WIBU? - Child waking the street

[Iltavilli]

We live on a cul de sac with a ginnel (alley for non-northerners) at the bottom, so it is often used as a cut through for people walking children to the local schools about half a mile away. Leaving the house this morning around 8am (huge lie in as I normally leave at 6am), a girl of around 7 or 8 was being walked to school by her mum.

The girl was banging what looked like two plastic sticks together, quite loudly, and was shouting “get up, get up, it’s time for school and work” all the way along the street. She was about 100 metres ahead of her mum, but mum was laughing along and not trying to stop her. I said to the girl that some people, like nurses, work at night and need to sleep in the morning so they can take care of people the next night. The girl burst into tears, and as mum got to where we were (outside my house) shouted at me for making her daughter cry.

Given the weather is so warm, and people have windows open to sleep, was I wrong to ask the girl to stop - but also to explain why she should stop?

Yanbu. I really don’t get the mentality of some people that as soon as the sun is out, you can make as much noise as you want from 7am until 11pm without anyone being allowed to get annoyed. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, excessive unnecessary noise is a shitty thing to do or allow your child to do on purpose.

easier to make a child cry!

OP didn’t make the child cry. Judging by the mother’s response, I don’t think that child is told NO very often.

So, you took the time to tell the 6yo girl off and you could only mumble to the mum and ran off for the train? Well, aren't you Billy big balls.

It amazes me that anyone thinks the OP is being unreasonable. Kind of explains some of the behaviour I see from some kids,

I feel like i'm sounding like an old granny now even though my DC are still teenagers, but do people not teach their kids basic manners and respect anymore?

When we arrived back from things such as swimming lessons or cubs/scouts, I taught my DC to leave the car quietly and walk straight into the house so as not to disturb people who had younger children who might be trying to go to sleep. Also, not to walk across people's lawns, boot balls against their fences, drop litter and all the usual things that allow society to function a bit more pleasantly for everyone. Surely that's just common courtesy.

i don’t think that child is told NO very often then say something to the adult!

The adult does not care. In those occasions it is better explaining to the child why what they are doing is not okay.

I hate the bloody shift worker crap argument! When I was on mat leave and my baby and I were day napping I didn’t go mad if someone mowed their lawn

A. Good for you if you can survive on not much sleep - not everyone can.
B. If you were on mat leave, you presumably had opportunities to 'nap' at intervals throughout the day and night - not the same as someone who only has a fixed period in which they have to get their sleep in.
C. It's not just shift workers - how about people who don't work Monday - Friday, and having got up at 5am on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, were trying to enjoy a lie-in on Tuesday which is their only day off?

YANBU.

7 is old enough to understand. Poor parenting.

When I was on mat leave and my baby and I were day napping I didn’t go mad if someone mowed their lawn

Now happy would you have been with loud shouting and banging at 3am?

ScreamingValenta so using that logic everyone should walk round likes it 3am every day? Does that also give night workers the right to mow their lawn at 2am?

If I walked up and you were saying something to my little girl and I couldn’t hear (you said you weren’t shouting and mum was behind) and my daughter was crying I would be pretty pissed off too and a little bit concerned if I’m honest. I think that would negate any point you quite rightly would have had tbh, mum probably panicked you could have been anyone saying anything. I thought children were taught not to speak to strangers?

OnlyFoolsnMothers
I hate the bloody shift worker crap argument!

I hate the entitled fuckwit argument.

Shiftworkers don't expect special treatment, but being treated with consideration would be nice.

When I worked shifts, a couple of kids used my wall to kick their ball against.

The annoying thing was that they had a 10 minute walk to get to my house and their dopey as fuck parent had told them that it was OK. because she didn't want the noise outside their house.

I can pretty much guarantee that the parent in the OP's post wouldn't put up with it outside their home.

Yes, we should all get around like pantomime robbers on the off chance that someone important somewhere nearby is sleeping.

Good for u! Why was the mother not saying anything. Some people have no consideration for others, her mother should be teaching this to her!

If my child is being too loud I always tell them to keep it down. Having said that, noise at 8am is just part of living near other people in a society where MOST people are awake and making noise at 8am. If you want to avoid that, I suggest moving to the middle of nowhere.

Well done.

I have misophonia and realised my mistake in moving to a lovely Edwardian terrace on a quiet cobbled street very early.

It acts like an echo chamber and when the children are out playing it's miserable torture,and destroys my enjoyment of my outside space.

I've tried broaching it with the parents but to no avail.

The more people recognise the terrible effects of noise, the better.

“Can't you tell the difference between "singing in the morning" and shouting, which is what the child was actually doing,along with banging sticks”

Sure. Singing comes in all different volumes. It’s no big deal. She’s outside, on her way to school. I can’t believe the misers on here who not only expect her to be quiet, but think it’s ok for a stranger to tell her off!

A thread where some posters pretend not to know the difference between mowing the lawn and other ordinary noise, and someone shouting wake up and banging two sticks together.

I think the point here is, yes it's 8am and most people are up and about, if the child had been running through the street happily chatting or laughing and playing with a friend, then that is just normal noise. This child was making loud noise with the absolute intent to wake people up with no consideration of anyone else. They also didn't happen to make up that rhyme and action by themselves so must have learned it somewhere.

Jeez, strangers used to tell us off as kids and I've done the same. No-one died. If a child is kicking a ball against my car or otherwise being a pest, i'd not head round to their parent to report it, i'd just tell them not to do whatever it is. I'd expect (and be perfectly happy for) folk to do the same to my DC.

We preferred that as kids as we'd be in more trouble from our parents than from the random stranger.

Unless op is lying she obviously didn't do anything wrong. She had a civilised conversation with a child and explained why some people might still need to sleep. No one has to be silent at 8 am but if you're going to be making excessive noise then you should be prepared to be approached by people.

Passthecherrycoke

I can’t believe the misers on here who not only expect her to be quiet, but think it’s ok for a stranger to tell her off!

I can't believe that you don't understand the difference between normal everyday noise and deliberately trying to wake up everyone on the way to school!