Moving a child away from the bottom of the slide

[amamma]

I was on the playground with my DD. There was a little boy who I moved out of the way a couple of times, because he was standing at the bottom of the slide and others were coming down. I did ask him to move, but he didn't, so I gently moved him.

I also did the same to my DD a few times.

Is that OK ? I'm paranoid it's super out of line. The mum was nearby but she was sitting down chatting, so she didn't see that he could have been hurt by another child coming down. She saw me do it and didn't seem do mind. I absolutely wouldn't mind if another adult did that to my children.

Opinions ?

I wouldn't physically move a child I didn't know, no.

I wouldn’t have moved him. In this situation I tell dd to play on something else

Presumably you did it to stop other children landing on him and hurting him. I think what you did was fine.

I wouldn't have touched someone else's child. Some would be ok with this but I've seen others who are definitely not!

I'd probably have said something to the mum if he didn't move after you asked him to; something friendly and 'breezy' and asked her to move him.

Literally no one noticed or cared. Of course you were right to move him. We don't all have to make a massive drama of every small human interaction.

I wouldn’t mind at all. I tend to treat kids as I would mine in these situations e.g. - ‘careful sweetheart, you don’t want to get hit by someone coming down the slide,’ and then gently
move them along. I can’t imagine why anyone would be angry at you for that.

I would warn him that it wasn't a good place to be and that he could get knocked over, and then if he wouldn't listen I would let him learn from experience.

I'd send my DD down and if she knocked the boy over, he'd soon learn not to stand in the way again.

I wouldn't touch other people's children. If the child gets hit it might be a bit of a valuable teaching moment for child and their adult.

Why?!

Having said that though, what you did was fine.

I don't know how others would respond, but if it were me I'd be grateful that you moved them

So you'd stand by & just watch him get knocked off his feet by the other kids coming down the slide?

Very public-spirited of you @Findahouse21

Because I would? What’s your problem with that? I wouldn’t tell dd just to go down anyway incase she got hurt and I’m not touching a strangers child. It’s no big deal is it I would say well go on something else till it’s clear

I'd have gently moved him aside. If his parents object to that then they need to be helicoptering over him so he doesn't stuff up a piece of play equipment for everyone else. But I also think this "never speak to or touch anyone else's child" stuff is weird as fuck.

I've asked other children to move a few times if they have lingered (or tried to run up when there are children waiting to come down) and they always have done, but I've only once physically moved a child. This was a toddler who was clearly new at walking independently who had escaped from the parental picnic blanket and babbled away quite happily when I steered him round to the corner of the slide. Someone came and grabbed him quickly and had no problem with me getting him out of harms way - she was really apologetic, which she didn't need to be. I think I would only be miffed if someone moved my daughter without asking her to move first (she's rising four).

I would have done the same. A child small enough for you to lift out of the way should have been bring supervised better by an adult.

A bit of a different situation, but my son has a tendency of lingering at the bottom of the slide and trying to climb up, even if others are wanting to come down. He is autistic though and if a stranger were to touch him, he would become distressed and lash out.

But this is why I always watch him and move him away myself.

You never know if the other parent is a reasonable person or not, so I probably wouldn't have moved the child. I might have encouraged my child to use a different piece of equipment for a while. But a bit of me thinks that the child probably won't learn until they've been knocked over by another child hurtling down the slide.

So it's a mixed thing. I think I'll do the same next time, to stop a child getting hurt.

So annoying! Part of learning to go down the slide is learning to move away at the bottom. I probably wouldn’t have touched someone else’s kid - had similar today when a kid wanted help getting on the zip line, I decided against it. But I don’t think YANBU really OP.

@amamma yes, do the same thing. Despite so many odd people on MN, in the RW people aren't anywhere near as weird about a child being spoken to or moved out of harms way. If they get arsey just tell them they should be watching their own child , but no, I'd never leave a child somewhere they could get hurt just in case their parent is gobby.

Of course you did the right thing.
It is only on MN that parents would rather have their child hurt than have a strange parent touch their child to protect them.
Bloody crazy.

Well DS has on more than one occasion hurtled down the slide bellowing ‘move’, which is pretty effective, so I’d be inclined to let the kids work it out unless they were toddler age.

I wouldn’t have moved him. In this situation I tell dd to play on something else

Oh god. Why? I would have told his mum he was in danger of being hurt. Then i would have told him to move. Then i would have stood near the end of the slide as my DD enjoyed the playground and either shielded him or moved him out of the way. It is utter batshit to prevent a child from using equipment because a kid is putting themself in danger.

Hear, hear!