Kid told to go and chase the birds

[GOODCAT]

I don't have kids, but was at the coast this morning when I overheard an adult, presume mum, tell a young girl to go and chase the birds, said in a way that meant she was to go and entertain herself by doing this.

My own parents would have told me off for this and to be kind to other living creatures.

It always annoys me when I see kids chasing birds and their parents saying nothing, but to actively encourage a kid to do so is a first.

AIBU to find it sad that this kid was being encouraged to chase birds for no other purpose than her own entertainment.

@Kokosrieksts

Chasing seagulls isn’t exactly a crime, they are used to people. I think YABU.

Cats are used to people, does that mean it's ok for children to chase them? Dogs? Horses?

I'm sure the birds will get over it. This wouldn't bother me.

You’ll get people saying ‘they’re only pigeons!’

WTF does that even mean? I usually say ‘well I’ll chase your lad while screeching at him then, he’s only a child’

I think we can tell the posters who have entitled little darlings on this thread can't we?

@CherryPlumCrow 100%

I never allowed my dc's to chase birds when they were little.
It would be much better to get them to look out for different colours, make up names and backstories for them, or something like that.

@romdowa

Let's just hope they aren't ducks or swans. They will chase you back , which discovered one night while very drunk 😅

YANBU op. I hate this too.

I really dislike seeing children being taught to dislike or disrespect certain animals. I judge every single parent who does it.

YANBU. I don’t let my kids chase birds or anything else. If I let my toddler chase a bird he’s probably think it was ok to chase a dog too

@girlmom21 I agree re daffodils, someone has made the effort to plant them, but daisies, dandelions and buttercups growing in the grass in a public place are weeds and will get chopped when the grass is mown. I used to spend hours making daisy chains when I was little.

At the coast I’m guessing it was seagulls which are insanely annoying and have stolen food out of our hands before and attacked my small children so I think it’s perfectly reasonable
to chase them off. Would it be better to just sit there and let them dive bomb you?

I was at a visitor attraction a few weeks ago with a big lawn for picnics. Two ducks were enjoying waddling over to everyone in the hopes of a snack. My daughter was delighted when they made their way to us. A bit later we saw about 4 adults laughing indulgently as the toddler they were with chased the ducks until they flew off. My 4 year old was quite vocal in announcing he shouldn’t be chasing them!

RainingZen
What is wrong with magpies? They are beautiful, smart and really intelligent birds. We have a pair at the end of our garden that has raised three young ones again this year, and they are wonderful to watch. We have lots of other garden birds too - robins, wrens, bluetits, blackbirds, etc. I read once that it is a myth that magpies attack these other birds in large numbers.

@Onehotmess

My dog chases birds, should I tell her to stop? I wouldn’t encourage it but I wouldn’t get involved in someone else’s child chasing birds. I think you probably just need to get over it

Yes of course you should stop your dog! The fact that you don't makes you worse than the idiot parents that allow their children to do this. Dogs can and do catch birds and will kill them. They also disturb ground nesting birds and destroy nests and eggs. Dogs should be kept on a lead during the nesting season of March to September if there is any chance of being near nesting birds. They certainly shouldn't be allowed to chase birds.

Your post shows extreme ignorance if you think this is an okay thing to allow.

[quote shinyblackdog]@girlmom21 I agree re daffodils, someone has made the effort to plant them, but daisies, dandelions and buttercups growing in the grass in a public place are weeds and will get chopped when the grass is mown. I used to spend hours making daisy chains when I was little.[/quote]
I see your point but when my little ones so young I discourage her from picking anything because it gets confusing otherwise for her - she's only just turned 2

It's completely different to chase a seagull because it's eyeing up your food ('sorry, birdie, but that IKEA hot dog is mine) and harassing them just because.

@Icannever

At the coast I’m guessing it was seagulls which are insanely annoying and have stolen food out of our hands before and attacked my small children so I think it’s perfectly reasonable to chase them off. Would it be better to just sit there and let them dive bomb you?

Exactly.

They are insanely annoying. So don’t let your child charge at them and send a flock of birds flying at my head!

A lot of people seem unaware that birds can die very easily from stress (ask anyone who has them as pets). If you let your children chase pigeons and magpies (which I consider to be wrong) they will no doubt think it is fine to chase other birds. I often see children chasing ducks and ducklings by the ponds close to me, usually watched indulgently by their parents. The ducklings and goslings are terrified, fall over a lot trying to get away and often have leg injuries. My dog is never allowed to chase birds, not just because she lives with a parrot.

Pigeons, magpies and seagulls are pests and fair game for toddlers

No it’s disgusting. It’s a living thing.
No respect at all fir these parents. What are you teaching your kids? It’s ok to scare an animal for entertainment? It’s ok if it’s a certain bird..

Would never tell a child to do so but we shoo away the seagulls who make a huge mess every bin day, they gather in quantities 4-5x the normal amount e dry Thursday around 6pm, it's so noticeable and by Friday morning the whole parking area is strewn with little, they can get into wheelie bins, take the mesh covers off recycling tubs and tip over the food caddies so they open. Bin men come around 7am hence putting out night before

Maybe wait until you have kids before judging other people's parenting

@Onehotmess

My dog chases birds, should I tell her to stop? I wouldn’t encourage it but I wouldn’t get involved in someone else’s child chasing birds. I think you probably just need to get over it

Don't 'tell her to stop'. You should have her under sufficient control - lead if needbe - to make her stop this behaviour which may be natural to her but which is simply unacceptable.

Birds roosting on beaches (especially in winter) can be badly impacted by having to take off unnecessarily. Each 'launch' takes energy which can't always be easily replaced.

And obviously at nesting time and when there are fledglings dogs (and children) must not disturb nests and young.

@Doghead why? Because giving birth to a little darling immediately makes people lose respect for wildlife and you’re powerless not to indulge every whim?

@Doghead

Maybe wait until you have kids before judging other people's parenting

Really? Ridiculous.

I have a 2 year old. I don't let him chase birds or kills insects because terrorising things that are smaller than you is cruel.

@girlmom21

I agree with you - it's the kind of thing I'd tell my child off for.

Same as picking flowers - it's insane how many adults encourage it. For me it's just something you don't do and it infuriates me when neighbours/the postman etc talk to her about picking daisies or daffodils to take home!

There's a huge difference between daisies (which grow wild and there are billions of them) and daffodils (which are planted especially and fairly rare). Picking daffodils is obviously not ok, there's absolutely no harm at all in picking daisies.