Consideration for others

[meredeux]

I should really put this in AIBU except it can be a bit of a sado-masochistic experience!

I was at the local swimming pool yesterday for my DCs regular lesson. The parents all sit in the spectator area. Its cramped, hot, humid and usually there isn't enough chairs for everyone, but what else could it be?
Another woman was there with her two children who looked about 4 or 5 (and I guess she had a third Dc in the pool). She sat her two younger children on a ledge next to me, handed them a DSi each and went off to the other side of the room. Then for the next 25 minutes the children played games that made irritating electronic noises every 2 seconds or so.
She came over to her Dc at one point and told them to go get something for their upcoming lesson. Her son said no, so she walked away again.
After 25 minutes I went over and asked her if she could ask her DC to turn the volume down a little or sit elsewhere. The woman just glared at me.
I said "I wouldn't let my children play a noisy electronic game right next to a stranger like that". And she just glared at me some more. Finally i asked "Is it too much trouble?" and she eventually replied "no" and got up and asked them to turn it down a fraction.

I am beginning to feel very old because when I was growing up letting children do that would have been considered unacceptably bad manners.

Another grumpy old woman here :) Not so much the children as the behaviour of the accompanying, surly adult. I grew up in the NW surrounded by grown women who frequently squared up to each other when someone else had a problem with their children. Mind you, back in the day, the mum would defend them to the death in public and paddle their arse once indoors for 'showing me up'.... ahhh... memories....

Then again, I help out with a cub pack and meet lots of really nicely behaved, polite children who rarely have to be reminded to say 'thank you' etc. Swings and roundabouts.

Completely with you OP. I get the rage when I see children glued to screens and it's even worse if the screen makes a noise. It's bringing your children up to believe they exist in their own little bubble and without any concept of sharing public space with other. I also want to scream 'FFS, why are you not interacting with your children???' in a slightly unhinged way

Good for you for having a word and sticking to your guns - I would have silently fumed but not had the guts to say anything People like me are part of the problem you know!