Rude old man shouted at 4 year old DS

[ThisOldThang]

I was walking on a quiet residential road with both my sons (7 and 4). I was pushing the empty buggy. My eldest son was walking next to me and my youngest son was had fallen behind by around 10m.

I heard a man shout 'GET OUT OF MY WAY'. I turned around and an old man (65-70 years old) had passed my youngest son and was walking towards us.

When he passed he said 'You need to control your children.'

I replied 'He's 4.'

The rude old codger then started going on about how my son had been in his way, so I told him that he should have said excuse me, rather than shouting at a 4 year old.

Anyway, there was a bit more back and forth and I called him a rude old man and we went on our way. When I looked back, he was on the phone. Who to, I have no idea.

AIBU?
No and he's lucky that I'm not the sort of person that kicks off in front of my kids.

Yes. He's old and allowed to shout at young children in the street.

If you had your kid with you they're extremely unlikely to get snatched.

Why are you here? Is this a rage bait post? You obviously believe you're in the right, no amount of opinion to the contrary is going to make any difference to that. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This thread has it all.

• Runaway buses.
• Transit vans stopping and kidnapping children.
• Pedestrian kidnappers.
• 4 year olds deliberately tripping up adults.
• 3 year olds that do a 10km trek and ask to do another the next day.
• Pensioners that have hip replacements, but are out and about the next week and are in such a rush that they're overtaking other pedestrians and justifiably shouting at any 4 year old in their path.

Are you confusing me with the OP?

OP who asks AIBU with zero intention of even considering he was BU

Do you consider those scenarios relevant to the actual issue at hand of a man shouting at a 4 year old?

He shouldn’t have shouted, but people need to keep their children with them. It’s getting ridiculous the way they feel entitled to let them run all over. What if you’d turned round and he wasn’t there! Hold his hand unless you’re in a safe space.

If the PPs aren't writing scripts for kids films, they should be.

Home Alone has nothing on these wild stories.

Children are entitled to run all over the pavement.

Just like I'm entitled to run or exercise on the pavement.

You don't have to have your child glued to you in public in case some miserable old man thinks the pavement is his own personal space.

And a parent that cba to keep an eye on them.

Old man was rude but equally really dislike seeing young children trailing miles behind parents beside a road, it gives me the heebies. The worst is when they’re swaying on a scooter or bicycle. Just takes one little trip sideways.

Was the buggy for the 4 year old? Why can't he scoot or cycle?

Surely if he was scooting or biking there’d be even more chance that he’d be metres away from the OP and vulnerable to the pavement/transit van child-snatchers? And if a man gets fucked off with a small kid walking to the extent that he has to yell, imagine if said kid was on a bike or scooter. He’d spontaneously combust with fury.

I can’t understand why people are insisting on contorting the story to make the older guy reasonable. The OP may also have done some less than ideal things and you may well find him unreasonable but surely no one thinks it’s ok to yell “get out of my way” at a small child vs any of the dozens of other options that exist to handle a situation where a 4 year old is impeding your progress?

Yeah I don’t get it either. They seem desperate to try to prove that this is totally normal behaviour when he’s obviously a wanker of the highest order.

The only thing I would think about this is that there are some rude people around, some nutty people around, some people who enjoy a pointless and lengthy quarrel on Mumsnet around. I don't know why these people are the way they are- sometimes I muse about it, but generally find my musings are fruitless and depressing.

I guess if you’d been more aware of where the child was you’d have been able to ask him to move aside and let the man pass. Children that age are generally pretty unaware of their surroundings and he may have been frustrated at trying to get past him. Why did you have a pushchair with you? Where was the child the pushchair was for?

I can’t stand smug braggy posts like this!

I have lived in London for over 30 years and have never had a driveway! It’s funny to see how people can’t get their head around it.

I have to say, eg if I saw some kids playing hopscotch on a pavement, I would probably just smile and walk round them. It wouldn’t bother me.

Exactly.

And I can’t stand lazy parents who keep dc in pushchairs and don’t potty train before school (not including special needs). I think people’s expectations of dc are often limiting them as they are capable of so much more.

OP you are quite right that this man should have been more polite and kind to a small child. But why emphasise his age? Are you not aware that men of all ages can be aggressive? I'm around his age and hate the thought of people seeing me as old and grumpy. It's just a stereotype.

You need to hold your 4 year old hand when walking on streets. If you had been doing that this wouldn't have happened.

Being old is unavoidable and happens to us all unless we die young. Whether you are a sweet and kind old lady/man or a grumpy and miserable one is entirely down to you.

It may be quiet but you only need one car to cause a catastrophe.