Parental behaviour - telling other people's kids off

[signman]

at a group today another child hit mine with a plastic frying pan, square in the face. i gave the kid a firm telling off, but was tol the whole group went silent during, and then looked at the floor a lot, after the episode. it's playing on my mind - what would you have done? the parent is a good one but wasn't there, and while he didn't cry, ds was left with a red nose for the afternoon (shame it wasn't comic relief day instead of children in need!).

Aw thanks everyone for your support.
I'm sure I sounded aggressive too, and I am a bit like Liam Gallagher on snakebite when I get going,

I felt sorry for their grandchild, if they scare other people's kids in public Lord knows what they do to their own behind closed doors.

I thought it might have meant that. What an unpleasant couple of women.

Anyway here's one from my collection - sandpitwoman. Not upleasant as such, just odd and very wound up. Her son digs large hole in sandpit, goes off to play elsewhere. Other children ,including my ds, start to play in the hole, naturally dislodging some of the sand. Sandpitwoman storms up, tells them to leave the hole alone as her son worked really really so hard digging it. Glares at parents of delinquent children messing around in the hole. Parents try to distract children away from the hole while sandpitwomen stands guard, her son nowhere to be seen.

what a Loon

tigermoth - my favourite response to that sort of situation, where someone's so far in the wrong that its laughable, is to give them a blank stare with one eyebrow raised while making sure dd is carrying on doing whatever it is she 'wasn't supposed to be doing'!!

very tempting line of action wobbly, and one that crossed my mind, too. Had she not been standing guard (in middle of the sandpit) right next to the hole for the next 20 minutes, I might have done as you suggest. As it was, I was deliberately unhurried about getting my ds away from the area.

My neighbour is ignoring me 'cos I told off her girl (3.5). This girl is well know amongst all the neighbours for hitting, snatching toys pushing kids off bikes, the lot. A proper little madam. And her parents at best manage of 'don't do that darling' the rare occasions they actually 'see' her in action. Anyway, my ds was riding his bike when she told her partner in crime to push him off, which he did. My ds was pushed at force off a moving bike by this horrible pair.

I walked up to the & told them that it was dangerous, they mustn't hit or push etc. The boy just looked at me but she got all gobby, so I told her mum. Later she comes to my door & said that the girl had not done anything wrong. i explained what happened & she said 'oh darling, is this tru blah blahblah' & the girl finally admitted it.

The mum made her say sorry, explained to me that as she had only told the boy to push my ds off the bike she really wasn't to blame & has blanked me ever since.
should I say something to her or just leave it?

it really pisses me off because my boys are just so gentle (not always with each other!) & I hate to see them being hurt. i mean, I don't want to see them pushed around, but don't want to teach them to hit either.

There seems to be a lot of hitters round here.

I was at another neighbours house & her dd (2.5) walked up & slapped my ds (just turned 1) full in the face. She picked him up & her dd kept slapping him so she stood up to get him out of reach but she kept swinging for him! This stupid woman just kept saying to me oh I don't know where she gets it from & telling her with absolutely no effect whatsoever now do do that then! I'm such a wimp I didn't dare say anything, just kept trying to get my baby off her & away from this girl. Before we left she slapped my other ds, so I'\m going to have to try & avoid her now.

tigermoth - so she was actually standing guard IN the sandpit? I'd have 'gone to play with the kids' and accidentally buried her in sand!!!

tigermoth, that is the strangest thing I've ever heard. How weird. I love your name for her though - sandpitwoman

ernest, had very similar experience myself. Have now told said "friend" that we will have to socialize without the kids as I am not putting ds in that position again. Had lots of comments from friends without children who thought I was overreacting. How can someone without kids have any idea how it feels to have your little one knocked around by some bully whose mum never seems to notice?