Rant about not watching LOs at playgroups...

[Samemka]

I was at playgroup this morning & Emma was playing on a ride on toy kind of behind me, so I was keeping my eye on her whilst chatting to my friend. A 'little' boy came up, I'd say he was about 2 1/2 - 3.....and literally pushed her off it so she smacked the floor with her face. She screamed & had a huge red mark on her head and eye so I wouldn't be suprised if she has a bruise/black eye

I stood consoling Emma for a good 5 minutes right where this had happened, with the brat who'd done it also staying right by me. She was making a right noise. Did anyone come over? Nope!

Right at the end I finally saw who the boy was with - woman who I think is a childminder & she was sat with 2 other women & I just get the impression they spend so much time chatting to each other they haven't got a bloody clue what the children are up to. Now don't get me wrong, I don't watch Emma like a hawk when we're there because I want her to feel like she has some freedom & not to have to do everything with me. But I always know where she is & if she's out of view I'll keep moving to see her. I'm sure when I have two LOs with me there will be times Emma might do something & I'll miss it but I know for definite I'd find out because I wouldn't leave her on her own for 5 minutes!!

I didn't say anything because I'm a wimp, lol, and because it's invetiable that Emma will do a similar thing to someone else & I didn't want other people to think I was kicking off because I wasn't really mad he'd done it, but what angered me was that he's not going to know it's wrong if no one is there to tell him!! I did say to him 'that wasn't very nice' but I'm always wary of doing that as you can guarentee one time I'll do it & a parent will race over 'don't you tell my child off...' blah blah blah - control your child then! Had a similar thing happen at a birthday party where twice this boy hit Emma & when I finally saw the parents...they'd sat themselves at the back of the room! Makes me so mad!!

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

i would of told him off... but i have a big mouth tbh ...then again these days u can hardly get away with telling your own child off .. let alone someone elses x

 

[Abz1982]

I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I am the mother who is always rushing over to tell my one off as she gets a tad too rough some times and we think she has finally realised not to push folk.

Its hard as I have had some folk say its ok, thats what kids do etc etc, and others figure she should know better. She is 15 months old! She doesnt alway know what she is doing.
But even if the mother wasnt watching, there should have been a supervisor surely who should have come over to check Emma was ok surely?

 

[HannahsMummy]

Thats really bad. Hannah can be a bit heavy handed at times but she just doesn't realise how big and strong she is compared to other kids her age. Because of this, I am always one step behind her... ready to either stop her or get her to apologise. She is 22 months and is only just starting to realise what she is doing.

If any bigger kids push her over or hit her and there is no parent or carer around then I will tell them off with a sharp 'NO'. Also, if Hannah wants to stick up for herself and push the kid back then I just let her. I know that is probably wrong in some peoples eyes, but I won't always be around for my little girl and I don't want to see her get pushed around by kids twice her size.

 

[babe2ooo]

i've been looking around at playgroups for jack and everyone i have gone to no one watches the kids enough so i dont think i'm going to send jack, its a pitty cause its nice for them to play with other kids but not if they people there dont take care of them.

 

[Nibblenic]

We have some childminders at a group we go to and Ive come so close to whacking one of them for not watching the kids theyve got

Like someone else said I would have told off the boy who pushed her. I wouldnt want my Lo to think i am condoning their actions or not standing up for or protecting her

I stay very close to my lo at these groups as she has a habit of touchin peoples faces or trying to hug/kiss them. Which in one way is sweet but other kids dont tend to like it

 

[Shri]

I too get very annoyed about adults who are supposed to be watching children, just sitting around nattering etc. Not only when their LO's are getting a bit rough but also when their LO's are not safe, eating sand or whatever. It's exhausting enough having to keep up with my own but it seems like every time I take Oscar somewhere where he can mix with other kids, I'm also finding situations where I am looking around wondering where a particular child's parent/guardian is for numerous reasons.
Just adding to the rant - pretty useless really. People are annoying.

 

[amie-leigh]

we have 2 child minders at the group i go to and they couldnt be more different one has 2 kids and is completely on the ball and aware the other would rather sit while her 2 children do anything they want including kicking Morgan in the head when she was only able to crawl
and i did tell them off
what i was meaning was it may not be the child minder thats the problem its the awareness of the childminder while being there

hope LO is ok x

 

[Mummy2109]

u shud of said something to his mum, i so would of. And i would of had ago at the little brat for being nasty. The end of the day ur only sticking up for ur child and if the mum does come over and start having ago at u for kicking off then thats not ur fault, the parents shud always be watching their child and if they dont then they shudnt have kids anyway coz anything could happen and it just shows doesnt it. I hope ur child is ok now

 

[Blah11]

i dunno im on the fence. in a way i agree, people should be watching their LOs BUT if he was only 2 or 3 he's still learning too. I doubt he's old enough to know that he hurt emma cos he pushed past and she fell IYKWIM.. thats prob why he was standing next to you when she was crying.

 

[Samemka]

i dunno im on the fence. in a way i agree, people should be watching their LOs BUT if he was only 2 or 3 he's still learning too. I doubt he's old enough to know that he hurt emma cos he pushed past and she fell IYKWIM.. thats prob why he was standing next to you when she was crying.

I agree with you - I wasn't angry at him for doing it because although he should know it's not nice to do that, like you say he is still learning & my frustration wasn't really at him, but the childminder who is paid to look after children & clearly isn't doing so! Had she come over after it had happened then that would have been ok - I don't expect her to follow him round everywhere, but she didn't...because she wasn't watching

 

[winegums]

hmm this is one of teh reasons i hate playgroups and things... my son has been sat on with his head pushed down into the material of a bouncy castle so that he couldn't breathe, pushed off of a bouncy castle, kicked off of a ride of toy, hide in the face with a spade, got a chunk of his hair pulled out................... etc

i have noticed it's always in the same couple of areas near me which i don't go to ANY playgroups in those areas anymore

and guess what... not ONCE has a mother apologised or even asked her child to stop. my son was as young at 6 months some of these times and the other children have usually been 2 or 3

once i was so fuming i tried to find the mum and turned out her and some other mums were outside sitting on a wall smoking! arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[MikaylasMummy]

oh i HATE parents like that!!how funny u post this thread when just on friday i had a very similar experience!!i was at a park which is about 30metres from a lake with no fence and our kids were playing nicely climbing up going down slides ect. when this little brat who would have been probably about 7-8months older than mikayla(she was probably about 3) started pushing my friends little boy.he pushed her back once or twice then just tried to get away but she followed him and kept pushing him in the back til he fell over!my friend was over there trying to sort it out and her little boy ran away so she just left it..the little girls parents no where in sight..then she started hunting him down when he was no where near her and pushing him over agressively!and she stood in the way with her arms out and forcefully stopped mikayla and my friends boy from getting up the ramp and then when they got past wouldnt let them down the slide..this playground is quite high for a two year old and when she pushed my friends little boy so hard he slammed into the back barrier(luckily not falling 30cm's to his right or he would have fallen off the equiptment!!)i had had enough we couldnt even figure out who this girls parents were and were discussing deliberatly loudly how that child was horrible and where are her parents so the other parents around us could hear so i stormed over very obviously pointed at her and said in a very strong voice if u push another kid again i am going to tell ur parents now LEAVE THEM ALONE AND GO AWAY!..she didnt even care!!we finally figured out her parents were two young(about my age though i am 24) scraggy looking ppl not sitting anywhere near the playground nor paying attention to what was happening even when i was yelling at their little girl!!!
as i said there is a lake very close to this playground for all they knew she could have fallen in they wouldnt have a clue!and if some other lady like me can yell at their kid without them noticing/caring how do they know a strange man hasnt walked off with her!!!
i then did not blame the child at all it was clearly her horrible parents fault and they obviously never ever gave her attention thats why she didnt care when i yelled at her!!
some parents are really harming their children by allowing this behaviour as they grow up thinking its totally acceptable and become an adult who goes to jail for similar things!

sorry to hijack and add a rant of my own =)

 

[MikaylasMummy]

oh and just to add sorry if a child pushed mikayla and the mother came over and scolded him and/or said sorry to me or mikayla then that is totally acceptable.the child is still learning to share and play nicely and mikayla has often had little tiffs with other kids to which i am right on top her of making her say sorry and it also lets the other childs mum know that you are responsibly caring for your child!i dont sit right near her but i will always know where she is and make sure if i hear a commotion check to see if she is involved..its what you do with young children!