My sister in-law (who is the absolute best!!) watched my kids this morning for me so I could rest. I had been sick all week and with my husband out of town…I wasn’t getting much sleep. Anyway, I called her, told her I was feeling much better and would get the kids. She told me to meet her at McDonald’s. So I did.
Of course I sat and let my kids run through the germ infested play area. Why is it that the brattiest of kids ALWAYS have to be attracted to my kid? I mean seriously does Zack have a brat magnet or something? To make it worse, this kid was like 8 years old. Go ride your bike or do something else. You can’t tell me playing at McDonald’s with a bunch of toddlers is fun.
So first off, the kid walks in and starts yelling at my son. That didn’t fly with this mom. I am the only one that gets to yell at my kid (haha just kidding…well sort of)! I didn’t say anything just yet…just watched. It got worse. It went from yelling to pretend kicking and hitting. Now my kid is no angel. But he’s four. If he sees someone older doing those things, of course he is going to do the same. However, being four, he gets out of hand MUCH faster. So I looked at the other kids mom thinking if I just stared at her a minute, she would stop yapping on her cell and pay attention to her kid. Nope. So I did.
I walked up the play area and said to the kid (and to mine) to stop pretend hitting and kicking, that someone was going to get hurt. Well that got her up off her swivel chair. “Excuse me, do you have a problem with my son?”…this is what the woman barked at me. Um…well now that you mention it…but rather than be rude, I simply told her that her son is much older than mine and I didn’t think he realized that the pretend kicking and hitting with a four year old would end up getting someone hurt since I know my son would probably get carried away too quickly. She didn’t say anything and just sat back down, on her swivel chair, and began yapping again.
Well wouldn’t you know. That pretend hitting and kicking turned to a game of chase. I still kept an eye on it. Hey I didn’t want to be that kind of mom that squashed all the fun! But just watching was going against my better judgement, and I wish I would have stopped it because then the game of chase turned into a game of chase WITH pretend hitting and kicking. Only the pretend kicking turned into an actual kick to my sons stomach. I think it was probably partially an accident, but still. Of course Miss Yapper over there said nothing to her son for kicking mine. So again, I stood up and said something.
I told this kid to please stop the hitting and kicking and showed him how he had hurt my son. Miss Yapper stood up and told me to not discipline her son again. Thats when the Mama Bear in me came out and I responded with “well if you did your job as a parent instead of bring your kid here without any rules or conversation on how to behave with other kids around, then I wouldn’t have to do your job”. And with that, I took my kids and we went home.
Maybe I was out of line. But come on. Watch your darn kid.
I do not think you were out of line, you did not call the kid names, nor act like he was the only one at fault. The mom knew you were right, that is why she got so defensive…
You gotta protect your child and if I was that mom, I would have apologized.
Go Miss Lela!
You were not out of line at all. If parents are not going to do their job, they should shut up about it when someone else does. I got into the same exact situation at a birthday party at a park where none of the parents were at the playground with their kids. I didn’t start anything cause it was our friends’ daughter’s birthday party, but if it had just been my son and I there for the afternoon I would have lashed back at the parent that had the nerve to make a comment about me breaking up an issue in the play area.
Not out of line at all!! I get so tired of out of control kids. Usually, the parent is on the phone or obviously just doesn’t care. I can’t stand having to sit my daughter down because theirs hasn’t been taught how to act.
GGRRRR
OMG you were NOT out of line at all, Girl!!!