If a strange child (by strange I mean unknown rather than odd) aged about 5 was bullying your child (age 3) and the parent of strange child was sitting, reading his newspaper and ignoring his daughter, would you tell the child off? I took the FB to the local leisure centre today as he loves the soft play area there and a little girl corralled him with a giant exercise ball and wouldn't let him move until another parent told her to let him go, then she refused to let him play on one of the toys there, and finally told him he wasn't allowed to play in the actual soft play area and he was to go away. That's when I intervened and had words with her. What would you have done?
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On our way home from the supermarket yesterday the FB and I saw this tree in bloom...
A few hours later the sky had darkened and it hailed. Today it snowed!
..........................No Rule of 3 today done. Instead the FB and I went out. He played and I read
The Book Thief and sobbed at it. Beautiful book, thanks for recommending it Nutmeg.
How do you get Blogger to behave and publish posts without messing up the formatting? Grrrr
16 comments:
This happened to be a few weeks ago. Three siblings had hogged the car in the playcentre for the half hour we were there. Every time my son went over to try and get in, they told him off. I let it go for a while to see how he'd manage it. He stood on the car. And when one of the kids tried to push him off, I jumped in and told them not to do it. Then he'd had enough and pushed him way into the car. And I admit, I laughed, because the expressions on those horrid kids was priceless. It was interesting because the people sitting next to us told me that the kids had been hogging the car for an hour and so I assumed themother had gone off shopping. But no, there she was with HER FOURTH BABY! I'm like, hell on a stick, you can't even manage three kids!
Oh, sorry, this is your blog!
I'd have done the same as you.
The tree is glorious. I can't believe your weather patterns though!
Happened to "me", not happened to "be"! Jeez.
Good that he reacted and did something though. Mine just stood there astonished that someone would be so mean.
It's 'new blogger'.. you need to go into 'edit HTML' and respace it. Annoying.
As for blind parent syndrome, I have no problem with telling OP's kids off. Especially if they're beasties. I'm firm and polite, but I make it clear I will rip their arms off if they attempt to bully my child ( or whatever ) again.
And little girls ?
Are b!tches.
Question 1: I would have done exactly what you did. Good job.
Question 2: I moved to wordpress.
It seems bullies are born, - so are the nice guys.
I agree with Float -why do the inadequate always feel it is their bounden duty to breed profusely.
But then we have all had our days when we might be seen to be inadequate, I guess!
MF - she was obviously only paying attenion to #4 while all the other's ran riot (or hogged the car in your case!) That's why she was there so everyone else could "look out" for her other 3 while she was occupied! That's the "modern" version of community parenting ha ha!
Velcro - #1 - I think you did well. A quiet but firm word in the ear is definitely the way to go. But be prepared to have some "feral" parents have a go at you for doing so - this has happened to me and lots of people I know!
#2 - my pleasure. I really liked that book. I also just received The Kaminsky Cure from The Book Depository - so thank you too.
#3 - like H&B said!
Nutmeg I really thought the father would come over and say something but they slunk off without a word.
I hope you enjoy the Kaminsky Cure
I would have done exactly the same as you. Often these children aren't given the boundaries at home and will respond OK to someone who does provide them in the form of reasonable intervention. However, it doesn't stop me fearing reprisals from other parents - who are only interested when their newspaper reading is interrupted!
As for the weird weather, no-one can say it only rains in England anymore - we have snow, hail, tornados and floods too.
The problem with the way the world is today, is that we fear stepping in and righting a wrong because of what could happen. We could end up in a dispute, being hit or even worse.
The instinct that comes from being a parent (an instinct not familiar personally to me, but seen in action many times) just kicks in and takes control.
Nobody wants to see their loved ones, especially the young or elderly, pushed around.
We have a RIGHT to protect those we love. It is our duty to do so.
Bugger the useless parents who do nothing to show their children right from wrong. If they don't like it, tough, they will learn from their mistakes when they are old and frail and need caring for and they find they bred a pack of brats who care for nobody but themselves.
Blogger sticks all my sentences together and omits the spacing. Ugh.
It sounds like you handled the play situation correctly to me.
Good for you. I well remember the ghastly little girl at our Mother and Toddler group who tended to thump other children. Her mother - who was and is a nice person - was always looking the other way. Said child has grown up to be a perfectly civilised woman, happily.
(1) I would have done exactly the same as you. Unfortunately there are some really obnoxious little brats out there with some even more obnoxious parents.
(2) What is it with the schizo weather? I reckon on bikini weather next week, not that I shall be wearing one of course for fear of being harpooned by passing whalers.
(3) Must give that book a look at.
(4) Blogger is a pain if you do anything else other than plain text, but all my blog friends are on Blogger so I just swear loudly at it.
MrsT (2) I'm avoiding all beaches, the Norwegian, Japanese and Icelandic embassies and the Greenpeace headquarters for the same reason. ok Greenpeace won't harpoon me, just try to push me back out to sea...
I hate having to tell other people's kids off as (a) I'm a wimp and (b) I get annoyed when people do it to me! (Which never happens because my kids are perfect and adorable.) But I swear I have just been opening my mouth to ask my kid to share/calm down/ get down/give it back/whatever and someone will interrupt me to do it. But I know this is not what you did, that girl was repeatedly being a little cow to your boy and I would have fronted up too eventually. And I say you were within your rights and did the right thing.
I'm sorry. I'm just not coherent today.
I see this post has every one up and chatting. Seems it's a universal problem. I have been known to intercede with a, "Hey, hey!" when things get rough -- especially if the bully is a good bit older. And what is up with the girls -- H&B might be onto something.
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