to have lost my rag with a meddling pensioner?

[wrinklytum]

OK,I guess her age was irrelevant really.I was waiting for the lifts in our local hospital to go and see dp,he is quite a few floors up,and I have ds with me and dd in her stroller (she cannot walk,as has SN).

Anyhow we were waiting patiently and two elderly women pushed in front of me and were muttering very loudly about "all these damaned buggies,thats why we have to wait for the lifts,I don't know why they don't walk up the stairs with the kids".At this point the red mist came down,I tapped the woman smartly on the shoulder and said in my calmest but most deadly voice."Actually,I would love it if my daughter COULD walk up the stairs,but seeing as she has special needs she can't,and by the way,I have been waiting a lot longer than you have".At which point the lift arrived and she scuttled in looking suitably chastened.

So was I?I do not usually berate elderly ladies,honest

All I can say is well done-grumpy old women!!

No yanbu and well done.
They can sometimes be sooo rude.
Santaoto Has our old lady moved to your area?
There was an old woman who used to get on the bus BUT she used to hit schoolkids with the handle of her stick if they didn't get up for her and her language was choice!!!!!

If you tapped me 'sharply' on the shoulder. I would deem that an assault.

As I am sure you would also, had the said 'meddling pensioner' done the same to you or one of your children.

Assault?! ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

(Actually OP said 'smartly' not 'sharply')

Blimey, there is a lot of nasty stereotyping on this thread.

am a bit at her being called an old bitch...

ok, she said something rude and nasty, but she is of a different generation, what happened to making allowances?

not all pensioners are meddling or interfering..

It is still demmed an assault to touch someone in that manner, to lay hands on somone in an offensive manner, which is what the OP did in response to something she heard.

NNT - I don't agree.

I agree with all those who are saying this shouldn't be an age issue though. She was just a rude woman regardless of her age.

So franke, someone overhears your child saying something which they don't like and subsequently taps your child 'smartly' on the shoulder.

Would you find that acceptable?

actually, legally it is true. in civil law, an assault does not even need to be where someone lays a hand on you, merely feeling threatened is enough.

i think if an old lady tapped one of us on the shoulder and told us off for a comment, we;d be really ticked off.

i don; think it is an age thing, it is a people thing, some people are rude their whole lives..

Camillathechicken..... Lulumama is much easier to type!

You are are correct, age should not enter a dicussion regarding good manners.

i really dont think you could call it a assault

i ran half way down the street the other day screaming at a pensioner to get her attention but seeing as how she was half deaf i had to tap her on the shoulder to get her atttention.

my situation was though that i had over heard her crying to the cow in the bank about getting landed with over £100 charges and the cow could not have cared less, i just wanted to let her know that if she took it up with the organ grinder manager rather than the monkey she might be able to get somewhere.

thankfully she was gratefull and did not start screaming for the police.

I think that there are more awful stories about actual events, hercules.

you may call me chick!

Luluchick it is then

Depends on the context nnt. As camilla says, I'd prob feel 'ticked off', but I doubt I'd see being tapped on the shoulder 'smartly' or otherwise as assault. To me that would be a totally over-the-top reaction.

franke,in the scenrio described in by the OP, I would view that as aggressive.

But, as said on another thread, we are all entitled to our opinion.

i'm sure non of you would be on your high horse about her being stereotyped if it'd be a hoody wearing yobbo.

grannies can be bloody rude, as can 30 year old, 40year olds.. If the OP had said 'Another meddling pensioner' then that'd be stereotyping.. to say A meddeling pensioner is just a description.. she was a meddleing and she was a pensioner.

..

I bet she smelled of wee too..

And you let her get in first??!!!

Don't blame you. Always had the most comments about ds1 (disabled) from the elderly (most gawps from teenagers, but elderly approach and say the nasty stuff). I used to take it, but tend to answer back now as well.

And yes I know some lovely elderly people too.

elderly person/hoody wearing yobbo are not exactly similar groups, though are they?

Wrinklytum did state at the beginning of her OP that her age (the pensioner) was irrelevant.

So why did she mention it it then? And I do hope that many subsequent posters have discovered the secret of eteral youth or they've got a nasty shock coming when they are treated like this in 40 years time!