Should she have interfered?

[JEMISMYNAME]

Just looking for some opinions. I have been on holiday abroad for a few days with my family. My youngest child is 9 and enjoys cooking and baking etc.. he is more than capable of using sharp knives and utensils and I have no worries about this. I am actively encouraging my children to be able to do things for themselves and act in accordance with their own wishes and capabilities.

At the hotel restaurant he was getting himself some bread rolls and using the bread knife to slice them. He can do this perfectly safely and does not need any assistance or I would have been there to do it for him. A stranger approached him, literally took the food from him and then sliced the rolls for him, despite him and his sister telling her that they did not need help. He was really upset due to the fact a stranger thought she knew better than him and touched his food. The food was then wasted as we don't know the persons hygiene so they wouldn't be eaten. I did approach her and pointed out that I was sure that she thought she was doing the right thing in "assisting" my son however not to do so as he was more than capable and if he wasn't I would have been helping him, she seemed convinced that he was going to slice his wrist open, he's never had an accident during cooking (he's been doing this for several years) and that "he shouldn't be doing this in front of everyone". It was so bizarre and was just wondering how you would have reacted?

The end result is she was pissed off that I told her that he was my child and I would be responsible for him and to stay away from him. It was all very odd.

This hasn't impacted on my holiday but it was just so strange I wondered what others thought.

She was trying to be helpful , but was definitely moving into busybody territory, in my opinion.
Many people seem to be obsessed that children under 12 shouldn't be let near anything sharp- which is in my opinion the best way to cut yourself badly- all children should learn knife skills, because they will all have to cook in order to survive. I taught this to a troupe of Brownies some people had very strange ideas about this. It is also essential knives are part of their everyday life , so they are much harder to glamourize.

If this were my DS, he would have looked totally confused, he would have looked over at me, I’d have gone up to him and asked him what the matter was, listened, told the woman thanks but he’s fine, left the bread rolls she’d cut there at the station, picked up two more and taken DS back to our table with a muttered “DH was probably just trying to help”.

I don’t think this is the sort of thing your kids need to get upset over, or for you to “have their backs” in regard to 🤣

No she absolutely should not have interfered! If she was that concerned she could have spoken to you!

She was trying to be helpful, but people really should respect children’s wishes when they say they don’t need help.

But why waste the bread, and leave this nutter to go around causing other families to waste bread? Yes, perhaps it cost the OP noting material as it was a buffet with more bread available, but no one should be actively encouraging waste.

Honestly op. Unnecessarily adversarial. Most people would have breezily told your son that the lady didn't realise he was so capable and was trying to help. Not sure I would have felt the need to hunt her down to tell her to stay away from your son. Unclench a little.

YANBU to let your kid cut bread, but I feel that it isn't surprising that your approach to the woman caused an argument. You could have just said, thanks for watching out for him, but I'm happy with him using the breadknife.

I'm a bit on the fence.

I remember going 😢 when nursery told me my daughter had been cutting up fruits with an actual knife 😳.

I think she was well-intentioned, but you just don't touch people's food.

I also understand you telling her he was fine to carry on by himself, so yeah...

My arse is now sore.