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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To send child home from play date....

123 replies

ss2011 · 06/01/2019 09:39

My son had a friend around to play yesterday and I ended up ringing the Mum and asking her to pick up her son because he had written rude words in felt tip on the wall in my daughters room and the same all over her pillow...... I was pretty cross when I saw it but managed not to shout, though did speak very sternly to my son and to his friend about how unnacceptable and upsetting this was and then told his friend that he would have to go straight home. I tried to make it clear I was just as cross with my son (who did say he tried to stop his friend but he clearly did not try that hard...), but I also did tell the other Mum that it was definitely her son’s writing (which it was). Have been feeling guilty since that I overreacted....I still think it’s very bad behaviour (the writing won’t come off...), especially as I had told them not to go into my daughters room but to play in my son’s room, but I was having a cup of tea downstairs and not watching them when it happened, and I forgot at the time that my son’s friend is young for his year (9 months younger than my DS) so is still only 5. Plus the other Mum was on her own with her two boys yesterday and I am sure would have appreciated the break , which I ended up cutting really short....I really like her and she has done my childcare favours in the past too , so am feeling bad about this.....
What would you have done? and also, how would you try and make sure your son was a bit more forceful in stopping something like this in the future ...it really upsets me that he let his friend do this to his sister and it worries me that if his friend was being unkind to someone at school (for example) that he might just join in and not try and stop that either. I know I am loading a lot on him for a six year old, but really want to think he would take some responsibility......

OP posts:
JustABetterPlayer · 06/01/2019 10:28

It was fine, if I’d been at someone’s house and they had done that they would have been marched straight home so what’s the difference Grin

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 06/01/2019 10:29

And the award for the most smuggest condersending comment of the day goes too

My top tip to all parents; all art and crafts are kept downstairs including pens and pencils and only buy crayons washable felt tips until the end of primary school
Sorry, Off topic i know but seriously no one needs your top tips. Nor did any one ask for them.

Op i think you handled it well.

But maybe talking to the mother might ease your guilf over child care i suspect shes probably mortified but glad yoy sent him home.

As for those saying i'm supriced a 5 year old can spell bad words to a 5 year old words like pig fatty and bum are bad words

And thats not exactly the point even if it had been i love you and you are the best big sister in the world tjey should not have been a in his sisters room and b drawing over her belongings in felt tip

Triglesoffy · 06/01/2019 10:31

I think you were very restrained, actually.

BeatNickBeamer · 06/01/2019 10:35

Kids can get very over excited on playdates at that age and egg each other on a bit. I doubt he's a bad boy in general and I'm sure his mum is mortified. I don't think you over reacted. If either of mine had done that I certainly wouldn't have begrudged you calling me to collect ASAP - I'd be horrified!

The only other factor is that the mum does childcare favours for you - so this could be seen as a return favour, instead of just a playdate in which case you perhaps should have just dealt with the bad behaviour yourself. I would just send a friendly text to the mum making it clear you're happy to have the boy a different time but had to put your foot down to your son as well as hers that the behaviour wasn't OK.

BeatNickBeamer · 06/01/2019 10:36

@NaughtToThreeSadOnions
seriously no one needs your top tips. Nor did any one ask for them.

I didn't post the "top tip" but there was no need for such a rude response - if you don't find it helpful just ignore or politely disagree - no need to be so hostile.

Littlechocola · 06/01/2019 10:38

At 5 the only rude words my children knew where things like bum and fart which they thought were hilarious.

You handled it well op. Don’t be too hard on your son.

Wallywobbles · 06/01/2019 10:39

You've done everyone a favour in the long run. They've all learnt that being a little shit has consequences.

ss2011 · 06/01/2019 10:40

Thanks for your replies everyone. I have got really good advice about not putting too high expectations on my son to control his friends behaviour...I don’t want to be too harsh to him on that. They are in Year one (my son is the eldest in his year and is six) and so they have been writing long enough for me to know whose writing it was....he also wrote my DD name as well (“I.e x is a poo)... and it was misspelt...so I definitely knew it wasn’t my son, who can spell her name. The words were only 5 year old rude words (fart, trump, poo bottom ...and now I am giggling a bit as I write this...though I was not at the time!). It’s the other mum I am feeling a bit bad about...I don’t think I was unkind or unfair to her son ...but I could not quite read how she was feeling and think she is either just feeling mortified or maybe a bit cross with me. I will have a chat with her in the playground ...,
The crowds a bit divided about whether I should have been supervising or not...I would in future now...but, to be fair, my son has had quite a lot of other play dates where they have been completely fine playing in his room...and this happened about 10mins after they had been downstairs for a snack so was not like they had been left for hours.....

OP posts:
LovesLaboursLost · 06/01/2019 10:42

My DS was brought home from a play date when they broke something (not deliberate, but they were both over excited and climbed on something they shouldn’t have, my DS was about twice the size of his friend so he broke it). I thought that was the right thing to do, apologised to the Dad and offered to pay. They haven’t done anything similar again.

A friend of my DS crayoned on our sofa. I didn’t send her home because she was having a really hard time as her father was really ill. Also I wasn’t at all sure that my DS had tried to stop her, I thought it was much more likely that he’d laughed. I suspect your DS will have done that too.

blueshoes · 06/01/2019 10:44

You did everything right except the calling the mum to pick him up cutting the playdate short was an overreaction because of the age of the boys, particularly if the words were the usual toilet words that boys that age find hilariously funny rather than words that would invite SS intervention (I don't know what it is those words are).

It would make the 4-5 year old feel that he had been banished and the mother think you wanted to force home a point with her son that he has been bad who, though should have known better, is still learning to be a human being. If I was the other mother, from being completely apologetic about my son's behaviour, I would instinctively take my son's side against you at the back of my mind for future interactions because you wanted to so obviously punish him.

You are absolutely within your rights to get cross for the damage and breach of instructions.

Queenofthedrivensnow · 06/01/2019 10:49

I would have done the same. Doesn't mean I won't have that child over to play again.
Dd2 (Just 6) has two friends which other mums consider a handful and some don't invite them at all. I have been very strict with them on occasion that I am not taking any shit. They come here a lot and are fine. They know the score now Wink

ThisHasReallyPIssedMeOff · 06/01/2019 10:52

The crowds a bit divided about whether I should have been supervising or not...

I'm a teacher. I teach children that age. I would expect them to know that that was unacceptable behaviour and I wouldn't expect to have to supervise them constantly. And I didn't.

ChocolateWombat · 06/01/2019 10:55

I think Op handled it well. She took action, but did it in a controlled, measured and not angry way and had a conversation with bother the children and the other mother to explain what had happened.

To those who think he shouldn't have been taken home, I wonder what a child would need to do for you to consider this an appropriate course of action, or if you think that because a child is 5, there cannot be anything at all that they could do which would warrant being sent home due to their age? Do you think they cannot take any responsibility for their actions and that the parent in charge needs to bear all responsibility for absolutely everything and anything they do?

I think a 5 year old is quite different to a toddler. I wouldn't expect a 5 year old to draw on the wall nor expect to have to tell them not to do it. I would expect a 5 year old to need a reasonable amount of supervision on a play date and to expect they might need directing to activities and have a fairly short attention span, but I would also expect to be able to leave a pair of 5 year olds in a living room or bedroom for a short while without them doing damage.

Accidents happen. We all understand that. The question comes down to whether something is an accident which happens due to a mistake and lack of judgement which comes from being 5 (annoying, but part of having 5 year olds round) or if it's an action which a child will have clearly known was wrong (not acceptable iof it causes damage and was wilful).

The handling of these events is important. OP didn't shout at the child or parent. She was measured and calm. She didn't punish the child but simply took them home. It all sounds exactly right. No doubt the other mother did feel a bit embarrassed by it, but that's not to say she thought it was wrong. I think that when we are parents and send our children into the bigger world of other people's homes or school, we have to accept that we will receive 'feedback' from the other adults who take responsibility for our child, which will be both positive and not always so pleasing, but also that we have to let those other adults make decisions about what is acceptable and how they will react to it. And we need to usually graciously receive that feedback.

Other parents might have chosen to ignore the writing on the wall and not tell the other parents or to brush it off as acceptable due to age. That would be their choice, as OP's actions as her choice. Personally, I'd think a hosting parent who turned a blind eye and didn't mention this to the other parent would be wimping out and not doing the child any favours - how is anyone ever going to learn if they aren't picked up on poor behaviour?

colditz · 06/01/2019 10:55

You're wrong to put the responsibility on to a 6 year old. How would you feel appearing in court because your friend had been caught speeding? Grossly mistreated, yes? Do not treat your son unfairly.

YANBU to send the 5 year old home for drawing on the walls but it is not unheard of behaviour for children that age, and really they should have been more closely supervised - by you, not a 6 year old.

ThisHasReallyPIssedMeOff · 06/01/2019 10:56

You did everything right except the calling the mum to pick him up cutting the playdate short was an overreaction because of the age of the boys, particularly if the words were the usual toilet words that boys that age find hilariously funny rather than words that would invite SS intervention (I don't know what it is those words are).

It's not the words that are the issue. They could have been practising writing high frequency words but you don't write on walls and pillows. That's why I would send home. They need to understand that that is what they did wrong. Not the words themselves.

hibbledibble · 06/01/2019 10:58

Absolutely nbu.

If I was the other parent I would be mortified, and be paying to redecorate. I would also absolutely expect to be called to come collect early, as there needs to be strong consequences.

Queenofthedrivensnow · 06/01/2019 10:58

From reception age onward I expect my kids to be able to play upstairs unsupervised without them being in danger! We just have rules about where they are allowed to go

RedCabbageStains · 06/01/2019 10:58

I wouldn’t supervise children that age all the time. I’d set boundaries (only play in your own room, no getting out the craft stuff without checking with me) and say I was downstairs if they needed me. I’d certainly make sure I was listening, do jobs that took me around the house so I could see what they were up to every so often and pop my head in if I heard anything worrying (including prolonged silence!).

But I don’t think anyone would sit in a bedroom with two 5/6 year olds and watch them play! Maybe if I had a downstairs playroom with a sofa, but I don’t.

OhDearGodLookAtThisMess · 06/01/2019 11:01

You absolutely did the right thing - well done, you.

Too many people (as evidenced on here) would gloss over bad behaviour, and that's how some kids continue on their merry way creating havoc wherever they go. I'm a teacher, and see the results of this on a daily basis.

I just hope that this lad's parents follow up with some sort of sanction. Then, perhaps, he won't find himself without any playdates in future.

ThisHasReallyPIssedMeOff · 06/01/2019 11:01

If writing on walls and pillows were understandable/acceptable/expected behaviour from 5 and 6 year olds, then primary classrooms would be horrendous - I've never been into a Year 1 classroom where the cushions or walls were routinely written on. If children do it, they are sanctioned - e.g. sent to HT/miss breaktime. No one ever says to the teacher, "well they're 5/6 what do you expect? You should have been supervising them more closely."

ThisHasReallyPIssedMeOff · 06/01/2019 11:02

Although, I've never had a child write on the walls in felt tip pen...

ss2011 · 06/01/2019 11:03

Blushoes- I don’t want my son’s friend to feel banished...before he left I did tell him I was sorry the play date had to end and I hoped he would come again one day and I said the same to his mum and I will follow up with an invite soon (which am hoping she will say yes to...I guess if she doesn’t then that will tell me what she thinks of the situation....). Maybe I was a bit more upset because my daughters room is new and newly decorated ....but I think I might have still reacted the same at the time....
Thanks everyone though...I really appreciate your comments. These things can be a bit of a minefield sometimes :)

OP posts:
NutElla5x · 06/01/2019 11:07

I don't think you overreacted at all. And,if the kid's mother is a decent person, I'm sure she doesn't either. The little boy went out of his way to commit three 'crimes'-trespassing,vandalism and using naughty words,and it could be said your son was an accomplice so I think over all the boys' punishments fit the crime and hopefully your son will have learned to be a bit more forceful already as he won't want his friend sent home early again will he?

Cheerbear23 · 06/01/2019 11:07

I think what you did was fine. You weren’t angry but you stopped the play date and sent him home. That’s a direct consequence for the bad behaviour. I don’t consider that to be ‘banishing’ or ‘punishing’ the child.
At that age I would expect child not to draw on walls / furniture.

CherryPavlova · 06/01/2019 11:08

I think you were exactly right. I’ve sent a child home (a good few years ago) for jumping on the sofa like a trampoline. At five, they should understand about other people’s property and limits of behaviour. I would expect a three and a half year old to know where they were allowed to use pens or crayons ie on paper.
Your son is culpable for not saying something to you when he couldn’t stop it. I suspect he was giggling along supportively and only tried to stop it when you discovered the deed.
A five year old should not need to be in line of sight at all times and should be capable of playing unsupervised in a contained environment such as a house and garden.

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