Little girl in beautiful dress scolded for jumping up and down.

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They were at the bus stop. She was about 5 It was a beautiful white dress with embroidery, and matching shoes She had a carton of juice, and was told off for a little skip of pleasure at the sight of their bus coming, in case the juice splashed on her dress or her shoes. Brother that looked the same age, maybe twins, or just very small age gap, in dark clothes and trainers, also drinking a carton of juice with a straw, leaping up and down like a show jumper, without attracting comment.

WIBU to say something?

Thanks @VerticalHorizon. I honestly think if everyone sent me a tenner it'd help calm me down

It would be sad if the whole of her life was like that but this might have been a special occasion.

It could be bad parenting, but have you never ever had a bad day as a parent? Just one day when you’re at your wits ends and just need everyone to get somewhere looking vaguely clean and tidy. Or made slightly the wrong call in which battles you do and don’t pick?

First Holy communion. Boy wear dark/smart, girls wear white...

Can you imagine walking into any shopping centre of any Saturday afternoon with countless mothers and fathers telling off their kids for all manner of reasons...

If this should be everybody's business, there'd be riots!

World's gone mad.

How do you know that wasn't the third change of the day and the parent was fed up? Or maybe they were going somewhere special?

I can't believe you actually considered saying anything - so weird.

I hate when parents dress their kids in things they don’t want them getting dirty but you were right not to say anything. White does stain easier than dark colours so it is more likely she’d have told to be careful than her brother. She could have also been going somewhere like a party and wanted to have a clean dress for it.

@Theworldisfullofgs

First Holy communion. Boy wear dark/smart, girls wear white...

Very likely if she was 5 or 6.

What a weird thing to be concerned about, the child was wearing a white dress, possibly on her way to a wedding or party? Maybe juice was more likely to show up on her outfit than the little boys? Are parents no longer allowed to tell their kids off in public?

Can't make Holy Communion until 8 years of age.

I'm still more stunned that the assumption is all about the drink spilling on a dress, when she's skipping close to where a bus is approaching.

Oh wait - it's ambiguous. Do we know that the mother WAS admonishing for the juice spillage, or is that an assumption on the OP's part?

You don’t know for certain that the boy was the accompanying adult’s child. Maybe he’s a nephew or a friend’s child that the adult was looking after for the day. It wouldn’t be their place to “scold” a child that’s not theirs, just as it’s not your place to butt in their business.

Maybe she was going to a wedding or confirmation.
None of your business really.

But, but, but... a carton of juice. Evil, sugary poison (on MN at least)

The horror was it a plastic straw too?

Not another fucking hero!

We end up undoing the damage blah blah. Leave people alone, mind your business, get over yourself and stop demonising parents.

@x2boys

Is this a reverse?

😂

must be, little girls do not like to be told off!

My son is a mess when he eats. One snapshot like that and people would be thinking I'm the meanest parent ever where most of the time we're a very relaxed family. Plus you don't know where they were going ie how important it was for just one day that everything was picture perfect. And if it's the dress you've an issue with my sister was always going mad that her girls gravitated towards pretty little white or light coloured dresses!!

Absolutely none of your business! You have no idea of the full circumstances

Cool story, bro.

I'd only have felt if the little boy was wearing a white suit or light coloured shirt/trousers and wasn't told to not dance around. But it may also be that the mother knows that the boy is for some reason less prone to spills than his sister.

I'd be more inclined to have a word with the mother (not really) for allowing any child dressed up like that to have a juice box in the first place. I would only have given mine water if I was that concerned about spills/stains. Ounce of prevention etc etc.

I was sitting opposite a bus stop recently when a mother was trying to manage her two children on a rather hot day. She'd bought them both a drink to cool down and keep them hydrated, as a good mother might.
The daughter was rather excited at the sight of the approaching bus, thus her mother told her to calm down as she was likely going to spill her drink all over herself! (not a good thing, particularly in hot weather).

But then, a random stranger stood and watching with utter incredulity and I suspect some disdain. She pulled out her phone, and posted a message on Mumsnet about it!

Should I have approached her and told her off for being a total whack job?

Should we ALL be concerned by this?

What were you going to say?

I think she was going to ask them to pose for a photograph so she could post it on Mumsnet.

I’m with you OP, if it smelled of sexism, it probably was. But you’d have to be brave to say anything.