WIBU in making this child cry?!

[ILoveFlumps]

We have a new build house, which has shingles on the front garden next to the driveway.
I went out of my front door to put some rubbish in the bin and find a man with his toddler son playing on the shingles. I was a bit confused and politely said “excuse me, would you mind not doing that on my front garden?”. The man then replied “he’s just a child who is playing”. I replied “but it’s my property”
He then picked up his child who then started crying and as he was walking away he said to me “are you happy now, you made him cry?”
I’m a bit taken aback! Was I wrong to tell them to stop playing in my front garden?!

The dad shouldn't have spoken to you like that, it is your garden.
I am though struggling to see what the harm was, if a toddler was picking up some stones at the end of your drive?
I honestly can't imagine asking a neighbor to stop their toddler from fiddling with some chippings they were playing with. Unless they were both sat down half way up your garden which would be odd.

@MrsABC123

I don't think you were being unreasonable as it's your property but I don't see what harm the child was doing. If I were the parent I would've been a bit surprised by how precious you were about your gravel.

Same

However I do think the dad's reaction was too much. I would have also let my kids look at the little stones and play with them a tiny bit if there is no fence. But if I saw I was disturbing the owner I would have just said sorry and walked away.

DDs absolutely love the neighbour's fence turtles. I have to always stop for them to pet them and sing happy birthday and what not....

It depends what you mean by playing in the shingles.
Kicking them about is very different from bending down and looking at them and placing them back carefully-and obviously there's a range in the middle.
If it was the latter, then I'd have probably struck up a conversation about the stones, the former, yes ask them to leave.

@Bluntness100

What do you mean playing on the shingles, was the kid just sort of picking them up and looking at them or Was he full blown having a pretend tea party?

He was sat down in the middle of the shingles with his dad playing. For context, you have walk down my driveway off the main road about 15 metres or so to get to it

@Bluntness100 how are you?

@Isit2021yetplease

Was it really necessary? There isn't a whole lot for parents to do to entertain their kids right now - a few minutes looking at shingles on your front drive might have given him a few minutes peace! Yes technically they shouldn't have been doing it but a bit of compassion or ability to see the bigger picture might have been nice. What a grump you are.

Ha ha

Cos the whole world become one big free playground when you have a kid!

For context, you have walk down my driveway off the main road about 15 metres or so to get to it

What?! that's weird, I thought they were by the pavement

@NotFabulousDarling Thing is, not everyone wants to live like that. Some think that everyone sat out in the front gardens with hordes of children screaming their heads off on the verge is a little tasteless. Life is indeed what you make it but do remember that people are all different and not everyone worships at the Altar of the Random Child.

I think I would've highlighted that local cats like to shit on the shingles, but he's more than welcome to let his kid play there and left them to it.

For what it's worth, I don't think you were being unreasonable.

15m onto your property?!?

Hell no!!! You are not a public park!!

You're not unreasonable.

Good parents teach their children to respect other peoples property and gardens.

My mother also wouldnt let me walk on peoples front walls, go into front gardens, pick other peoples flowers, etc...

However, the mothers wearing leopard print and big hoop earrings near where I live dont share the same ethos.

YANBU.

It might have been nice if you'd let him play there, but it might have been nice if he'd asked. So his presumption you wouldn't mind is where it went wrong. He could have explained himself when you appeared and that might have helped make the exchange more friendly.

Even weirder given the update.
My friend had shingles next to her drive and no fence, the kids in the street would run on and off them all day and ended up kicking them all over the road and making a mess. Pain in the arse.

YANBU!

If only the parents of our neighbours hadn’t allowed them to be such entitled twats when they were little maybe they wouldn’t feel they can use our path as an extension of their drive for the monstrous fucking jag they brought!!

I would have done the same 😁

"Making him cry " might save that child from growing up to be a rude entitled arsehole like his father.

so they had to deliberately walk onto your property first to access the shingle?

what an irresponsible parent.....his kid, his issue....if the kid is bored then find proper entertainment

He was sat down in the middle of the shingles with his dad playing.
For context, you have walk down my driveway off the main road about 15 metres or so to get to it confused
Yeah... that’s pretty odd.
I assume the toddler had ambled up there in that directionless way that toddlers have and the dad had had to follow him to retrieve him. But to sit down together is a bit odd, and even more so is the fact he didn’t just say “sorry, he ran up here” and leave when confronted by you.

You were technically correct, which is the worst kind of correct.

Standing on shingle to hear the crunch of different textures under your feet is fun, it was a small child, the Dad probably thought most sensible people wouldn't mind a child briefly walking on the very edge of a boundary to feel the difference underfoot.

Like I say, it's your property so you were technically correct. But you were a total dick about it and it wouldn't have killed you to just say good morning, smile and then go about your day would it.

We have some lovely shrubs on the edge of our front garden that toddlers love to stroke and feel the texture of. I can't imagine ever telling them to bugger off my property and causing them to cry, what a nasty piece of work you have to be to do that.

@Summersun2020

Even weirder given the update. My friend had shingles next to her drive and no fence, the kids in the street would run on and off them all day and ended up kicking them all over the road and making a mess. Pain in the arse.

Yes, they're a pain in the arse. Need to find a suitable alternative!

To be fair @ILoveFlumps probably nowhere near as much of a pain if random kids weren’t using them as a playground

[quote HOkieCOkie]@Isit2021yetplease lockdown boredom isn’t an excuse for entitle behaviour. Her property is her hers and not his and his spoilt little brat.[/quote]
His toddler a 'spoilt little brat' because he cried when he wasn't allowed to do something? Do you know anything about children!? 😂😂

a child briefly walking on the very edge of a boundary to feel the difference underfoot. Why are you making up your own scenario and then blaming the OP for not conforming to your idea of nice?

She has already described the real scenario... not as you imagine it!

@DayBath read the OPs posts. Not the edge of a boundary, 15m up a driveway into her garden! Fucking weird behaviour.