Grotto Argument

[applesauce1]

Firstly. The DAILY MAIL ARE WANKERS.

Took my son to see Father Christmas today at a lovely grotto. There were craft activities and an animatronic festive trail with Christmas music in the background. I went with my mum.

While walking through the animatronic trail, showing my son the (somewhat disturbing) dancing reindeer, a man gets on his phone and starts having a really loud conversation about his Sunday football lineup. My mum was cross as it was spoiling the atmosphere. After around 5 minutes, mum asked him to kindly hang up so she could enjoy the Christmas music. He started having an argument with her about how it was an important work call, and that she was spoiling the atmosphere by having a go at him. My mum then suggested that he spend less time on his phone and pay attention to his child. The wife/partner also got involved and a raised voice altercation ensued between the three of them.

Honestly, I hate conflict so I became very very engrossed in the dancing penguins, talking at length to my baby about how they really do go up and down.

Him being on the phone so loudly for so long was annoying, but I personally would have just tried to ignore him.

Oh and the experience cost £15, if that’s relevant.

Who was being unreasonable?

YABU to think the Daily Fail would be remotely interested in this story.

Actually I've seen way less interesting threads printed in papers, it would be easy to make a headline out of this. This is what annoys me about MN do we really need thousands of comments having a go at OP about one throw away comment.

YABU and your mother was very rude.

Sure, what he did was annoying, but he wasn’t doing anything wrong and your mother has no right to try and control someone else’s behaviour.

She was especially out of line with the ‘paying attention to his child’ comment. I wouldn’t think of her as a super mum but rather an embarrassment who doesn’t know how to behave in public.

your mother has no right to try and control someone else’s behaviour

Apply that logic to other socially inappropriate behaviour that does affect others though. If you have no manners, it’s right that someone else tells you because perhaps your own parents never did and you’ve been walking around your whole life wondering why everything thinks you’re a dick.

Also don’t get why he’s shouting all over santa isn’t rude but her mum asking him to quieten down is. Be considerate of others and no one needs to tell you anything at all.

Maybe he doesn’t want to lose face on this occasion, but he might think twice about taking a call next time round.
Good on yer mum, can’t stand loud gobshites like him.

but her mum asking him to quieten down is

Mymycherrypie Except she didn’t ask him to quiet down, which would have been fine and said once perfectly polite. What she did is she asked him to hang up, which is not acceptable.

You do realise that they could "lift" the story and just use quotes, right?

They could, but in practice it’s unusual for a site reporting on another site not to link to it. And even if they don’t, someone will almost certainly put a link in the comments.

yabu but only because you though someone who behaved like that would behave better when challenged. People like him are knobs, no amount of challenging them will help all that happened was your mums good intention made his behaviour worse.
i usually give people like him no attention and avoid them like the plague.

At which point, the whole thing goes massively viral “DM links to Mumsnet thread that calls them wankers!”

Bells ring, internet rejoices

Firstly. The DAILY MAIL ARE WANKERS.

Oh no! How ever will the cut and paste your story now, assuming they find it in any way remotely interesting which they really won’t

What samsmam2 said!

Honestly, I hate conflict so I became very very engrossed in the dancing penguins

Penguins are great, dancing ones doubly so. Having said that, it is annoying when you are the one to confront the cheeky fucker in a situation like this, and all the folks who were previously tutting and grumbling suddenly turn their heads away for you to tackle them alone.

Strength in numbers, people.

Flouncyfanny - so we should only do stuff for our kids that they will remember. What happened to living in the moment

Was this some kind of enclosed venue where people were specked to be quiet or was it just an open space with attractions for people to walk through? If the latter, I think your mother was being, to quote a pp, a 'self important cunty twat' for telling him to get off his phone and concentrate on his child, whether she asked him 'kindly' (is she Hyacinth Bucket?) or not.

So much faux outrage about the Daily Mail comment ...does it need saying seventy billion times ? Really? It is not the first time I've seen someone do this on a post.

Neither were in the right ...