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AIBU?

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Original poster

to expect this woman to actually do something?

56 replies

shalaa · 07/06/2010 13:26

Went to the park with ds(5) and dd(1) last week. Park has a large outdoor paddling pool, ds was paddling away and me and dd were bending over the edge so she could put her hands in the water. A boy who seemed around 7 ran up to us and booted aload of water straight in dd's face. She choked and then screamed the place down, we were both soaked. Watched the boy run back up to his mum, followed him and told her what had happened she said "it's only water and if you don't want to get wet go home". Told her I don't mind getting wet but I do mind getting water kicked in mine and dd's face. She said she wasn't telling her son anything as he's a child and having a fun.

Right, decided to move to other end of pool away from demon boy, he follows us and tries to kick water at me and dd again, go back to his mother who shouts "go home if you have a problem for gods sake" she then says she's watching him and he's just playing, try and point out that actually she's stuffing her face with chocolate cake and not watching her son but then give up and take kids away from pool. Was so f*cking annoyed, felt like tipping her off her chair into a big patch of nettles

OP posts:
Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 14:55

demon boy
little brat
little shit
little bastard
orc

Wow, some of you are really angry, considering you weren't the ones there ......

NanKid · 07/06/2010 14:59

Slight hijack, here, and am sort of playing devil's advocate - oh, and I am NOT defending this woman, OP, she shouldn't have spoken to you so rudely - but there is also an increasing tendency in this country to be very precious about children. Not in this case - your baby is a year old, so of course you are precious about her - but it really saddens me how many parents hover around their older children at the playground these days, getting involved in their scraps and policing their play. Equally damaging in my opinion.

I remember the freedom we had as children - our parents were allowed to sit down together and chitchat without being accused of lazy cows for not watching us every second of the day. If we had a scrap, our parents expected us to sort it out, unless there was a case of bullying or something serious had happened that required adult intervention.

I don't remember mums and dads standing over slides saying 'come on, now, George, play nicely!'. Parents sat om the benches around the side and generally told wailing children to stop telling tales.

Much preferred those days.

mamatomany · 07/06/2010 15:29

Maybe we've all been there Jamie and had to bite our tongues !

mamatomany · 07/06/2010 15:32

And equally Nankid you wouldn't have dared kicked water in an adults face for fear of the clip around the ear hole you'd have got off the mother so we can return to the days of letting children get on with it when the parents return to installing some respect into their children.
Mine would shit themselves if they splashed a baby accidentally because they "know" they'd be in trouble.

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 15:32

OK - vent away. I do think the OP should have spoken to the boy first though. 7 year olds can be naughty but are also old enough to have experienced being given guidance by other adults.

The mum was still a caaah though

Kathyjelly · 07/06/2010 15:42

I have a large pump action water pistol that I am happy to donate.

Works a treat on stray animals messing in flowerbeds so should work beautifully on nasty little boys. And what can she say! After all, it's only water.

GetOrfMoiLand · 07/06/2010 15:52

I am lolling away at this thread.

Not at the OP - I can understand why you are pissed off and I like the nettles comment - but some of the renegade comments on here are madness itself. Christ some of you lot sound like an oestrogen version of the A Team.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 07/06/2010 15:53

It's weird reading this thread whilst the Thompson advert at the side of it is telling me to "make a splash"

I feel all conflicted...

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 16:16

I pity the fool who splashes water at me GetOrf

comewhinewithme · 07/06/2010 16:21

I love this thread. I myself would have tipped some water on the Mothers head.

maktaitai · 07/06/2010 16:22

OK tbh I would have told the child not to kick water in my child's face and would have tried to see if he would do something nice for my baby - maybe asked him to stand on his head in the water to make her laugh? I wouldn't have torn a strip off the mother in public as there is no point - 99% of people put in that position will become defensive, and the fact that they are quite wrong to do so doesn't mean anything. As soon as they are on the defensive you have lost the chance to do anything but shout at each other, and then all your child will be aware of is that her mum is shouting. Children of 7 will quite often do stuff that they shouldn't, they are not adults. So you tell them to stop it and then try to get them to do something right, and then praise it. IMO. It takes a village and all that.

GetOrfMoiLand · 07/06/2010 16:25

lol at Jamie Pity the fool

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 16:25

Exactly maktaitai.

< lobs grenade at everyone else >

GetOrfMoiLand · 07/06/2010 16:26

I really laughed at this - some of you are getting so angry about a random boy splashing water on a stranger's baby (no offence, OP). Little bastard etc.

It's all words on a screen

Adair · 07/06/2010 16:28

What maktaitai said. Would have dealt with the child not the parent.

Lulumaam · 07/06/2010 16:31

waht getorf said...

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 16:31

Adair - but I said it first

< whines >

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 16:33

Lulumaam - but I said it first

< has screaming abdabs >

PfftTheMagicDragon · 07/06/2010 16:35

jamie - no we weren't there - but the point of the thread is to take what the OP says at face value and comment on that situation, assuming it to be true. not to pick holes in it, assume she is a liar and go on about the intricacies and fallibility of human interactions.

I would have told him off the first time. What he did was naughty and he needs to know immediately that it wasn't acceptable behaviour.

OrdinarySAHM · 07/06/2010 16:36

Some people get angry because they know that they don't know what to do about their child's behaviour and don't know how to stop it and they don't want to be shown up in public, so they get angry about having it brought to their attention.

Some people are lazy and don't want to bother doing anything about it.

Some people are tired and just want a bit of a break.

It doesn't excuse it though. If they don't know what to do, they need to read a book/watch Supernanny/ask their friends/try different techniques til something works.

Lulumaam · 07/06/2010 16:36

what jamie said

I would always say something to the child. in a nice, firm, but slightly pointed, channelling Joyce Grenfell way...'

Now darling, we don't kick water, do we? it's not terribly kaind....

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 16:39

Pfft - I never accused anyone of lying. That's not what I meant at all. Just makes me wince a bit to hear a boy of 7 behaving in an admittedly annoying way being called names and.

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 16:40

and crept in there unneccesarily

PfftTheMagicDragon · 07/06/2010 16:43

Sorry - I didn't mean to suggest that YOU were calling her a liar, I was just waffling generally to (unnecessarily) emphasise my point.

Jamieandhismagictorch · 07/06/2010 16:44

Phew. I agree with you Pfft And I believe I may have made that very point on page 1

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