about the TODDLER playpark in our local park?

[TheArmadillo]

We have a play area (surrounded by fence) in our local park for small children (ok not just toddlers). It is tiny and has baby swings, slide/climbing frame, seesaw and small roundabout.

There are FOUR other play areas in our park (it's a big park). Two of them you can see from this area.

Now I understand that if people have a small child and then older (10/11 yos) they might want them all together. Fine.

BUt this play area is often full of kids of 9yo and upwards whose parents haven't brought younger kids with them. They ride bikes through the tiny area knocking the little ones over (they have a whole park to ride in ffs!) and take over all the equipment not letting the little ones use it

All the other play areas are designed for older children including climbing/swinging ones made out of logs. A couple of them are in disrepair but not the ones closest to this little area.

SO why do they have to use the tiniest area that is designed for kids up to about 6yo or roundabout?

no you are not unreasonable. You need my DH around, he asks them nicely to leave/not smoke/stop swearing etc etc at our local tots play area....and they leave.

But sometimes people are just plain old ignorant honey

We say things such as "do you mind letting my toddler play on this baby swing/slide/climbing frame with you?" in a really mumsie voice, this usually results in a beetroot faced 11 year old.

Yes I AM EVIL!

YANBU. We have this too, the little kids bit in the mass of a big green park and where do the boys want to play football? In the swing/slide area! What's that about then? They always move when I ask them, but get fed up with being the aggy mum. Ooh for the park keepers to come back

yeah I wish we still had park keepers.

Frangipan you are not evil I do the same thing.

Glad to see I'm not alone

We went to local park yesterday afternon which is on a neighbouring council estate (we have family live on here who we were meeting), here is what we observed....

a 10yr old boy smoking in the small child play area
his friend of same age setting fire to the wood chippings with mate's lighter
a girl of around 8 dressed in black mini skirt, black heels and low cut crop top, with black leather handbag, ... talking (or should I say swearing) loudly on her mobile phone to her mum
a dad with a tot, dad was drinking a can of tennants super brew

Oh and when sister in law met me with her kids, told me nephew and his friend (both ten), were beaten up by 5 other boys during the week on their way back from youth club, his mate was dragged off by three lads while other two held a kitchen knife to nephew's throat!

Needless to say we didn't stay long and have vowed not to go back.

No yanbu - I too politely request they let my ds have a turn on the baby slide... don't think I would dare in aforementioned park tho!

'king hell

Ours isn't that bad! (apart from the occasional stabbing).

Actually felt sorry for the kids, only learning from example, even dp seemed disturbed, he commented 'they don't have a hope do they'! The awful thing is this park was built due the community raising funds when a little boy died, he was crushed by a huge gas pipe the kids were playing with. Had strung it up between two trees and he got stuck between tree and pipe. [

Was rather scary.

We do have a nice big park in the other direction thankfully, which is nice and new and less scary.

Was in bed last night crying for my nephew, poor little lad. He fell in the door and shouted for his mum to come help him find his friend, he was distraught he couldn't go after him.

That's really sad.

Bristol has some great parks and they have been spending quite a bit on them over the past few years.

We are actually quite lucky.

KayS - that's awful... how is your poor nephew today?

(and hello, btw )

Oh KaySamuels that's awful how are they boys now?

i also live near a park, teenagers invade every now and then and use bad lnaguage, i speak up if dh is with me but darnt if hes not, went at weekend and everyone left rather than tackle the bad languge, sad we are all scared of the reactions of teenagers these days

Boths boys are back out and about playing - but then going to bed at night and sobbing their hearts out. They are both such lovely lads and are trying to comprehend why these bys did this to them. The boys were aged between 10 and 14 btw.

Hi squonk! The nice park I am referring to is the one we did our MFM walk in.

I thought it may be, and I think I have probably identified the other park as well.....

It is a nice little play area the scary one, have just built a sports area next to it, helped by lottery funding I believe, DP's family are all off BH estate (and s'kids live on there too with their mum, we really worry about them, but thankfully seem to be on the right tracks)!

Am off to bed now - TheArmadillo, go with frangipan's tactic next time, and sorry I hijacked your thread there.

...Trots off to bed with still hyper 2yr old ds, hoping he won't want to sleep on top of my chest like he did last night!

We took our kids to the park today & 4 teenagers were sat along the climbing frame making fun of all the parents

One of the girls, dressed in a pair of shorts & a bikini top was trying to flirt with a couple of the dads there, it was bloody awful looking, she was flaunting her body in front of one man, who was a dead ringer in every aspect for Roy Cropper off Corrie, he was affronted & I was embarrassed for him.

They then started swearing & pointing at a man in shorts calling him trouser worm [instead of trouser snake]

I felt awful for not sticking up for him, but we wanted to get home asap, my friend was horrified.

don't worry about hi-jacking. I don't mind