DS aged 3.9 is stood on our gate …

[indurently]

He’s looking at cars, tractors and so on. We live on a country road. I’m pushing his sister on a swing.

And a couple just walked by and told me he shouldn’t be on the gate.

Racking my brains somewhat as to what we have done wrong!

They could probably have guessed. Or just walked on with their traps shut.

I didn’t understand what she didn’t understand. I thought it was someone a bit dim to be totally honest 😂 Did I make a SPAG error? I didn’t even notice!

No, you were correct in your assessment.

YABU for stating age as 3.9 What on earth does this even mean?

Three years nine months. I just included it as I could sort of see an objection if a really young child was doing it.

Saying ‘stood’ sounds completely wrong to me, but I did understand what you meant.

Just to clarify, are we talking about a large (into a field type) gate or just a normal garden gate?

It’s a large gate but it doesn’t lead into a field. Just the road.

What would you do to make sense of this in areas where the regional variation "stood standing" is in common use? (Slightly different context as it's normally associated with the passage of time and being ignored, but even so…)

Mine grew up on a farm same as myself & DH.

We've always had it drummed into us never to stand on gates & always check gates are closed (So they aren't damaged & raging bulls will escape and rampage all over the village or travellers will come in). So it's something I tend to notice, along with kids not closing gates. But really strange of them to say something & none of their business if it's your own garden! That's country folk for you I'm afraid!

Not standing on gates or fences & closing & checking gates are sensible things to teach rural kids though - and any kids that visit the countryside.

0.9 of a year is 10.8 months.

They were probably just trying to be helpful since you clearly weren't aware that what he was doing would damage the gate.

It’s just shorthand for three years nine months.

I don’t think it would damage the gate, ds is small.

Is the gate spiky.. Usually I would say they are being OTT but I actually know an adult who slipped and landed on a gate with spikes and went in his chin

So maybe they are over cautious over something like that loool

No, just a wooden one

It’s very common on MN to say 3.9 (for example) as 3years 9 months. I’ve seen our health visitor do the same so although it might be different ro what you’re used to, it’s entirely normal.

It’s just shorthand for three years nine months.

It's really not.

I did this all the time when I was a kid. The only instruction I had from parents was to stand on the hinge end, as others have said.
I would also take my shoes and socks off to walk across the adjacent fields to see the pigs. ( I had the additional instruction to keep shoes and socks clean!) When the pigs were replaced by cattle I would climb in the hedge and feed them cabbage leaves from the garden.
I bet the people who commented to your LO would have had a blue fit, had they watched me!

It is used on here and real life sometimes. I don’t think it’s worth arguing about either way tbh, I really don’t, and find it strange that you scoured the post to find something to criticise.

How come only rural gates are damaged by lack of hinge proximity?

Anyway tell them to fuck off OP. If they've already gone past, run after them and shout fuck off at them.

Did you not ask why?

Was he rude to them as they walked by? Was he standing on the wrong end?

Possibly standing on the hinge could weaken or break the hinge. But it's your gate and your child

No - it took me a moment to register they were talking to me!

God knows, just ignore them😂

Yes, as already explained. He was standing on it. He stood on it would be a completed action. He was standing on it was a continuing action. He was stood is incorrect.

Same with sitting and sat. He sat on the sofa. He was sitting on the sofa.

Is it rude to pick up on SPAG errors? The jury's still out. But in this case you asked so I've answered.