Playground/park etiquette

[Peonii]

Hello!

I've been taking my 1 year old DC to the park lots lately (first time mum) and I've been wondering about what is the norm when you spot playground conflict? It's just been a reeeally long time since I've been to the park myself (as in the last time I went I must have been a kid myself!).

For example today:
There were two girls arguing over a ball. They didn't know each other but one had taken the other girl's ball and wouldn't give it back. The parent of thr girl who had taken the ball was sat on a bench outside the playground area and was on her phone. I couldn't work out where the parent of the other girl was. Both girls were probably around 8.

There was a boy stuck at the top of the slide because a girl kept walking up the slide and then sliding down and not giving him an opportunity to slide down (or anyone else to have a go really). The boy was maybe 4 and the girl about 8. The girl didn't stop doing that for the entire time we were there (about 20mins).

In the little baby part of the park, over 5s aren't allowed and there were some much older kids in there. Maybe around 12.

There were two very young kids - maybe a 2 year old and a 4 year old. The 4 year old was unsuccessfully trying to lift the 2 year old into a baby swing and then they both fell over - not from any particular height but just from standing.

My question is, would you ever interject? Or is that wrong?

TIA x

Edit: not all are conflict but just scenarios which I wonder whether I should help or just leave it.

I would not interfere with the girls arguing over the ball, i would have told the child to stop running up the slide for a minute so the boy could slide down but i don't have a problem with kids running up slides - just the not being kind to the kid waiting. I would have intervened with the 4 year old lifting the toddler by saying something in my teacher voice (i am a teacher) like "that's not a safe choice to lift your little brother. Go find your grownup to help you". , i wouldn't have said anything to the older kids because that's asking for trouble but if my kid wanted to use a piece of equipment i’d ask them to move for a sec.

Wouldn't of got involved with the girls.

Would have asked the girl to let the boy down the slide.

Wouldn't say anything to the 12 year olds unless DC wanted to go on what they were on. (My experience with this is that they do move without being asked)

Two young kids and the swing, I'd asked where their mummy or daddy was.

I don't get involved in any playground situations unless my own child is involved. I know that's not the approach all parents take, and it's down to your own preferences how much you want to parent other people's kids. I usually just silently tut and rant about it to other people afterwards.

Honestly, I wouldn't interject in any of those situations at all.

I usually only ever interject with a child if it was either causing an issue for my own child/ren or any others I am with, generally.

The exceptions are if something seems clearly dangerous (I would become involved to stop it/ensure child/ren's safety, but I have a fairly high risk threshold for this) or a child is clearly upset/distressed and not with an adult (I would comfort and try to find their adult).

I wouldn't get involved in anything involving anyone else's children. It's for their parents to manage, unless it's putting your dc at risk. If your dc is at risk of injury from, say, older kids punting a football around and over top a toddler, I'd either move my toddler (not if someone else's) out of the way and play somewhere safer or I'd just politely ask the children if they could play football somewhere else (if it's a really inappropriate place, like in the middle of the toddler part of the playground).

Otherwise, I leave other people to parent their own children, even if they are behaving badly. Obviously, if a child fell and broke a leg, I'd intervene to help, but that's different.

I remember clearly a situation when dd was probably 4 ish and was climbing on a very tall climbing structure, and I was telling her please not to go any higher than a particular point because if she got stuck, I wouldn't be able to get up there to get her down. A dad with a child playing next to me, said, oh, it's fine, I'm happy to go up and help her down. And I was like, no, thank you! I want my child to respect the limits I put on what I'm comfortable with them doing and I didn't want some random man manhandling my child down from a 20 foot top of a climbing frame in an emergency.

I generally keep an eye out for danger and that's it. Risks of being hit/kicked by someone on a swings or falling off a roundabout that sort of thing.

I keep an eye out for children eating in the park. My daughter has food allergies so if you take food to the park please try to remove any packaging and clean up spilt food. There are a lot of children that are touch sensitive and parks can be no go areas due to cross contamination of other peoples food on hand rails. Makes sure if they have eaten foods they have clean hands before going in equipment. Ice cream can be a big problem in the summer! I regularly have to throw away other peoples leftover food litter when going to the park. Plus it's nicer to play in a park without spilt food and litter!

I almost certainly wouldn't get involved in a situation that didn't involve my child unless there was danger eg a small child about to fall off something.