Am I an interfering old cow?!

[evamum]

I live on the corner of a dead end street, the corner is very very busy and cars come screaming down it all the time. Some of my neighbous kids (from 4 to 10yrs) play out in the street with balls/skateboards/whatever..

Anyway, the other day the water board came and dug a massive hole in the pavement outside my house, about 4 feet deep with pipes etc in the bottom, it rained, the hole filled with water and the only guard were some of those wooden slat type barriers.

I saw 2 boys, who I know are 5 and 6 sitting on the edge of this very deep water filled hole and told them to stear clear, half an hour later I told them again, and half an hour after that I said if they fell in and got hurt no-one would be able to see them, it was dangerous and to stop it now (at which point they wandered off)

I have been bollocked by their mum (who was in the house during all this) for scaring them and interfering in how she raises her kids.

Opinions please?

did you explain that you were just worried because it was a deep hole filled with water?

what did she say?

How stupid is this mum. I would be eternally grateful if someone had pointed out this danger to my kids.

Did you not say, Oh I diddn't realise you wanted them to drown in a puddle?
Ignore her she is riled because she has been caught out with a bit of shoddy parenting(she is probably too busy on mumsnet

Sod her, think how you would feel if you said nothing and soething awful happened, I would also call the water board to see if the can put up better barriers.

No she is a deffo stupid woman

What would she say if her child fell in and was injured and she knew you knew iyswim

I would deffo do the same thing

No I don't think you are. If they had fallen in, drowned and not been found until the water board came back or the water drained away then there'd have been a huge hue and cry about lack of community etc and you'd have felt awful (understatement of the century!) for not having interfered, and if their mum had found out you'd seen them and said nothing she'd have been even more upset than she is now. I think she might just be feeling guilty or embarrassed because she didn't know what they were up to, and you did. If you don't make a big thing out of it, it'll probably blow over.

I think she is incredibly rude and ungrateful. You had no choice but to tell them to be careful.

I would have spoken to boys then made a point of saying to mum "hi thought I ought to mention, incase your DC say some strange woman was telling them off, it was just me warning them about the hole full of water, as they were sitting on the edge with their feet overhanging, Kids just dont realise the danger do they? I'd never forgive myself if they had drown. Just thought I would mention it." I usually go for this approach because kids rarely go home and say "the lady told me off because I did this or that" its more likely to be "the lady told me off and I was just looking in the hole!"

Personally I would be grateful that someone had the sense to warn the kids off! But then again I wouldnt left mine play out on the road!

I agree with busybusy.
I've twice, while in traffic, got another driver's attention because their kids are in the back street, completely unrestrained.
Both times, I've said/motioned, that their kids aren't strapped in. The first one looked very embarrassed, said, Oh, thanks and got the kid to buckle up, the other one (who had 5 kids on back seat), just ignored me.
I just don't understand the mentality of some people. I'd be grateful to anyone who pointed out to my ds that he was in a dangerous situation.

no, you are not interfering. she is rude I think.
I would certainly point out dangers to children, better that than seeing an ambulance later and wishing you had, I reckon.

She was clearly engrossed in MN and didn't want the boys to keep traipsing back into the house and interrupting her by saying 'we might drown in that big muddy hole full of water, so can you build us a trainset and play Thomas has crashed into the skirting board and chipped the paintwork again".

I wouldn't let children of that age play off the premises anyway - far too many accidents waiting to happen with nobody around to help.

No doubt she'd blame the Water Company for their negligence if her boys had drowned.

thanks, feel a bit better now.

She is my age but a bit scary and I felt like a naughty schoolkid being told off in front of teacher so was too gobsmacked to say anything back.
Worse thing was she screamed at me when I was on the way to my car with my 9 month old DD, so I could hardly retaliate properly!

She basically came up to me and started screaming 'How dare you tell my kids what to do you interfering[censored icon], they werent doing you any harm. They were only playing' and sort of went on in that vein for about 5 minutes while I tried to get my scared and crying baby in the car while ignoring her, silly bitch.

The hole was filled in the next day but I am still steaming a week later so just need kind people like the Mumsnetters to tell me I did a good thing

I asked a little boy to stop going down a tube slide on a skateboard at an adventure playground last weekend - he had rolled off it halfway down and the skateboard just missed ds's friend's head. 5 minutes later, the mother came up to me, screamed abuse and obscenities at me, saying her child could do whatever he liked and it was up to others to get out of his way. She followed me all the way to my car, still shouting. Like a craven coward, I bundled my lot into the car and drove off. I've been thinking of all the clever things I could have said ever since

So I am not alone then! I have hundreds of things to say to her now...but at the time I just wanted to be gone!

Oh well, when it happens again (and I am sure it will, interfering when I think a child is in danger is unfortunately in my nature!) I will be ready! HAH!