Child on scooter

[Solmum1964]

I was walking up to the shop just after school had finished. A family were coming towards me - two junior school age children on scooters and mum across the full width of the path.
I stopped to allow them to get past but one child was looking down, not at where they were going so I said "you need to look where you're going" so they didn't run into me or anything/anyone else.
Mum shouted "how rude" but I don't think I was.
Did I do anything wrong. If anything, I feel the mum was wrong in not warning her own children to be careful.

Yes it was rude. Leave the parents to parent. A simple mistake of looking down doesn't need a sarky comment.

So you'd have allowed a child to run/scoot into you?

No I have stepped out of the way as I'd have seen that he wasn't looking, and gone about my day. So no I wouldn't let them scoot into me.

A child almost ran into me on a scooter. There wasn't room for me to get out of the way and I couldn't see a parent nearby. I said to OH "Who's meant to be in charge of him? " then a woman came up to me and said that if I'd anything to say I should say it to her, not her child.

I pointed out several times, that I'd been talking to my OH not her child (she was nowhere near so how she could have heard me, goodness knows) and she eventually went off.

It really shook me up as I could imagine it blowing up into a big scene with her shouting at me and idiots filming etc

I did not want to step on the wet grass. I was already as far to the side of the path as I could get.
I've also known children ride/scoot into bollards and trees before because they weren't paying attention so it was a heads up to be careful - but really the mum should have been warning her children.

I would say "look out" if I child was scooting toward me. I don't think that's rude at all. People are so keen to be offended. It isn't a judgement on a person's parenting skills to tell their child to watch where they are going!

I've also known children ride/scoot into bollards and trees before because they weren't paying attention so it was a heads up to be careful

And you might have got away with a 'Oops, careful sweetheart'. A snippy 'You need to look where you are going,' was rude. The woman was correct.

She wasn't parenting particularly well, but I agree with @Milo45 . You put yourself in the wrong by your remark.

@RaraRachael my own children used to scoot home from school but they knew to look where they were going and stop/give way to pedestrians.
I'd have been mortified if they'd run into anyone but this mum just didn't seem to care!

I would and have said "STOP" when this has happened.

The mother probably thought you were rude because she may have thought you were just telling her child off in general, rather than trying to stop them bumping into you?

Either way, it's not a big deal and something that would illicit no more than an eye-roll from me.

We get them round here, before and after school time. Narrow pavements, parked cars alongside, so nowhere else to go (and why should I have to step into the road anyway?). Children scooting along, 2 or 3 abreast, heads down, not looking, parents sauntering along some way behind. What are you supposed to do, say 'Look out', or just let them run into you?

The rude ones were the people blocking the entirety of the path and not looking where they were going .....

I don't think that's rude at all. If the mum doesn't like it, she could indeed parent her child herself.

I would've said something like 'whoops, careful darling'

What you said sounds super sarky op x

Yes, you were rude and unnecessary

You seriously need to get over yourself OP.

Sounds like the parent wasn't parenting. She should have been watching since her child wasn't.

Id’ve just carried on and not given it a second thought to be honest.

Not rude.

Taking up the whole path and scooting in a way that is likely to run into others is also rude.

I don’t think you were rude. I’m surprised others think you were. You were simply informing the child they need scooted into you.

You weren't rude. People are oversensitive. If someone said that to my child I would probably agree with them.

Did the mother have a phone in her hand by any chance? Why wasn't she ensuring her child didn't crash into someone.
You could have been way ruder. You need to is better than just 'look' (which would have been justified).

We can't hear your tone of voice. But in reading I don't think you were rude. But maybe you sounded rude.

Telling someone to look where they are going isn't parenting.

It's rude. Don't be rude to kids. It's pretty simple op.