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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

tp think this mother should have disciplined her ds's?

173 replies

cheshirekitty · 06/05/2009 20:02

Work in a NHS outpatients department. One woman had her two sons with her - ages about 6 and 8. The boys where running about the waiting room, running about the corridors leading to the clinic rooms.

We do procedures in our clinics, so often women may feel a bit weak etc after seeing the doctors.

Mum made no effort to check her sons, so I asked them to stop running about. The younger son then said something to me (not nice). Mum ignored it all.

AIBU to think she should have exercised some parental control?

OP posts:
juuule · 07/05/2009 09:30

Yanbu to think the mother should have exercised some control. She should have stopped them running around recklessly and should also have pulled them for swearing.

6 and 8 year olds should be able to sit still and behave. If after asking the mother to keep them under control revealed that the children or her were having difficulties with this then perhaps someone could have offered suggestions to help.
It's definitely not on having children running around out of control in a place where people have gone for medical attention or might be infirm.

stanausauruswrecks · 07/05/2009 09:38

Don't you think that NHS staff are overstretched as it is without having to offer impromptu childcare lessons?

slummybutyummy · 07/05/2009 13:32

Ripeberry - "also does your hospital have notices to say parents MUST keep children under control?"

Er, its a hospital. Full of ill and injured and potentially very upset/traumatised people. Isn't it obvious? Do you really think there needs to be a notice? How sad that even this needs an official policy. [sceptical]

How about
"NO skating on heeleys/skateboards/other bewheeled objects around the ward."

"NO letting your children run riot in the corridors and then get all arsey when you are asked to control them"

"No turning off the ventilator on bed 14/13/12/11 etc"

Thanks to cheshirekitty and stanausauruswrecks...bet we can think ofg more though!

slummybutyummy · 07/05/2009 13:38

how sad I can't even post a sceptical emoticon properly

Paolosgirl · 07/05/2009 13:50

Agree with Mrs Mattie.

I have an 11 year old who always been a - how shall I put this - challenge. We have 2 other children who are pretty bog standard in their beahviour. We've been to parenting classes, been referred to a psychologist, been to the GP, referred to a family centre - you name it, we've done it. He's not SN, but is, in the words of the pyschologist "at the extreme end of normal".

Now, I've probably been that mother. Whilst he wouldn't have told you to fuck off, I can imagine him running around and causing mayhem - esp. if the appointments were running late. I had to time appointments to the minute, so we weren't sitting for too long. If they were running late (as they often are), I would feel sick at the thought of what would happen. I'd have to go in laden with books, toys etc, and once he'd got bored of them he'd be off creating mayhem, and 'zoning out' so it literally wouldn't have mattered what I said to him.

If you can imagine living with a child like this for 11 years, with constant challenges over behaviour day in, day out, year in, year out, and no support, you can perhaps also imagine that occasionally I would need medication for depression. You can also perhaps imagine that very, very occasionally I may not have been physically or mentally able to cope with him - I literally could not face having to deal with the behaviour once more that day.

So - for all of the times you've judged me, or a mother like me, for the horrible offspring, I apologise, because yes, he shouldn't have run around, and yes, you have ever right to speak to him.

DS threw a chair at me last night, screamed and shouted, kicked his sister, slammed doors so hard that a picture fell off the wall and stuck his middle finger up at me. I'm going back to the GP to BEG for help. Please wish me luck.

MrsMattie · 07/05/2009 14:01

While we're at it, perhaps we should also have:

'No grumpy old giffers tutting at every minor thing that displeases them' signs...?

or

'No jobsworthy bitch-from-hell receptionists exercising the tiny bit of power they have, please' signs...?

Kids aren't the only annoying ones. I have lost count of how many times, while in doctor's surgeries/hospitals, I have felt like pointing out that perhaps their 'Staff will not tolerate rude/abusive behaviour' signs should work both ways....

Ho hum

juuule · 07/05/2009 14:07

While I agree with that to a point MrsMattie, two wrongs don't make a right and it's up to people to at least look as though they are attempting to control their children. Not sit back and let them run riot and swear at the staff as appears to be the case with the op.

Paolosgirl · 07/05/2009 14:09

Or as well as the signs which point out how many patients did not attend their appointments and how many hours of the consultant's time that wasted, could we also show the amount of hours that patients were kept waiting, which wasted their time?

Sassybeast · 07/05/2009 14:16

YANBU.

WinkyWinkola · 07/05/2009 14:18

Oh god, Paolosgirl. I can imagine the sort of stress you're under. I hope you get the help you need.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 07/05/2009 14:20

YANBU- I don't see a problem with telling the children that running about is not acceptable. If the mum IS struggling to control them (as opposed to just not trying) then surely you stepping in would be helping her by dealing with it for her?

OrmIrian · 07/05/2009 14:23

Now here is a case where I am happy to judge. It's not OK to let your DC inconvenience others. So there.

slummybutyummy · 07/05/2009 14:28

Paolosgirl you have my sympathy, that does sound really difficult and I hope you get some support from your GP.

My argument is more general though - I don't think that every single child who behaves like this has SN or as you describe your son is 'at the extreme' (though I agree this should be borne in mind). I do think there are some parents who truly believe that rules etc don't apply to their precious children.

My kids are the most precious thing to me but I don't assume that everyone else thinks that their every noise etc is charming. I think kids need to learn that there are places where we need to be quiet and still. It isn't fair on children to have "grumpy old giffers tutting at every minor thing that displeases them" but it also isn't fair on poor old grumpy (ill?) giffers to have to put up with noisy kids in hospital.

Re the "jobsworthy bitch-from-hell receptionists" mrsmattie, was that to OP? I think people in hospitals, even those who are 'only' receptionists, have a tough job and its not one I'd want.

Doctor's receptionists and their attitude... now that's a whole new thread!

Mumcentreplus · 07/05/2009 14:29

Totally agree MM...those receptionists!

slummybutyummy · 07/05/2009 14:29

OrmIrian I think I love you

OrmIrian · 07/05/2009 14:30

Well exactly. Not every badly behaved child has SN.

Paolosgirl · 07/05/2009 14:30

Thanks Winky.

Having been there with one of my DC, I'm never quick to judge in these situations. I wouldn't have had a problem at all with the nurse telling him to stop running around.

OrmIrian · 07/05/2009 14:30

Ahem... the 'well exactly' was a crosspost

Mumcentreplus · 07/05/2009 14:30

Dentist receptionists are the worst

slummybutyummy · 07/05/2009 14:33

Well Mumcentreplus you're just so damned priveleged to be seeing a real actual dentist that they can treat you how you like.

Mumcentreplus · 07/05/2009 14:38

...my mother always said I was 'ungrateful'..

Ripeberry · 07/05/2009 15:54

Our local hospital has loads of notices to ask people to control their children as do doctor's surgeries.
And if people let their kids run around a hospital then they don't have any common sense or just don't care.
Everything needs to be spelt out these days.

Peachy · 07/05/2009 16:01

'And the odds of both boys having severe SN that completely disallows them to sit still and behave are ridiculously low.'

I wish LOL (two with Sn, one with SEN (2 asd one adhd in real terms), these things do tend towards a genetic factor.

however.... YANBU except that whilst be quite alright to be miffed and expect better, I think in a surgery one might remind oneself that Mum may be there for reasons we dread to think of or mitigate and give leeway.

I do try my utmost to control my boys BTW: cntrolling them might only bring them back to level of slightly awful, but it's better than the base starting point of utter nightmare, and you would certainly be able to see I was trying my very hardest (which IMO is often what matters).

Mind then someone'd probably start a Mn thread saying 'There was a real helicopter Mother at the , AIBU to think she is over reacting with a nine year old' PMSL

welshbyrd · 07/05/2009 16:15

YANBU

No matter where the kids where, in the street, supermarket etc
Running about thoughtlessly allowed by parent, is distressing to old people, if they bang into them, distressing to child if child fell over, run into corner of a wall

On the whole its not acceptable behaviour out of a playing park, garden, own home etc

welshbyrd · 07/05/2009 16:19

and if the behaviour is that of a child with disabilities, or behavour problems, i think thats more of a reason for the mother to try and deal with the behaviour, for the childs own safety?