To think this is a bit rude?

[Seraphimofthewilderness]

When at the park or any other place where there is equipment to use, why do some people let their kids try to intimidate other kids to get a 'turn'? This happened the other day. My DS (two) got on a small roundabout thing. The moment we did, I had two ten year olds almost on top of it, staring and waiting their 'turn'. Plenty of other stuff to use. I've noticed the odd family doing it at other place too. Not many, most have the grace to go and use something else and not try to get others to get off stuff by making them uncomfortable.

Have decided to ignore this behaviour.

Do people have no sense of themselves?

And no, we aren't hogging stuff. As I said, we'd just got on the bloody roundabout when they started. DS almost kicked them they were standing so close.

Did you try talking to them OP? I’d have said something like “stand back chaps! We don’t want to bang your legs!”
After all, 10 year olds are people too.

Sounds like the sort of think 8 yo DS might do. When he wants to go on something, he wants to go on THAT thing and that thing only. And his anxiety about missing his chance to go on THAT thing is so great that it overwhelms reasoning like the park is empty. He’s been known to stand so close to swings he’s in danger of being knocked flying because he’s so desperate to be next. He has ASD, before anyone accuses me of not teaching him manners or sense. I’ll try and move him back so he’s not annoying or endangering anyone or himself, but sometimes I’m distracted by my other child so am not always watching him.

Still waiting for the answer as to why the OP didn't tell the children to stand back in case they got hit by flying legs

How dare they OP. Imagine children who didn’t come from your uterus wanting to play on something you were playing on too. The cheek of it. I feel your pain, genuinely. It must be awful have someone look at you as you spin slowly round and round all the while panicking you might accidentally kick them on your next rotation. The anxiety would have been a killer for me too OP. I mean imagine what they could have done, they might have interacted with your little cherub. They might even have wanted to gulp play with your child. The horror!

The kids round here always wait their turn. If they go and use something else, they'll lose their place in line (on busy days) cant say they're intimidating though

Exactly.

Responses on here are daft. If there were only two sets of children in the playground, self-evidently these two weren't politely queuing or waiting their turn. If you're in a playground and you want to play on something that other children are using, there is no-one else waiting and there is other equipment available, it makes much more sense either to play on the other equipment or go and sit somewhere nearby. Standing really close to the roundabout and staring at the small children using it is very obviously designed to intimidate them into getting off.

Surely a roundabout is for multiple kids to use at the same time; it's not a one person piece of equipment. I would have stopped the roundabout and let the other kids on as well but told them it would have to go fairly slow until your child got off as he was younger and using it first.

Other children waiting their turn is not rude behaviour. Your reaction is way over the top and sounds quite entitled. The park is a public place for all to enjoy and children can go on equipment in any order they wish.

There was nobody else there and lots of other equipment to use

They didnt want to use the other equiment they wanted a turn on the roundabout there absolutely was a turn to be had AFTER YOU. They were waitung till you had finished if they'd gone and played on another piece of equiment some one else might have got on the roundabout when you'd finished and they would have lost their turn.

You keep going on about there being other equiment thats not the point thats like saying oh why bother queuing at a til when self service is free.

Now if they were stajding too close you should have absolutely ssid sorry lads you're going to get hurt stand back a bit.

But they were simply waiting for you to finish

Some children do stand politely waiting for their turn. However when my kids were small, we definitely experienced some older children aged 10/11 standing really close to the swings or roundabout and staring like the OP describes. Some just seemed clueless but others were the kids in year 6 who thought they were 'hard'. So hard they wanted to play on a roundabout. 😂 Some sniggered/made comments when I would ask them to move back in case they got kicked so I do believe they were trying to intimidate. For these children I would give my children an extra long turn. What makes me laugh is that some of these 'kids' are now about 20 and I've seen some of them sitting in the park recently, they now smoke weed whilst sitting on the roundabout. Complete twats.

Perhaps speaking to the oh-so-intimidating 10 year old kids might have been an option. Either asking them to step back or inviting them to join you, since you and your toddler were the only people on the roundabout.

I can't understand how they were so close that they were almost touching his legs without touching yours. As a full grown adult on a child-sized roundabout I can't fit without my legs hanging off, and mine are far longer than a toddlers.

I think you're exaggerating just a touch. I know the world is scary but kids at a playground watching and waiting are not. Either find the guts to use your words or just don't venture out.

You are being ridiculous.

The children were politely waiting for a turn, as you say there was lots of free equipment so give your child a fair go on whatever it is they are playing with and then get them off and encourage them to play with something else for a bit or rejoin the line so your child can have another turn.

If a couple of 10 year olds make you feel intimidated then that is on you and not them and if you don't want to have people waiting in line to use equipment after you then you can choose to use the less interesting and fun stuff.

They were waiting for a turn. Generally round here the slightly older kids like the little ones being on coz then the parent ends up pushing them which is way more fun than pushing each other. Also, they are 10, so may well have been looking at a 2 year old going awwww, hes so sweet, lots of kids that age really love toddlers.

I don’t understand this thread at all. OP has clearly said the playground was empty so there wasn’t a queue. If you need to ‘wait politely for your turn’ how about you do it at a polite distance that respects the other child’s personal space and their ‘turn’. I see behaviour like this and am baffled parents don’t tell their children to back the hell up but now I see why. I don’t get it.

I wouldn’t go to an empty gym and stand 5cms from the one piece of equipment I wanted to use if someone was on it. It would be considered pretty weird. Let’s teach our children to not only wait their turn but be respectful of others and their space.

If there was only another child in the park playing on the roundabout and my ds wanted to have a go I would say to play on something else Till they were finished. I personally wouldn't stand there in an otherwise empty park waiting for them to finish, I'd find that awkward and distract my ds with the swing etc till they were done

I think it's fine to wait your turn.

Once, we were at the park and my DS had literally just climbed on the equipment when a mum turned up with her child and immediately announced, "Don't worry, he won't be long". She then stood there and made comments non-stop for several minutes before prodding her child in the back and telling them to go up and ask if they could have a go now. That was really rude.

If we are using something like the swings and other kids are waiting, then we generally go a bit quicker. I don't think it's a big deal to wait. Sometimes kids don't want to play on the other equipment, they just want to use the one thing.

YABU. They were just kids in a playground waiting for a turn.

If they were in the way, you could politely ask them to stand back. If you wanted to let them know you wouldn't be rushing for them you could have said 'we're just getting on and might be 5 minutes or so, in case you want to play on something else and then come back'.

But it sounds a bit silly to say two little boys waiting quietly for a turn is 'intimidating' for a grown woman.

Are you generally quite shy or self conscious? Do you think there a reason this bothered you so much?

But it sounds a bit silly to say two little boys waiting quietly for a turn is 'intimidating' for a grown woman

Yes, but I would teach my children that standing that close to a toddler might be intimidating for the small child.

No wonder so many children behave so inconsiderately if these comments reflect the level of input.

My own kids did the whole awkward hang around enough out of range to be polite shit. I am forrin, so you can bollocks with that shite. what the fuck is wrong with making it known you are waiting for that piece of equipment? You sound rude OP, not those kids. Fucking hell.

Of course they were rude. The park was empty and they should have had the sense, or been told by their parents, to use something else until you had finished.

I took my 3yo DD to a park yesterday, it was for small children mainly. Think tiny slide, climbing frame etc. Definitely too small for teenagers. A approx 13yr old turned up with her Dad and started climbing all over the baby equipment. She sat blocking the slide when that’s all my DD wanted to go on. I just left as didn’t have the patience but it’s so damn rude! Parents should know better too

Why didn't you say something to her freetone?

@Freetone

Disgusting and a bully.

@op

How else are you supposed to let people know you are queuing? a bit aibu in my opinion.

Wow op you must be exhausted by this constant angst! Just relax. It’s a playground.

I agree with you op. It’s very annoying. My kids just play on other things, the run over when it’s free. It’s intimidating when they stand staring. YANBU.

@cherry

God strong. What next ?no queuing at the supermarket because it's intimidating and rude.

Another point is how do you know how old they are? My 7 year old daughter had a friend round recently and I was shocked at how much she had grown. She was wearing size 4 shoes and age 11 clothing!! My daughter is a tiny thing and obviously I see children her age a lot but if I had seen her friend at a park I would have guessed she was 10 or 11 but she is only 8! So maybe they were younger and honestly little kids are rubbish at personal space. Don't over think it. Your going to meet lots of annoying kids trust me and this will be way down the list.