To think this is actually really entitled parenting?

[GlummyMcGlummerson]

Seen this post from several people this morning outraged at the walking couple

www.facebook.com/672995864/posts/10158029908925865/?d=n

Now I am in no way condoning the disgusting language of the man in question. But the dad showed such an entitled attitude. He didn't tell his DD to slow down even when she was on the heels of the couple. She could have hurt them if they'd been elderley or disabled, and you can't tell from behind. He didn't practice social distancing - even if the couple had moved they'd have been way less than 2m apart from them, unless they threw themselves into a bush. And when his DD fell off the bike, rather than comfort her he spent the time arguing with and blaming the couple while she cried on the floor.

I've taken my kids to paths like this during lockdown and have said if someone is walking ahead we have to walk behind them with the bikes until we can pass them safely or the paths get wider. This is while teaching them to cycle, and just because they have momentum it doesn't mean they shouldn't stop - surely that's part of learning to cycle, knowing when to judge the safety of themselves and others?

I suppose i also hate this trend of social media vigilantism whereby people want to share faces of those who've slighted them, usually with a huge amount of bias and very little context. And the general public seem to lap it up! I am hard of hearing and I hate cyclists coming up behind me when I walk as unless they bellow "excuse me" I simply will not hear them. I wouldn't be pleased if a child bashed into me and then I got yelled at by the parent for not having good hearing and eyes in the back of my head.

its just popped up on my fb. with the lest make this man famous and every one saying how bad the evil walker was.
crazy. im awaiting my flaming for asking why the dad didn't stop her.

If someone clearly hasn’t heard you on such a path you get off your bike and give them a dirty look!

I'm partially deaf, why would you give me a 'dirty look' for not hearing you @fascinated?

They clearly aren't disabled or hard of hearing!

Excuse me? And you know this how? Because actually no it isn't clear what disabilities any of the people in this video have. Many disabilities are invisible!

100% the dad is twat. The bloke lost some of his credibility when he kicked the bike though unfortunately.

Are you really saying that if someone is moving slowly on a path, they can just continue to do so and not move over to let people past who are moving faster than they are, whether faster walking, cycling or running?

If there is no where to move to then yes.

Are you really saying that people can just barge through two people because they've said excuse me? (And not obviously been heard saying it either).

I can't believe a parent would encourage their child to keep going in this situation. I'd be telling them to wait a moment, get off and walk until we could pass safely.

The man didn't cover himself in glory kicking the bike no, but the dad is an absolute bell end and shouldn't be allowed to take his kid out on their bike if he can't do so safely.

The couple could've so easily stood to the side when they first turned around and saw her coming. Yes the dad should've asked the girl to slow down but the argument could've been so easily avoided if they'd not ignored the kid.

I just feel sorry for the little girl, she wasn’t even comforted

That is one narrow path. I don't see where the walking couple could have safely gone at that point to let the little girl past, poor kid.
The man in front reacted poorly, given that there's a small hurt child on the scene, but it's altogether possible to tune out other people even if you can hear them, if you're lost in thought or engrossed in another conversation. The dad is a bellend not to take this into account. He should be looking out for his daughter and teaching her how to wait, not looking to score points.

Unbelievably entitled parenting! Instead of saying excuse me several times in a normal voice, he should have shouted his daughter's name and asked her to stop. The path at that spot was far to narrow for her to have got past, (I think it widened a bit later) so he basically just let her ride straight into them. And at 6, (the age I got my first bike) I would have expected the DC to know better than to do that.

Still small children do make mistakes and most normal parents would have apologised profusely at that stage, instead of saying, 'I said excuse me several times' as if that somehow justifies it. If he had apologised, I'd imagine the couple would probably been OK. He really lacks self awareness in saying 'they obviously have an issue with cyclists and were making a point in not moving.' No mate, you obviously have an issue with people not thinking your child is the centre of the universe, bowing to your sense of entitlement and not moving into the bushes for her.

There was not enough space to cycle past a couple with a dog safely - that's why the other pedestrian was practically in the hedge. The Dad should have waited to reach a safe place to pass - there was one a few metres further ahead.

If people have a problem with this then they shouldn't walk in areas which are very narrow

Perhaps they weren't expecting a young inexperienced cyclist to barge into their legs, I don't know ...

Why did the father not just stop his daughter for a few minutes to create a bit of distance?

No one came off covered in glory but yes, if I had been the parent I absolutely would have told my child to stop and wait if it became apparent someone in front wasn’t going to move over for whatever reason.

At that level of cycling children need really careful supervision especially on a shared pedestrian path and the parents should have been a lot closer to her.

Especially at the moment - there was no way she could pass with 2m distance so they needed to wait - to me it looked like the wife of the couple was pointing out that the path got wider just ahead so that’s what they were waiting for.

I would be too embarrassed & feeling at fault to put that on Facebook if I had been the parents.

I just saw this on fb, a few of my fb friends have shared it saying it's disgusting etc and I watched it and thought, where the hell are they supposed to go and why the hell is he filming it whilst half heartedly sayibg excuse me?.
The mans behaviour, kicking the bike, was OTT but he probably got a fright I imagine (not that, that makes it right).
As someone else said, classic fb vigilantes looking for something to be, "fuming" or "disgusted" about.
The Father was an arse, he should have stopped her till they reached the wider part of the path just where they ended up stopping, could have avoided the child's crocodile tears and screaming, which incidentally, he didnt seem to care about whilst he continued to argue with the walking man.

Are you the mother, Luda? You sound as entitled as the dreadful parents.

@LudaMusser, good point. My local FB page has a lot of people complaining about the increase in cyclists and runners using the canal towpath and not adhering to social distancing, as if it's any different to another person walking past!

I'll make a mental note that on my next run if I'm behind some people walking I can just mutter 'excuse me' and then barge between them whether they heard me or not.

Poor precious princess with the nasty horrible people who won’t move out the way. Not sure where they were meant to move to as 1 person and a careering child on a bike wouldn’t have fit through that gap but anyway. Highway Code gives them right of way anyway. Don’t start me off on paths, cyclists and their bloody bell ringing!!! Yep that is typical entitled parenting =mine and my child’s needs are above everyone else’s. That child is going to have a shock as teachers, other children, employers, partners etc most likely won’t have that attitude

The couple could've so easily stood to the side

And that would have given the girl and her parents 2m to safely pass would it? Doesn't look that way from the video.

How about they just be patient and wait for a better spot to pass?

6 of one and half a dozen of the other.
The father should definitely have told the child to stop and if she is so inexperienced as to not be able to make that judgement call and stop safely herself then he needed to have been close enough to intervene.
The other guy over reacted and shouldn't have kicked the bike however.
I often cycle to work on a route that is largely shared path. On my way in in the morning it is usually fairly quiet but at the time I am returning it is packed with dog walkers, joggers and families out walking. Even though I have quite a loud bell and I shout "excuse me" people frequently don't hear until I am quite close. Sometimes it is because they are talking to each other, sometimes they have headphones on and sometimes it is just because of the way the wind is blowing. It can be irritating, but it doesn't give me the right to ride into them!In my experience people are often distracted but rarely deliberately ignore a polite request to let someone pass. If someone doesn't move my assumption is always that they haven't heard me and I need to react accordingly. I am overtaking and it is my responsibilty to be in control of my bike and to adjust my speed and direction - including getting off if necessary- to avoid a collision.
I wonder how this father would have felt if a faster cyclist had come up behind them and ploughed into his daughter because she didn't move out of the way quick enough? I think he would have (quite correctly) been pretty angry if that happened, but he basically allowed his child to do exactly the same thing.
Children make mistakes, but the father should have intervened to prevent this one.

No idea why the dad didn't stop the little girl from crashing into them. They were being pretty ignorant and could have moved to walk in single file but I think the dad was ultimately in the wrong here and it made me very uncomfortable when the little girl was crying and her dad was just arguing. Also if this is recent then huge social distancing issues.

@CecilyP nailed it!

The couple could've so easily stood to the side when they first turned around and saw her coming. Yes the dad should've asked the girl to slow down but the argument could've been so easily avoided if they'd not ignored the kid.

What side? The path was really narrow there. The side was in the bushes.

Would love , just once, in these sort of Facebook posts, if someone actually challenged the person rather than all the sycophantic replies!

Absolutely idiotic entitled parenting. It really gets my goat the amount of parents who think the world revolves around their children. He should have made the child wait until it was safe to travel down there allowing for social distancing.

Putting it on facebook is just crass and gives you a real idea of exactly what type of parents they are imo.

Also for the sake of argument there is absolutely no way you can visibly tell someone isn't hard of hearing. I'm young and I have a condition which can flare up and cause my ear canals to swell which really affects my ability to hear properly when it's bad.

You'd have absolutely no way of knowing that just looking at me.