It's a softplay one...

[thefluffysideofgrey]

At softplay last week with two friends and their kids - all about three including my DS. All playing nicely in the toddler area, we're all keeping an eye on them. Another family arrive with two boys about 2-4. They enter the toddler area and start playing. All good.

A few minutes later the two boys push my DS to the floor and start punching him. My DS just looks shocked and scared, he curls up into a ball. I run over. One of the boys hitting him runs away, the other keeps punching my DS who is still curled in a ball. I (gently) pull the boy hitting my son away and hold him (struggling to hit my son) until his mother comes over. She does so and gives me a mouthful of abuse.

I say nothing to her, pick up my son and take him away for cuddles.

Did I do the right thing? I could'nt believe what I was seeing. Those two little boys were acting like something out of gansta movie, beating (punching and kicking) my son on the floor. One was laughing.

That is not normal behaviour, surely?

Did I do I do the right thing? Never seen behaviour like that before so no idea what you're supposed to do.

I’ve never really had the ‘tiger mum’ veil descend except for soft play.

Going to look inside the play equipment to see why your toddler hasn’t emerged and finding her cowering and confused with two older boys poking pushing her, trying to scare her. Her little face still trying to ‘be friends’ with them, like she does with everyone young and old.

I was quick to redefine what scary looked like to them- in that close up quiet way where you don’t want your kid freaked out any further. Then I marched out the front and called loudly ‘who belongs to the boys in here wearing x & x? They are hurting other children and need closer supervision right now!’

Don’t regret it all.

I probably would have just picked up my dc and taken away rather than touching the other child, mainly to avoid aggravating the situation further but yanbu if, as you said, you were gentle etc.

Very worrying behaviour though!

Completely did the right thing, how dare she!

I wouldn't have touched the other child, I would have got down to his level and said can you stop as I wouldn't like someone touching my child but then again my children wouldn't hit another child like they did. Did you report her to the soft play centre

I used to do the low growl “don’t touch him again” at them with very firm eye contact, but I suddenly thought, what if the kid cries and says “that lady made me cry” and no one knows exactly what I did say.

If I boom it, not shout, just louder, everyone in the room knows I was totally reasonable and didn’t call him a little bastard

I would have picked up my child immediately. Extracted him from the situation.

yes don’t hit the kid ... beat the evil mother to a pulp

I often tell off other people’s kids at soft play. It why I hate those places — children are left to run riot. Lary behaviour and general obnoxiousness I can put up with but if I see any child do anything dangerous or hit/kick another child, I intervene. As I would hope any responsible adult would. If the parent objects I point out that, yes of course I absolutely should not have had to intervene - because they ought to have supervised their own kids properly.

Of course you restrained a child who lamped your son and continued to hit him. I dare say you’d do exactly the same if it happened again, and rightly so.

I would have called the police and reported the family!

Fucking he'll fire what a MASSIVE over reaction this would be?

"Hello police? Yes a 4 year old hit my 3 year old. Come quick" 🙄

Granted OP it's awful, and my own 3yo DS would be heartbroken too at getting hurt, I'm afraid it's one of those experiences where sometimes people are scum, children are influenced by this and our families fleetingly get caught up in it, so just chalk it up as something that happens now and again

Think you acted very dignified. She probably would have got a 'off off and leave me and my child alone" response from me. I'm educated but common..on the inside ! But you probably have avoided escalating it & fisticuffs. You probably avoided this. Also , you don't need to wonder where "he gets it from " when the mum behaves like that !

OP I’d have done the same and then given the naughty kids’ parents a mouthful back & reported them to the soft play manager. The fucking nerve of some parents....

You did right in the circumstances. I would have gone to management and highlighted incident. You never know, those children could have a history of that kind of behaviour in the place. Management have responsibility to ensure everyone is safe.