Antisocial teens at playground - what do you do??

[TubbyCustard88]

Hi everyone! I am interested to know how you handle encountering antisocial teenagers in playgrounds.

I just took mine to a local playground, where there was a group of teenagers hanging around on the equipment. A lad (about 13/14yo) told one of my little boys to 'get out of the f'-cking way' as he was getting on a climbing frame. I asked him and his friends to watch their language around young children (there were lots of little ones about). I was promptly called a 'nonce' and subjected to an absolute tirade of swearing.

Aside from trying to reason with them, saying I had made a polite request and there was no need to be so awful, I felt like I had literally no other options to deal with the situation other than to leave.

I will admit I eventually lost my cool and told them to f*ck off, which I regretted immediately as it obviously didn't help!

They really were vile, and continued to shout swear words and repeatedly sing a little tune about drugs. It has left me so angry and frustrated! Would love any words of wisdom for next time!

I don't like to hear swearing from teens in playgrounds when there are little children about but I tend to keep my mouth shut about that because they have a right to be there too and we were all young and dumb once.
However swearing or nastiness directed at one of my kids would absolutely not be tolerated. I would tell them not to speak to my child like that and I wouldn't be polite about it.
I wouldn't engage in a back and forth row with them because it could quite easily turn nasty with the way teens can be these days.
But yeah it sucks that some kids have been dragged up so badly that they think it's acceptable to intimidate little kids and grown adults alike. Twats.

I've only ever come across it once. I started taking photos of them. Cue a lot more mince calling and swearing. The girl there had the sense to ask what I was doing and I told her it was so the Police knew who to arrest as swearing at people was a Public Order Offence. I then called the Police.

Didn't even get put through, they'd all scarpered before the phone was answered