What a to do!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...I must confess to something, I don't know what got in to me |(or do I?)...yesterday I had an argument with a six year old girl and had a go at a four year old boy! Good grief. I'll explain all....


I took Tom and Ben to a local indoor play centre called Monkey Business - its pretty good there, lots of slides, climbing equipment, ball pits etc - perfect for tiring Tom out and he loves it. I go there quite regularly with a couple of friends from my NCT group. There were three of us there with our children and I offered to take the three toddlers on to the equipment while Vicky, who's pregnant, stayed with Ben and Tasha stayed with her baby, Bea. There were quite a few older kids playing when we got there and our three look quite small in comparison so I was making sure that they stayed safe. I might sound ancient saying this but some children nowadays really do have absolutley no manners. They were barging past us, knocking the littlest one, Saffie, flying - colliding with me - no 'excuse me's' or 'please' and 'thank you's'. I pulled all three of them to one side as a girl of about six came charging along, said 'Careful you three, let the little girl go past' (me being totally polite), when all of a sudden she spun round and started to back chat me by shouting...'I am not a little girl'. I then stood there and began arguing with her about exactly how little she actually was, crikey, as if it mattered. She was saying, as she ran off, how she can't be little as she went to a big school now, and I found myself leaning over the barrier and shouting down to her as she sped off down the slide...'you're still little though, regardless!' What possessed me I do not know, thank goodness her mother was nowhere in sight!

To be honest I know what sparks it - I can't stand rude children. When I was her age I wouldn't have said boo to a goose. It seems to be the case though now that a lot of children do not have manners. It astonishes me just how badly behaved they can be - and it will only get worse as they get older. I try so hard to drum it in to Thomas to always say please and thank you, to take his shoes off the settee, not to run and shout in shops etc etc....I wonder simetimes whether I am too strict with him but I am just determined that my children aren't looked upon as I look upon some others....esp a certain six year old LITTLE girl I could mention....and that leads me on nicely to the four year old boy...eek...

There's a smaller fenced off area in Monkey business esp for all the tiny tots. Tasha had popped to the toilet to change Bea and Vicky and I were keeping an eye on Tom, Emily and Saffie. I saw this boy pushing Saffie over really hard and she landed with a firm thud on the floor, and consequently began crying. I stormed in there and had a real pop at him, and again, such a small boy, he just couldn't care less. He turned his back on me and walked off. Was I right to have a go? I think so. As well as rude children, I can't stand bullies either. They pick on those smaller and weaker than themselves and I abhore any kind of behaviour that puts fear and self doubt in to children's hearts. The trouble is, if their behaviour doesn't get corrected at an early age they will continue in to adulthood like it and surely if that's the case, it can only get worse?