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Original poster

“Your kid is really annoying us” - soft play rant

262 replies

HolaPedro · 29/05/2023 15:05

Took my DC (4,2 & 20m) to soft play today.

I go in with my children and supervise. Oldest goes off and plays for a little bit in the “bigger” area but is within eyesight/earshot.
Comes into the baby area (designated 0-4 years) to play with his siblings.

a group of about 7 slightly older children come and play in the baby area… would say they ranged from about 5/6 to 9ish.

they are playing roughly - climbing on things they shouldn’t, throwing things around. All while their parents (5 of them) are on a table the other end of the room, chatting and eating a picnic, completely ignoring their kids. The only babies in the baby area are mine so just keep them away and kind of hope their parents will see in a second and address it.

My oldest is going to school in September so I’m trying not to smother… they want to play with these older children so I hover within earshot and tell DC not to do xyz. DC asks “can I play with you” and one of the older children happy and being quite sweet telling DC what game they are playing.

DC being quite chatty telling older child what they like doing - other children start saying “get lost/you’re so annoying/shut up/why are you here” and mocking my DC copying what they say etc..

in the end one of the girls in the group marches right up to me and says “you’re kid is really annoying us” right in front of DC. I was shocked and just said that this was the baby area and they can always play in the bit for older children if they don’t want to be near little ones

Now, with DC going to a big school in September I have been trying to explain that not everyone will want to play with you all the time… but at the same time, I think their parents should have at least had an eye/ear on them!? If I heard my child saying that I would have had a word with them

In the end my DC was so upset they just asked to leave so we did.

would love some thoughts, my DC honestly can be quite annoying but on this occasion I really don’t think they deserved to be spoken to like that. I do also appreciate that many older children won’t want to play with younger ones and would never force it

but I appreciate it’s something they might experience more at school. DC gets on fine at nursery and has some really good friendships

thoughts on how to discuss this with them? They are nearly 5 and quite good at understanding things so not worried about having a bit of a serious conversation

also WHY tf do people just ignore their kids at soft play? Does my head in

OP posts:
Tiddlypomtiddlypom · 19/06/2023 12:45

I had an opportunity to shout at an ill-mannered little shit in a soft play hell hole, just the other day.

It was one at a farm and it was deathly quiet, due to being midweek. I was in there with my two year old. I am also seven months pregnant. We were just sitting in there while he navigated a ramp to come down a slide.

Around six pre-teen boys were told by some bloke that they could go in and ‘fuck about for a bit’. They all flew in and ran about, hitting each other, shouting, throwing themselves around and generally being really fucking intimidating, especially to a little two year old who came over to me for safety.

I’m not backwards in coming forwards but I just watched them for a bit. We were nearly kicked and trampled several times. It was fairly unbelievable. But it wasn’t until one of the little twats used a dangling padded cylinder thing as a punch bag, hitting it repeatedly despite watching it hitting us that I absolutely roared at him. I then told the man they were with to sort them out, to be met with a barrage of abuse. Absolutely unreal.

I really don’t like people sometimes a lot of the time.

ReachForTheMars · 19/06/2023 12:49

In your shoes iwould have told the child they were being very rude and they are also in he wrong section and that they need to leave. And followed up if needed by reporting to staff.

I'd have told my child out if earshot that some children are just mean and dont deserve his company if they dont k ow to look after little ones.

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 02/08/2023 16:25

35965a · 29/05/2023 18:41

Be blunter. “Your kid is annoying me” “you’re annoying me, go back to the area for older kids you brat”

Call my kid a brat and you would be picking your teeth up...If my child was rude they would be dealt with but call my child a brat and they would be the end of that.. your a grown up ffs

35965a · 02/08/2023 16:51

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 02/08/2023 16:25

Call my kid a brat and you would be picking your teeth up...If my child was rude they would be dealt with but call my child a brat and they would be the end of that.. your a grown up ffs

Show quote history

🤣 sure

NewPinkJacket · 02/08/2023 17:17

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 02/08/2023 16:25

Call my kid a brat and you would be picking your teeth up...If my child was rude they would be dealt with but call my child a brat and they would be the end of that.. your a grown up ffs

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Stay classy lol

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 02/08/2023 19:05

I will stay classy. If you came to me like an adult and said your child is being rude ect ect I would tell him off and he would be made to apologise, call my child a name and shout at him before coming to me. We would have a problem. There's ways to do things, calling children names isn't one of them. I would dream of shouting at another person child let alone call them a brat. I would expect an argument and rightly so.

NewPinkJacket · 02/08/2023 20:48

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 02/08/2023 19:05

I will stay classy. If you came to me like an adult and said your child is being rude ect ect I would tell him off and he would be made to apologise, call my child a name and shout at him before coming to me. We would have a problem. There's ways to do things, calling children names isn't one of them. I would dream of shouting at another person child let alone call them a brat. I would expect an argument and rightly so.

And when you assaulted that person and smashed all their teeth out of their mouth, would that be in front of the children?

Wenfy · 02/08/2023 21:55

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 02/08/2023 19:05

I will stay classy. If you came to me like an adult and said your child is being rude ect ect I would tell him off and he would be made to apologise, call my child a name and shout at him before coming to me. We would have a problem. There's ways to do things, calling children names isn't one of them. I would dream of shouting at another person child let alone call them a brat. I would expect an argument and rightly so.

I go into the softplay with my children. I’ve found when a grown up is there even the toughest little shits don’t need to be shouted or swore at to behave. All they need is a grown up to remind them firmly to be careful. That grown up should be their parent but if that parent’s scoffing cake and coffee a million miles away, damned right I will intervene. And well if that results in a fight afterwards I’m prepared for it.

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 03/08/2023 08:00

Wenfy · 02/08/2023 21:55

I go into the softplay with my children. I’ve found when a grown up is there even the toughest little shits don’t need to be shouted or swore at to behave. All they need is a grown up to remind them firmly to be careful. That grown up should be their parent but if that parent’s scoffing cake and coffee a million miles away, damned right I will intervene. And well if that results in a fight afterwards I’m prepared for it.

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Telling a child to be careful is one thing. Calling them a brat is different and there's no need what so ever. How can we teach our children to not name call & to be kind but then the parent gets to name call which is what I was replying to in my first post. Its hypocritical! So because your an adult you get to talk to another person's child however you like. No, its doesn't sit right with me! If my children was being rude enough that you called them a brat I would expect you to talk to me so I can punish them. If you called my child a name and didn't come to me there would be a problem because I wouldn't dream of calling your child or any child a brat, I don't even go play centres because my child is a wheelchair user. Tell a child to be careful around little ones is normal being aggressive and calling them a brat isn't it. All this child done was speak her mind and we have so many comments on here saying they would be nasty to the kid back haha that makes you no better.

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 03/08/2023 08:05

NewPinkJacket · 02/08/2023 20:48

And when you assaulted that person and smashed all their teeth out of their mouth, would that be in front of the children?

Show quote history

I know if I heard you call my child a brat without coming to me I would 100% have a problem. If my child was being such a problem that warrants being called a brat I'd expect you to come to me and not call my child a name. The girl in OP didn't even say anything that bad imo. I bring my son up to have a thick skin he has to be because he's in a wheelchair.

Saying a child is annoying and they don't to play with them is hardly the crime of the century. It certainly doesn't warrant the reply in which in replied too

Ultraviolet85 · 03/08/2023 08:11

I’m the same as you op I ALWAYS watch my dc (4 & 3) so soft play is never an opportunity to sit and relax for me, but I always see parents just abandon their kids for the hour and the kids tend to turn feral. On this occasion I’d have said to child “well that’s not very kind, they only want to play”. The cheeky little git!
In all honesty it’s probably irked you more than it has your little one but I hope they are ok!

NewPinkJacket · 03/08/2023 17:08

LivingMyBestAnxietyLife · 03/08/2023 08:00

Telling a child to be careful is one thing. Calling them a brat is different and there's no need what so ever. How can we teach our children to not name call & to be kind but then the parent gets to name call which is what I was replying to in my first post. Its hypocritical! So because your an adult you get to talk to another person's child however you like. No, its doesn't sit right with me! If my children was being rude enough that you called them a brat I would expect you to talk to me so I can punish them. If you called my child a name and didn't come to me there would be a problem because I wouldn't dream of calling your child or any child a brat, I don't even go play centres because my child is a wheelchair user. Tell a child to be careful around little ones is normal being aggressive and calling them a brat isn't it. All this child done was speak her mind and we have so many comments on here saying they would be nasty to the kid back haha that makes you no better.

Show quote history

How can we teach our children to not name call & to be kind but then the parent gets to name call which is what I was replying to in my first post. Its hypocritical!

And if you teach your kids not to smash people's teeth out of their mouths when they hear name calling, would you not be hypocritical to do just that?

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