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.

There is a pretty large gap between chasing the bird to see it fly (what they understand birds to do) and chasing the bird with the intention to hurt or stress it. A lot of projection going on here.

Yeah, no one’s blaming the kid here. The parents are the one who can close that gap and help the kids see that what they’re doing is stressful for the birds.

Anyone who grew up by the coast and has been terrorised by seagulls knows they are 90% spite and 10% feathers.

Now if your kid was throwing stones at an animal or bird, or grabbing it with the intention of hurting it, I’d say that is cruel and probably a sign of bigger problems to come. But a toddler running at a flock of seagulls (or pigeons) to make them jump in the air for 3 seconds then reform their surly mob? Nah not an issue at all imo

Speaking of ‘projection’ - surly? Spite? Don’t think it’s just the ‘it’s not that nice to chase birds’ posters who are doing a bit of anthropomorphism on this thread….

Oh you got me! 😆 luckily for you, me and my boundary testing kid, who is kind and empathetic beyond his development milestones, will enjoy his childhood somewhere where we won’t bother you, or lose any sleep if he chases the occasion pretty bird to see it fly.

And yeah pp use all the big words you like to let us know you’ve never been personally victimised by a seagull. Real ones know 😆

@Ileflottante

I hate seeing kids being vile to animals. I afraid I’ve told other people’s children off for doing it. I couldn’t give a monkeys what their parents make of it, in my eyes they’re failing as parents by letting them do it, or worse, encouraging it.

I wouldn't normally condone telling off other people's kids but good for you.

Don’t think it’s just the ‘it’s not that nice to chase birds’ posters who are doing a bit of anthropomorphism on this thread….

Nope you’re all at it. And all equally bonkers.

@littlejalapeno the parents are the dick. The child is an apprentice dick, or a dick in training.

@littlejalapeno this is the exact problem, children shouldn’t ‘get’ to chase birds so they can see them fly, animals don’t exist for human entertainment and that’s what we should be teaching children. Secondly It does not physically injure the animal (many have said the child wouldn’t catch the bird) but that’s not the point either. It causes them stress and uses up a lot of energy. This is why wildlife is in such a state, because humans put their own interests and pleasure above all other species. Yes it’s only one small action but it’s the attitude that animals/ nature exists for our pleasure that is the problem. Just leave the poor animals alone.

Oh and ‘can we just let kids be kids’ - yes, there are tonnes of fun kid things to do that don’t involve animals.

@Bitofachinwag

My girls have a treadlefeeder but some does inevitably spill out when they eat. I don't think there's really anything else I can do to keep the wild birds away, short of completely enclosing the chickens, which I don't want to do. They like to be able to roam around my property.

Besides, there was no birdflu outbreak in my country. I'm not particularly concerned about that. However it does really piss me off that my chickens sometimes catch mites from the wild birds. They certainly know how to ruin a good weekend.

[quote Bitofachinwag]assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/986693/biosecurity-poultry-guide.pdf[/quote]
Thanks but I'm not going to read through a 25 page document. If there is something important in there that you would like me to be aware of then feel free to summarise, but I don't live in the UK so I doubt it will be relevant anyway.

Not understanding the magpie hate, they're beautiful birds. Do the people who hate them hate all predators?

Problems with pigeons, gulls and rats are largely caused by us, so don't blame the animals for doing what they do, they don't make choices the way we do. And I live near the coast, I know seagulls can be vicious, particularly if they feel you may be a threat to their young, and who can blame them for that?

OP do you also think cars / buses / bikes / trains / crowds of people etc should be prevented from making birds fly away?! Where do you live that the birds have right of way everywhere?
My 18 month old follows pigeons around in the park and is thrilled by it, the pigeons are unharmed, she is very slow and has no intention of hurting them. Sometimes she gets close enough for them to fly away, is that seriously animal terrorism in your eyes?

It’s not about vehicles using roads it’s about people thinking that frightening animals is a form of entertainment for their children
One toddler walking slowly towards birds is also very different to older children deliberately running at a load of birds of the ground thinking it’s fun. Although it can backfire if they take off in the wrong direction as I saw a child of about 5 get floored by a load of pigeons once.

@DifferentHair I mean we all have blind spots, room to grow and mature etc. Would be awfully stagnant to have the mindset of someone who thinks they are right all the time.

The OP lost me at “I don’t have kids…” it’s amazing how many people think they would be excellent parents despite never having had kids. Anyone who has them can understand what happened next. Let’s hope if the kid did show any overt signs of cruelty the parents would’ve stepped in.

And I’m sure all the people concerned about these birds also didn’t watch any fireworks lately, or live in a house, eat food from a farm, take a plane or a car anywhere, been to a park, use something made of wood or plastic or use a phone/ipad full of mined metals. All these things are also cruel to animals in varying degrees so @Peaplant20 which kids activities are we allowing today? It’s not as easy as all that in the end unfortunately.

If you live at the seaside, you know it's chase or be chased.

The seagulls won't hesitate to knock a bag of chips out your hand. Or sneak up behind you and steal a sugary donut from your bag.

You grow up learning to chase them so that by adulthood you actually stand a chance of scaring them off.

@Hatethisplacetho exactly, my kid is the same, no birds seem bothered. I was sad when out of nowhere a l swiped down a pinched his icecream from him though. People on here would be arguing it was the poor bird’s icecream and if we didn’t want it pinched we shouldn’t have bought it for him! Your animal terrorism analogy is a good one. This thread is so weird

@littlejalapeno how short-sighted to think that only people who have birthed a child can have any opinion on child behaviour.

I’m currently pregnant with my first, but I’ve been a nanny for 12 years. The children in my care have NEVER been allowed to show an ounce of unkindness towards insects/birds or indeed any living creature they come across. They’ve been taught and educated to respect other living beings and to show kindness where they can, if they tried to chased pigeons when you get I’ve taken their hand and explained to them why we don’t do that- I would even let them walk freely towards a flock of birds going about their business without holding on to them if I thought they’d give in to the impulse of chasing them.

But because I haven’t actually HAD a child of my own, yet - I suppose that’s all meaningless?

*wouldn’t even let them walk freely if they couldn’t be trusted not to harass birds- luckily they’ve always been aware of their boundaries and know not to do it, even when they see their friends being allowed to do just that.

What about teachers, other care-givers- I suppose unless they have actually birthed their own children they can have no say or impact on child behaviour?

@NeedNewKnees

Chasing seagulls is part of being at the seaside isn’t it?

The seagulls here chase us. One sniff of a chip and you're their bitch now.

Well same buddy. But it’s different when you’re the responsible parent. Bit short-sighted to think a nanny’s experience is exactly the same as a parent’s. Talk to me in a year and you’ll get it. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

How fucking patronising but I suppose that’s to be expected given the glaring entitlement and superiority coming across from you @littlejalapeno

@CupOfTPlease 😆😆😆

@SmidgenofaPigeon wowsers. Look a personal relationship with a child is vastly different from any other kind of caring role. It’s not glib or patronising to say that. And check yourself while you insinuate I’m a terrible parent and human being for having a different perspective to you.

@littlejalapeno I find it laughable that you think that 12 years of professional experience will count for nothing once I birth my own child, and I will then just indulge their every whim and forget to teach them to be kind to animals.

[quote JeansShirtJeansJacket]@Bitofachinwag

My girls have a treadlefeeder but some does inevitably spill out when they eat. I don't think there's really anything else I can do to keep the wild birds away, short of completely enclosing the chickens, which I don't want to do. They like to be able to roam around my property.

Besides, there was no birdflu outbreak in my country. I'm not particularly concerned about that. However it does really piss me off that my chickens sometimes catch mites from the wild birds. They certainly know how to ruin a good weekend.[/quote]
Fair enough! To summarise: keep your feeder in the chicken house/run/where it is hard for wild birds to get to it .

Dude you’re the one insinuating I and my kid are cruel to animals because I don’t have your professional nanny experience and don’t agree with the OP.

The relationship you have with the child you give birth to will be different from any other relationship.

And you will then have a different experience of and perspective on child care and raising children to child free people’s. Hopefully your nanny experience will be more power to you and you won’t find yourself knackered and overwhelmed saying “just go play over there for a bit darling” so you can lie face down on the floor in peace for two minutes. Anyway a sense of humour will get you far. Good luck on your pregnancy, I’m stepping away now.

Seagulls are devils though I won’t compromise on that.

@littlejalapeno you and lots of others are completely missing the point despite other people who keep reiterating it. When you refer to fireworks, planes etc, it’s not the same at all. The point OP makes is about children deliberately doing it for fun, it’s the attitude that animals exist for our entertainment that is the problem here. Even a child that runs up to a pigeon to scare it for fun is very different to chasing a seagull away that is trying to eat your picnic! In the latter scenario the person isn’t doing it for their own amusement.