Play park incident

[Cleari]

There was a little girl in the park, about 6 I’d say. I was with 6,5,4 year olds and she wanted to play with them.

First she hopped on the big tyre swing at the same time, I smiled and tried to acknowledge mum. Little girl was chatty but mum watched stone faced as I pushed them all. Moved away as slightly awkward but the girl followed so I tried to be pleasant, girls happy to include her.

My 3 then went to a mini roundabout thing, small disc about chest height to the kids. Lifted my three on and she stood there, so I offered to lift her. Tried to look at mum who stayed silently watching expressionless but staring with a friend. Little girl said she wanted to push. I suggested again she get on, she said again she wanted to push and started. Quite a confident child and very sure. All 4 giggling, I stood very close very to stop it if needed. She was strong enough to do it.

Mum suddenly goes mad. Storms over screaming at me and yanks daughter away shouting ‘what the fuck you playing at?’ I was bemused and just stood and said ‘she wanted to push, she seemed happy’ (as I said I was closely watching)’. This made mum really cross- what you fucking doing? She could be hurt! You fucking let a child push! My daughter is not there to fucking push your kids. She not some fucking servant to you

Her and her mate then stood about 15ft away having a loud shout about how I needed a slap, thought I was fucking better than them all etc on repeat

Aibu that this was bizarre?

Only details I can think of, I’m dressed scruffy and no one calls me posh. She was a bit younger maybe. All of us the same race.

It was quite nerve wracking as there were two, and I was alone with kids- two of whom were mine. It’s playing in my mind- was there a way to diffuse this? I didn’t answer beyond that as I was outnumbered and alone with kids, and didn’t want to fire it. I just moved the kids calmly to a different area where other parents were

Being a chav is nothing to do with income or social class/ status. Why would anyone even think it’s related to being poor?

She was a complete savage. They roam among us, never staying hidden for long. Are you ok, op?

I’ve never heard the term used for anyone but poor or lower class people or lower class behaviour. So being ‘ a bit chavvy’ is to say that someone is behaving like a lower class person.

The definition is that it describes a loud brash person of lower status / education.

I'm more concerned she let a stranger lift her child... she needs to sort her shit out

@TrainspottingWelsh "Chav" is definitely a classist slur. How can you not know this?

Okay this will sound awful but ......
They sound like the typical underclass With all that swearing and screaming in public. It's probably best your dc doesn't play with that girl again.

Sorry this happened op. It sounds quite frightening.

CHAV = Council house and violent (originally. ) I know lots of people who shop in ' Primarni' who are definitely not chavs or common or whatever.

OP it sounds like you were being very kind to this child and setting a good example for your children as to how to treat other people. Please don't change because you had a run-in with a lunatic. I feel bad she treated you like that, but I really can't help but feel terrible for her child. With that type of role model combined with chasing off people who are nice to her, she's looking at a tough life.

According to Wikipedia which is of course the font of all knowledge....

"Chav" is a pejorative epithet used in the United Kingdom to describe a particular stereotype of anti-social youth dressed in sportswear.

Sometimes but not always associated with lower classes

What? There are no polite ways to describe some people. Imagine that as your mum 🙁

My DS is 7 and still terrified of most things in the play park so won’t go on roundabouts or swings. He is happiest when he can push his sister and/ or other kids around so it is not a weird a thing for kids to do. They like showing off their strength!

Just put it behind you and hopefully you won’t have the misfortune to me her again.

I can't believe she ask what you were "letting" her child do!? You didn't 'let' her do anything - she did!
She should be been paying more attention & supervising her own child

Hope you are okay. She sounds awfulllll

Stupid twat springs to mind.
Ignore the twat head.

*should HAVE been

Tbf she wasn’t badly turned out. You wouldn’t have reacted to her if you just saw her, more street than Boden yes, but neat and looked pretty well dressed for a park. As someone currently wearing primarni skinny jeans and hoop earrings I couldn’t judge. You wouldn’t have thought particularly rough looking, smart jeans, tight black tee and make up heavy but neat. Hair was long and styled. Her mate was more a Jeremy Kyle stereotype but she only turned up at the end.

I’ve calmed down a lot. I’m not one to back down easily and can be confident, but she had that proper loopy shout that worried you. You could imagine her getting physical.

Maybe she had ken something.

If that's how she treats her kids (f'ing and blinding and threatening to smack you in the face), then she should probably have the involvement of social services because you can guarantee that her kids have shit lives! Talk about a chip on her shoulder....well she has an entire chip's shops worth.

I’d be a bit careful for a little while around the park and think safety first. Someone so quick to temper is a threat. Go with a friend if you can the next few times.

Poor kid.

She sounds completely feral, OP. I had a similar incident in a play park once. Sorry it happened to you today.

She was in the wrong. She obviously has a chip on her shoulder and is insecure. For what it’s worth, I think you are better than them.

I remember my DP’s awful cousin shouting at me (because I called her out on something horrendously racist she said) about how I think I’m better than her etc etc. I just calmly said “yes, I do think I’m better than you, and your behaviour now is confirming the fact that I am correct to feel this way. What’s your point?” I wouldn’t have argued with 2 yobby strangers though.

Agree, she should have been supervising her own child not sat talking with a friend. Some people seem to switch off once they get their children into the park and not watch what is happening. I don't lift children onto anything, I tell them to ask whoever brought them to avoid situations like this. The mother clearly knew that her daughter wanted to interact with others on this occasion and not play alone, I feel sorry for her dc and I'm sorry you've had to experience this. I have watched my dc be excluded from playing with other children in the park (they knew each other) and the other two dcs were running off and being generally unpleasant to my dc, yet the two parents didn't say a word and just let this bullying happen right in front of their noses.

What a very pleasant woman, swearing like that in front of her children. Trash!

@NoddyAndBessie
“Sounds like a brexit voter. I'd just ignore the stupid cow in future”.

In case you weren’t aware nearly 17 and a half million people voted for Brexit!! To state this shows just how stupid and ignorant you are. In fact you’re probably worse than the dreadful mother the OP came across!!

Thankfully most of the just over 16 million voters (myself included) who voted remain probably think your a twat as well!!🤬

Some people just aren’t very nice. All you can do is shrug it off and hold your head up.

I wouldn’t have engaged and walked off. You can’t reason with trash that swear in front of their own kids. Poor little girl.

If she had got off her lazy arse and interacted with her own child you wouldn't have been put in that position. You did well not to get into a row with her, she only showed herself up.