AIBU to want to live as far away as possible from other people’s badly brought up children?

[francescadrake]

Today I took my child (nearly 3) to a small, free soft play area on our local shopping centre. There were a few toddlers running round. Fine. My DD wanted to go on the slide, so she got on and waited her turn. All the while, there are two little boys going up and down the slide, climbing up the inside as soon as they finished their turns, shouting in the face of the other children. My DD went down the slide, couldn’t get out at the bottom because they were blocking her and climbing up, and promptly burst into tears. She’s a shy child.

WIBU to tell the boys very firmly to go back down the slide, not climb up, then go and speak to both their mums, who were sat there on phones ignoring their sons’ behaviour?

They did apologise, but why don’t their children know how to use a slide? Why aren’t they stopping them frightening other children and climbing all over everyone rather than using basic turn-taking manners?

Last point: it’s nearly always boys.

AIBU to want to move to the Outer Hebrides so my DD doesn’t have to put up with this?

“It’s nearly always boys”.

Hilarious. It’s nearly always poor parenting, OP.
I’m expecting a son in August, all being well. Not on my bloody watch, Will he be behaving like that.

It's dangerous to obstruct a slide. One day the person hurtling down the slide is going to be a lot bigger than your DD.

My DD wasn’t obstructing it, she was trying to use it.

Yes YABU. I have boys. Mine don't shout at other kids, but they do clamber up slides. I don't stop them, unless there are kids trying to get down. You won't do your DC any favours wrapping them in cotton wool.

Yanbu some people don't seem to watch their kids anymore! I think I'm seen as one of the strict parents at school because I'll actually make 5yo dd stop where she is and make eye contact while I tell her off. There's lots of wishy washy on no don't do that please parents. There's one boy who is so rude and his mum just mainly ignores it. Funnily enough my daughter is usually perfectly behaved!

but they do clamber up slides. I don't stop them

So you let your boys ignore whether or not it’s their turn? And I am BU?

God.

‘It’s nearly always boys’

Great you carry on being a smog, i will be too busy chasing after my boys to pay any attention.

And you won't do your kid any favours letting them be little shits either. I don't let dd climb slides (except our garden one) because at best she's in other peoples way and at worst someone is gonna slide down and hurt her.

I've always let mine climb up a slide as long as there there is no-one wanting to come down it. 🤷

No OP but those other kids were, they were lucky it was just your small DD and not someone bigger crashing into them. Their DP should teach them better.

They're preschoolers they don't know all the social rules yet and I'm sure they do know how to use a slide but climbing them is often just as much fun as sliding down them.

Their mums not constantly supervising? Meh. They weren't hitting anyone or acting dangerously so I can't get worked up about it. I take my DC to softplay so that I don't have to play with them for a few hours and yes, I do glance at my phone in between watching them - ours has a rule that no adults other than staff are allowed in the play area which is brilliant.

And finally, "it's nearly always boys". No. It isn't. Your experience is that you have a shy little girl so of course any children outside of that frame of reference, boy or girl, are going to seem loud and boisterous in comparison.

Soft play is hell.

And finally, "it's nearly always boys". No. It isn't.

It is. In this particular place I’ve been to, it’s nearly always boys behaving as you describe, and their parents sitting on their phones letting them. Not the kids’ faults they haven’t been taught how to behave, but it’s someone’s fault.

Soft play is hell.

Lord of the Flies for the under 10s.

SnuggyBuggy

Sorry, I get what you mean. They were only little, yes. They could have been hurt easily.

Maybe your fragile little girlie girl needs to toughen up

Surely if you can dish nonsensical generalisations.....

Have you got a problem with little boys? Because you're little dig makes it sound like you do.
As a mother of a son, I hate how he is always put in this little box.
They're children FGS. One day your child will be naughty, and will piss off other parents.

Maybe your fragile little girlie girl needs to toughen up

She does, a bit. Nothing to do with this, though.

And it’s not a generalisation. It’s nearly always boys doing this in this place.

It's really nothing to do with them being boys. YABU, and extremely sexist.

Have you got a problem with little boys? Because you're little dig makes it sound like you do.

No. I’ve got a problem with the way people seem to raise boys differently to girls. Because it really is nearly always boys.

Wait until she starts school, the slide and climbing trail in the yard is generally a free for all and playground staff only intervene if there is crying.

And "it's someone's fault"
Flip it
It's your fault your daughter is shy.
Hmm

Ah feck it I expect this one is playing like a fiddle

It's really nothing to do with them being boys. YABU, and extremely sexist.

What a weird coincidence, then. You’d think I would see more girls doing it.

If you haven’t taught your children how to behave properly on play equipment then you need to supervise them, not be on your phone. It’s shouldn’t have to be down to other parents, like OP, to have to step in so that their well behaved kids can use the equipment properly. My child has just turned 3 and understands that slides are for sliding down, not climbing up. Kids are not notoriously great at paying that much attention to whether there is another child on the climbing frame approaching who will reach the top of the slide and want to come down whilst they are still messing around trying to climb up it.