To ask what's wrong with running with a stick?

[Haveyouallgonequitemad]

Overheard in the park...
Sebastian come here, come here right now
Small boy age prob 4 runs over to woman
Right no1 why on earth are you running with a stick no 2 why are you waving at the pigeon that is awful behaviour...
I mean ffs what is wrong with a boy playing with a stick and running around with it what's awful about that totally normal and what kids have been doing for years surely..
OK tell him not to wave it at pigeons but the pigeon is only going to fly away did she think he was gonna turn it into a frog with his stick wand or something.
Aibu? No kids play with sticks woman was ridiculous or yes it's highly dangerous to play with sticks in the park woman was right

Ho, yes!

It's all fun and games until somebody looses an eye...

Rats are great. They're intelligent and clean, and they giggle when you tickle them. A real life rat with wings would be awesome.

Tickling rats for science

Rats are not great clean or intelligent they are vile and bite you if you tickle them pigeons are not much better but still I don't encourage kids to poke or wave twigs at them anyway

Where do you stand on tickling pigeons?

Pigeon tickling 🤣🤣 HOW!

JesusInTheCabbageVan

Where do you stand on tickling pigeons?

Just to one side of them, I suppose.

I'm sitting on the fence regarding stick-accompanied exercise, but honestly, this thread has made me chuckle, and I'm not normally a laugh out loud person.

Read it in different voices like a play in my head. Brilliant, thank you all.

Because it is easy to fall and impale yourself. I'd also also have told my son not to wave sticks at things at that age as he was prone to throwing them at people and animals with little warning.

I remember him playing with another small child in a sand pit once when he was about 3 and he waved a plastic spade around a bit. I asked him not to wave the spade but the other child's mother told.me it was fine and my DS and her DD seemed to be getting on well She had several children and obviously thought I was an over protective mother to a only child and was fussing too much . I had just started to explain that DS has a tendency to throw or hit with any object he had on his hand, when DS whacked the other child.in the head with the spade he had been waving. Luckily the other child was not seriously hurt. I was of course but also at the other patent for distracting me and making me doubt my knowledge of.my own child.

It later became clear that DS had ADHD and ASD but when he was 3 , all .I knew was that he was unpredictable with objects in his hand so if there was anyone else around, I policed what did with sticks and stones and heavy toys quite tightly.

@Haveyouallgonequitemad

Brown stick small bit like a twig he may not have been called Sebastian but something similar I did hear it. Throwing balls rising bikes skating and running is also dangerous don't get why waving a stick around whilst playing on his own with no other kids around is any worse than that noone eyes were poked out pigeon was fine I overheard and think it is not awful behaviour at all totally normal she also emphasised awful a second time which was ott. I don't know anyone with one eye that had it poked out by a twig so I think it is not only unreasonable but also rather sad.

You may understand if you're ever a parent. It's the job of parents as children never see the point of precautions until badly hurt. Learning by getting maimed works, but isn't ideal.

YABU I’m a pretty relaxed parent and let my kids play with sticks but I wouldn’t allow them to run around or chase pigeons with one

@LaMarschallin

JesusInTheCabbageVan

Where do you stand on tickling pigeons?

Just to one side of them, I suppose.

I suppose if you're going for the dull classic under-the-wing tickle. Personally I like to keep 'em guessing though.

Are you okay OP? It’s really not normal to be this concerned over something imaginary you overheard in the park.

Tickling pigeons hmmm that's a tricky one think from behind is always a good idea when wings are involved

Being allowed to run with scissors is one of the few perks of being an adult. Try it.

I really don't think this thread is a true reflection of what parents actually allow. I let my child run with a stick after he was 2 years old and I've seen many kids in parks do the same with parents watching.

It's the stick carrying pigeons that scare me the most. You never know if they want to tickle you or impale you. Step awaay from the pigeons.

Have you never heard of germ-sticks? Or even stick-germs?

The woman's behaviour was absolutely unwarranted

@butterpuffed

It's the stick carrying pigeons that scare me the most. You never know if they want to tickle you or impale you. Step awaay from the pigeons.

Pigeons have been engaged in a cold war with MNers ever since one of us spray painted one of them. They can and do use those sticks.

@Haveyouallgonequitemad yes, I think if you absolutely have to do it, do it from behind and then withdraw as quickly and cleanly as possible.

When I was 5 one of my friends ran and tripped whilst holding a small twig stick. She lost one of her eyes.
So YABU.

@Fromthegekko

Shadenfraude. And not just that. The NHS is stretched enough right now without having to schlep our progeny down to A&E because they’ve impaled themselves on an ancient oak they were carelessly running around with . If ever there was a time to follow the instruction to Stay home. Don’t run with trees. Protect the NHS, that time is now.

Not to mention you can get a nasty infestation of squirrels from an ancient oak. The traditional remedies for squirrels (large tom cats, over-excited terriers, chucking a bread bun at them etc) are no longer effective because they have been over-used and the squirrels have built up an immunity.

Nothing worse than an attack of squirrels.

Except maybe getting acorns stuck up your nose. (The squirrels have to hide them somewhere.)

I feel like an awful parent! My children always played with sticks in our local woods (probably didn’t let them run, I’m not sure though), they climbed trees, boulders and all sorts! Not sure about chasing birds though.

Not to mention you can get a nasty infestation of squirrels from an ancient oak. The traditional remedies for squirrels (large tom cats, over-excited terriers, chucking a bread bun at them etc) are no longer effective because they have been over-used and the squirrels have built up an immunity.

Schadenfraude. I live in a rough area up north and the squirrels are as hard as hell. Chuck a bread bun at one and it would come straight back at you with a stone in it. They’d laugh in the face of any over-excited terrier or large Tom cat that tried to intimidate them. The least of your problems round here is overly cautious parents, stick wielding toddlers and startled pigeons.