Neighbour allowing boy to use lawn mower

[OneLemonOrca]

My male neighbour lives across the road from a relative, the relative has a son who’s 6 or 7 and the son visits. The neighbour is allowing the son to mow his grass with the lawn mower. He is standing in the garden with him but I still think it’s too dangerous?

Our neighbour did this with his son of about the same age, and wondered off. Cue screens and shouts from another neighbour who spotted the kid lay the lawnmower down on its side (still running), get down on his hands and knees with his head next to the blades, and start to reach into it.

Thank god she saw it before something happened.

If he's supervising and not allowing any mucking around then I'd say it's ok.

If an adult is supervising, I don't see what the problem is. Kids can do stuff, you know.

Pmsl my ds has been lawnmowing and strimming since he was 5😂 I’ve got a pic of him bollock naked nailing up crop trellises before he was 3yo 😂I worked summers on my cousins farm and was driving jcb diggers, backhoes and a 14 tonne excavator aged 8. Behave with your lawnmower. If he’s doing it safely wtf is the problem? As long as he’s not flipping the mover upside down whilst it’s still going and sticking his hands in the blades, or it’s electric and he’s not watching where the wire is (which I’m sure his guardian will be) he’s fine

If he is being supervised I don't see why not.

Were you really pissing yourself laughing?

My one at 5yo 😁

As long as the child is being properly supervised, it’s fine.

What do you think is going to happen, if he's being supervised?

I can't see a problem with this at all.

I'd say let the neighbours enjoy it.
In a few years time they won't peel him out of his gaming chair/bed/sofa without a tantrum.

I had to read that twice and still don't get it. Young kid mowing lawn supervised by an adult. Seriously don't see a problem

Do you really think I’ve pissed myself Julian? I’m afraid there’s a massive secret in the world that some people aren’t privy to. There’s something called slang, phrases and acronyms where people use informal word summaries that hopefully touch upon the key meaning. There’s also something called regional dialect and social influence which can massively affect someone’s choice of language. Most people who have grasped spoken English know these phrases aren’t meant literally. So for your figure information ‘pmsl’ means someone has found something humerus, not that they’ve got continence issues

Kids live up to expectations, and down to infantilization.

20 months with a bag of nails and a claw hammer. Now he’s 7 and does boxing, taekwondo and dirt bike racing, fuck the neighbour being a judgmental snitch. I’m bet he’s absolutely made up being given an exciting grown up job to do under supervision with his grandad or whoever

Absolutely. And it's no wonder so many young people are so fucking useless and incapable. Teaching kids life skills empowers them.

If one is to go by Mumsnet, a lot of parents want neither for their kids to have any life skills (makes Mummy feel needed) nor empowered (that might make Mummy feel expendable).

I’m another parent who allowed /encouraged my kids to use tools like drills. DIY is one of those skills that often crop up on the threads about what schools don’t teach but should threads.

its a lawn mower not an assault rifle Jesus Christ

That’s an interesting idea, what if I take it a bit further and say maybe “grown up jobs for boys” like mowing the lawn are viewed as too risky so boys miss out on this area more than girls and that leads to incompetence and lack of initiative later in life?

Then I'd suggest you are stupid very lucky. There's a reason children aren't allowed to drive at eight - it can be great, until it isn't.

Are so many young people ‘useless and incapable?’.

I suppose it depends on who you know. Young people I know are quite the opposite, they are incredibly capable on the whole.

you're making something out of nothing. my daughter would be just as encouraged to use outdoor machinery as my son if she showed an interest. stop clutching at straw

There's a bone in the body called the humerus. You are meaning 'humorous'.

There is something called neurodiversity, which means some people can take things literally.

There's also something called 'being patronising' and being an arse.

I wouldn't give a fuck hoot about a child so distantly connected. It's in the territory of none of your business unless actual child abuse is happening.

oh dear why jump to neurodiversity? chances are if Julian can't see the clear sarcasm, Julian is just a bit thick. no need to throw out a diagnosis