prevalent. The type who can't accept that their child's behaviour is out of order or, even if they will concede that perhaps he/she misbehaved, believe the far more serious crime is someone else having the audacity to chastise them

So child can throw stones or cycle out in front of a car or hit another child but don't you dare ask them to stop or tell them off.

I feel sorry for teachers in particular having to deal with this attitude.

Your dh wasnt being unreasonable he was stopping the boy being cruel to the cows. at his mother having her holiday ruined but

Arsehole kid has arsehole mother shocker

What are the chances

DH was right.
The mother should have been out there stopping her child throwing stones. She would have been quick to complain if the cows had stampeded and trampled on her little Prendergast.

YANBU - the world's gone mad! why is he afraid to go outside? I swear some people exist in a total bubble and if you speak/engage with them they can't cope...

the mother told my DH that he has ruined her holiday. Her son is now afraid to go outside, and actually he wasn't throwing stones at cows but at the cow pats in the field.

But the cows in the field don't know he's throwing stones at the cowpats, do they...........

Did the mum turn up on her broom knocking the door? 😂😂😂😂

Suggest she'll have a nicer time if she goes to, say, Spain, where they don't seem to mind little shits mistreating animals anything like so much. Tell her that her son will particularly enjoy the bull running, he'll have a ball.

I pulled some kids for throwing stones and various bits of rubbish at cows, too. At local National Trust property there is a field which has half a dozen cattle in it. On one occasion they had a calf. A gang of kids aged about ten was throwing stones, cans etc at the cattle, which formed a protective ring around the calf - at least the cows did. There was also a bull which began to stamp up and down and bellow - obviously all of the animals were distressed.

I told the kids to stop throwing stuff because it was upsetting the cows and they were worried about their baby. They stopped, but obviously "reported" me, as a couple of women came and gave me a mouthful!

I told them that if they preferred, I could report their nasty little shits to the trust authorities, and they left, but not without giving me load of abuse.

Your DH did the right thing. animals are trapped in their environment, and that makes them vulnerable. If they turn in fear and trample the horrible little bastards that are tormenting them, the headlines won't read: "Vicious little sod crushed by terrified cattle." will it? It'll be "Child killed by cows. 'Our hearts are broken - he was the light of our lives' sob parents"

Ugh. Parents who not only allow this but defend it shouldn't have been allowed to have children in the first place. They truly don't understand what entitled little monsters they are creating!

The little brat's probably 'scared' to go outside now because he's never been told off in his life, your DH probably shocked him. Poor cows.

I would have taken the conversation very slowly indeed
"You've ruined his holiday, he's scared to go outside"
"Why?"
"because you told him off"
"Yes, of course, no one should throw stones. Why is he scared to go outside?"
"because he's scared of you"
"why?"
"because you told him off"
"Yes, throwing stones is wrong, as long as he behaves properly no one will tell him off, so why is he scared to go outside"

Grind them down with logic, works a treat and has the bonus of ensuring they avoid you forever :)

Some people! DH definitely did the right thing.

I'd question how great a holiday he was having in the first place if someone stopping him throwing stones at cows and/or their crap has ruined it..

Ruined his holiday haha

I told a group of boys off for chasing geese by the river in the centre of York a couple of months ago, the geese were in quite a state but parents and kids just ignored me so I very clearly and loudly told them not to chase them again - lots of people around heard and agreed so parents called over to the boys and told them off , but if I hadn't have intervened they would have just carried on - makes me so cross with cruelty that's deliberately ignored by parents