"Would you mind stopping that now, please" Was I rude?

[dizzydizzydizzy]

Lying down with eyes shut on gigantic upcycled bench made of pallets and astroturf.

2 kids ages about 8 jumping off backrest of bench onto seat about 20-30cm from my feet. Their mother was sitting in the bench about another metre from that (the bench is 5m long). They did it about 10 times each and each time they landed by my feet they made the bench vibrate. I then asked them if they could possibly stop doing it.

Their mother told me I was very rude and said I should move to an empty deckchair.
I told her I needed to lie down. She then told her kids to keep jumping.

Was I being rude? Or was she?

How about I'll stop swearing when you stop giving out your backwards opinions?

It was somewhere to rest and someone was using it. That's it. The end. Don't let your kids bounce around annoying someone that was already there

Thanks all.

The way I see it the place where I was is for everyone. It's ok to have a nap there and it is ok for kids to play. To PPs who have said I shouldn't be having a nap there, lots of people do it.

I spoke to the kids nicely. They had already jumped off the back of the bench about 10 times before I spoke to them. There was only one other person in the park. They could have chosen to play somewhere else in the park but insisted on jumping practically onto my feet.

@dizzydizzydizzy well if you asked nicely the other woman was being rude I think. My kids were capable of being inconsiderate (as most kids are when they're little) but they would have scarpered if an adult asked them to stop, and I'd have stepped in if they didn't I think. But on the odd occasion another adult decided to be rude to my kids I used to get a right face on me.

@Kite22

Yeah, you’ve said that, but OP hasn’t. She’s just said she needed a lie down because she has long Covid. She hasn’t explained why she couldn’t recline in a deckchair.

Personally I would have used a deckchair if possible so that a) I wouldn’t be disturbed by other people and b) I wouldn’t deprive other people of enjoying the (multi-use) facility.

Oh dear. The OP doesn't NEED to say that. She doesn't NEED to explain herself. Ffs.

Have people lost all social skills? Why on earth could you have not just said to the mum 'sorry, I know they're playing, but I'm feeling unwell and need a lie down for a while, would you mind if they didn't jump for ten minutes?' She'd have had to have been unusually nasty to refuse.
Instead you decide to directly tell someone else's children not to do something, with no explanation, and in a high handed way. You would have come across as really strange OP and got her back up, completely needlessly.

I think they were being unreasonable because even if you were sitting up, it still would have been annoying. It doesn't matter what you were using a public bench for, (although some people on here seem to think there are rules for what you do outdoorst!) they weren't respecting your personal space.

the circumstances are irrelevant.

no one should let kids think it is OK to jump like that so close to someone.

unless maybe that someone has sat under play equipment in a playground.

I've got Long Covid. When it's a bad day I literally NEED to lie down before I fall down. It's not just feeling tired. It's like your batteries are empty.

I've never met a disabled person who needed to lie down in a public place, if you are that sick, stay within your limits, it's safer for you.

Nope. I'll haul my disabled arse wherever the hell I need or want to go. I take up space and don't apologise for it.

Genuine LOL at cunts thinking they can dictate to disabled people when and where they should go.

I'm sorry you were feeling rough.

I think you probably were unreasonable as it was shared space.
But TERRIBLE parenting from the mother was worse

Why not, ‘FFS’?

She says this bench is 5 metres long, so an adult lying down on it must have taken up nearly half of it. To me it’s very odd behaviour to to occupy nearly half of a shared public facility, then to tell someone else to stop using it in one of the manners intended for its use, when there’s available seating nearby where you’re unlikely to be disturbed.

As you say there may be a reason for acting so oddly but OP hasn’t given one.

I think it is a good point about more explanation but I was not high handed.

My social skills are not the greatest - I am autustic. But I did ask nicely and let thwm play for ages befoee I said anything.

Long covid is enough. Who are you to judge OP's condition? They have their own lived in experience to know when they need to lie down.

Honestly.. I give up. It's pointless even trying. Carry on as you are. Jesus Christ.

Well, exactly. That way there would have been some recognition on OP’s part of the fact it was a shared space, an explanation for OP’s slightly odd behaviour, and almost certainly no offence caused.

A five metre bench??

& the relevance of of deckchairs is ... what, @RealBecca ?

OP wasn't resting in a deckchair, & had no need to move to one. She was already on the bench. This rude mother allowed her DC to invade OP's space & disturb her. It's not up to OP to offer deference to a rude twat by moving. It's up to the rude twat to educate her children about respecting other people's space.

OP was not rude. She was simply forced to do rude woman's job for her, because rude woman can't be arsed/is too rude to respect personal space herself.

Sorry my comment? Or the one in bold? That was me quoting someone.

Are you ok? Do you need a lie down on a public bench?

That's kind of what I was thinking.

The place was practically empty but they had to jump almost onto my feet. I was expecting the mum to tell them to play further away from me. I'll try giving more explanation to the mum if it happens again.

Hilarious isn't it disability. Glad you find it funny.

You're obviously not ok. Whether you realise it or not.

Have a grand evening 😘

It's not wrong to lie on a bench in public, but I can't imagine it's safe or hygienic.

Shocking isn't it.

The one in bold. I agreed with yours.