AIBU to find a group of small boys just chatting at the playground unusual?

[ShedShedShed]

We go to the local playground most days, and observe the kids generally and know some dog them etc.
What stands out to me is a little group of boys 6,6,6 and 8. They always just stand around talking. Occasionally will sit on swings and chat. Never seem to actually play unless and adult leads them in something like hide and seek or chase. It's like they're teenagers but without the larking around 13 year olds do between chatting.
It's bizarre to me, my DS is 7 and plays with others, racing, helping on monkey bars, playing pirates, football by himself or with others. This group he doesn't play with because they just want to stand around talking about whatever it is they talk about.

Is this usual behaviour you'd expect?

This was DS. They would be talking about Pokémon, Lego, Star Wars. It progressed to Minecraft, girls and sport! They still meet up now when home from
University and talk and talk - now more about politics and news but still lots about film and computer games. They are just geeky!
They would still play, but when together they had a kind of chatty clan! DS had other friends where it was monkey bars and footballs!

Maybe your DS is a little behind on his verbal skills ? Thanks ok, usually everyone catches up!

My son at that age used to spend most lunchtimes with a Japanese lunchtime supervisor who was teaching him Japanese. Goodness knows what you would have made of him! He's fine now by the way, plenty of friends and doing very well in his Japanese class :)
Kids are just all different you know, as long as they are happy and doing no harm it's best just to let them get on with it.

My son and his friend spent an hour discussing the best bit of a cucumber the other day so…

What's the actual point of your thread?

So far: you asked the question, LOTS of posters came on to say it's not unusual and you're just arguing with them all.
Are you actually ok? Or you're just going to argue till the cows come home that you're right, despite many people saying you're not.
Go do something more productive than watch and analyse children that are not yours and argue on mumsnet that their behaviour is odd.

My DS has never been a run around type of boy. At the park he will often inspect leaves, chat and wave to others, or just sit and watch everyone else.

Gawd -this place is like point scoring snotty pitas.

Go and join the boys in the park OP you’ll get more pleasant chat than on here

Completely normal behaviour.

They aren’t discussing the relative merits of Tolstoy vs Dostoyevsky, probably about football or the Marvel Universe.

My DS has always been very chatty. I don’t find it strange.

I work in a school with this age group. It’s true that a larger majority of the boys are running around like headless chickens but these aren’t necessarily the ones that ‘know how to play’ it’s more likely they don’t. The smaller group who chat, when playing inside during choosing time tend to play far more constructively/imaginatively and contribute to whole class and group discussions. This is skill far harder to develop than charging around and indoor play is where the inability to play shows up. It’s is generally the super active ones that run about playing tig or climbing high on the play equipment that need supported to play appropriately indoors. It’s also incredibly common for groups of girls this age to pop their jackets on the playground floor to sit on and have a good chat. Boys often generally take a bit longer to mature into that but there are always exceptions within a year group

I think it's cute too. Little boys having a lovely chat with their mates. I think it's more strange that you have assumed they don't know how to physically play and that the kids running around are superior to the ones having a conversation with their friends.

Yes, I must admit, it does seem a bit odd at that age...I can see your point :)

Shock horror, not all kids are the same!! 😱

What a weird post. And you keep saying over and over it’s unusual. It really isn’t, you just want it to be, for whatever unusual reason.

I think that’s lovely but you seem quite narked about it for some reason.

Urgh, break duty and keeping an eye on the y8s that are always on the cusp of breaking out into The Lord of the Flies levels of anarchy.

I feel like the school needs a military grade assault course to channel the energy and then they might actually cope with sitting, listening and learning

Think it’s wonderful. Why are you so bothered?

Except they’re not because they’re outside talking to their friends.

Why are you so bothered about this OP? At least they’re outside socialising.

I wonder if you would be so bothered if this were a group of girls? Because this seems really gendered thinking - that boys should be active and running about whenever they get the chance.
This reminds me of my friend's son who ISTG did not stop talking until he was 13! Usually about Minecraft or Pokemon. Some boys and some girls are just very verbal and need to get it all out

I was going to make the same comment.
I don't know why girls are allowed to be seen to chat with friends but for boys it is unusual!

If I compared my own children in terms of how they would play at a playground then it would be my daughter who would go off and play on the equipment while my son would want to stand around and then play an imaginary game with his friends. When he was younger this was all about Peter rabbit, now Minecraft. I see similar in kids now, it's K Pop that is popular in the playground at school with the under 8's - but I bet the OP would have issues with this too as the boys often argue who is going to be Remi!

Literally no one has said it’s unusual. Almost everyone has said it’s really normal and you’re just taking what you want from it. I’m not surprised your child doesn’t stand and chat at all if they are as rigid (deluded) as you appear to be. I hope there’s another parent involved.

There’s been two people who work in schools up thread saying it’s not unusual, and countless others also. You are the only one that seems to think it’s unusual.

my son does both. Runs around mad at times,
other times chats with his pals quietly. He would never play on playground equipment and he doesn’t like boisterous kids a lot. You are seeing a small Snap shot of time and judging.

did you really not realise that different people - including children - like different things?!

But wouldn’t that be too… what’s the word?.. unusual?🧐

It is not unusual. It is normal. You just have lived a limited life where you don't think/remember that children like to do different things.

A primary teacher has answered in the thread that this is normal. She sees it every day at work in the playground. I am betting that she has a lot more experience than you.

From this thread, you are clearly the unusual one here to have such a strange interpretation.

What a bloody mountain out of a molehill... Leave them alone...😂

Your the one with the problem? Maybe they don't want to play would you rather they were running around screaming I feel sorry for little boys people like you exist and hate them automatically it seems like they are being well behaved boys so what's your real issue with it?