To think I’m sat on a train opposite the twattist mum ever!!!

[Pumkinfailure]

Child is 3
Mum very loudly asking her to explain the elements that make up nitrous oxide. Child looks blank. ‘Come along darling, you know your elements. Ox.......ox....y......gen! Well done darling.’ 3 year old still hasn’t spoken.
Now darling let’s do some reading, shall we read lord of the rlord nhs, you do love that don’t you’
Would you like a coconut and peanut raw ball, we don’t want to eat too much because remember darling bed time is 6.30 after cuddles.
We are now doing maths, 44-13? Loudly.
I’ve been on this train 7 minutes. God help me!!!?

Maybe it's a homework book?

We've all been there, listening to the text book Mum/Dad parent-booking their way out of hell. Small children have to be entertained and it's always embarrassing doing it in public. Easier to shove an iPad in front and HFTB

She'll probably get back home, make the kid a jam b

It’s child cruelty, honestly - it’s only the beginning. The parental expectations that child will have to meet in the future, and the insane stress it will be put through... Maybe the mother will relent a bit when - if - a second DC comes along.

Posted too soon. I was going to say, she'll probably get back home, make the kid a jam sarnie, chuck the books over the back of the sofa and tell the k

Can someone just tell her now her kids is average. There's 7 billion people in the world - they average.

Feck it, I give up!

Suggest you read Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series, where you will see this woman(Irene) and her poor child(Bertie) brought to life...and have a good laugh about it!

Say, "Still on Lord of the Rings hey? Don't worry, I'm sure she will catch up eventually.."

Phew! Saw the title of this thread and thought I better check it was someone talking about me!!! 😂

I feel your pain op. I'm hazarding a guess that she's either a) a pro single child parent which means she has way too much time on her hands, b) gets the child nannied all week and doesn't have a bat shit clue about parenting c) naive - hey it happens to all of us until they start school and the teachers secretly despise parents like her and put her down a peg or two via her child d) all of the above.

Performance parenting is done by people insecure in their abilities to parent. Telling those around them what they think they need to hear and needing affirmation. It’s a shame really that their expectations are so high. Putting that level of pressure on yourself as a parent and on your child doesn’t lead to great things.

is this her

www.bing.com/videos/search?q=smartest+3+year+old&view=detail&mid=3F04FBFBA3A7B676A5B43F04FBFBA3A7B676A5B4&FORM=VIRE

I was on a bus nice when a mum was explaining the Russian Revolution to her 4/5 yr old who responded ' what's for tea ? '

Poor you. But more importantly, poor kid :(

It's s pity you didn't video her pumpkin then uploaded it onto YouTube. The silly cow would probably have gone viral.

It’s child cruelty, honestly - it’s only the beginning. The parental expectations that child will have to meet in the future, and the insane stress it will be put through... Maybe the mother will relent a bit when - if - a second DC comes along

Don't be ridiculous. How on earth can you say it's child cruelty? Since when has educating a child been cruel? Everyone is taking OPs word the child is 3, I'm pretty sure most of us couldn't guess the age of a child we don't know. How else do kids learn then? Should I stop talking to my baby because he doesn't have a clue what I'm on about and people might take the piss out of me? I'd rather see this than a kid engrossed in a phone/ tablet because their parents can't be arsed to talk to them.

It's s pity you didn't video her pumpkin then uploaded it onto YouTube. The silly cow would probably have gone viral

Yes, shame the parent trying to educate her child. In fact why don't we go the whole hog and shame all parents who have any interaction with their child because someone thinks it's showing off?

Anyone remember the film Parenthood? 🤣

What always amazes me is that these parents go to all the effort of teaching their children maths etc yet they do not know basic things such as manners, how to eat with their mouth closed, using a knife & fork and how to behave in public.

Augustma wrote: Suggest you read Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series, where you will see this woman(Irene) and her poor child(Bertie) brought to life...and have a good laugh about it!

That was it! Thank you! I remembered the author and that the child's name was Bertie who asked about the Midlothian question but I didn't recall the name of the novel.

Bertie and his saxophone :)

Surely you educate a child by engaging with them, on something that interests them, by having a conversation, not by lecturing them or talking AT them, @CaptainCorrigan.

There is a big difference between the sort of parenting that just shouts “Look at MEEEE! Look what a wonderful parent I am!”, which is more focussed in proving what an amazing parent you are, (which is what the OP’s example sounds like), and the sort of parenting that is talking with your child, entertaining them, but without having to do it at a volume that ensures everyone in the whole carriage knows what you are doing!

LOL - I have no advice OP but @Charolais that is just brilliant. I hadn't heard it before!

CaptainCorrigan, the point is that this woman is not educating her child. Talking at him about something that will be meaningless to him is not educating him. If anything, she is putting the poor child off learning. Plus, of course, the concern is that she may well ignore him when there's no-one around to show off to.

My exDP used to read the Economist to DD baby in the hope it would make her as clever as him lol (and he int no einstein).
What I found good was real 2nd parent (telly) and lots of running around outside. Worked for both of us. I love telly.

CaptainCorrigan it's also a question of appropriate levels of achievement - if you were sat down and asked to complete a PhD paper on something you had never studied, you'd get anxious, right? How on earth can it be good for a child to be asked questions (in public) that they could not possibly know the answer to? Given that we're assuming from OP that this kid was approximately 3, while it's not what might traditionally be considered abusive, I'd say it was placing undue pressure on a very small child.