Going Mama Bear on the Playground

[katerkat]

A big kid (5-6 years old) shoved Russ down on the playground today - three times. All in a row before I could get over there to break it up. I ended up just snatching Russ up from the ground and carrying him back to my bench to calm him down. The other mother did not notice/say anything.

I just didn't know what to do. I'm not known for refraining from curse words and colorful phrases, so I didn't want to say anything to the kid because I knew it would be inappropriate. It probably would have involved threatening to rip his shoving hands off. I didn't want to grab his shoulder (ear...) and have him introduce me to his mommy so I could tell her what I thought of his actions. Heaven forbid I get accused of abusing her child.

Also, I figure if the mom was already ignoring the situation (there were only eight kids on the playground and he was yelling LOUD - I know my kid's angry voice and he's a lot littler!), why would she care if I said anything to the kid or to her?

Sometimes I really hate other kids and parents. I mean, Russ isn't perfect (God knows, he's FAR from perfect!) but he knows better than to shove someone. This comes two weeks after Russ got hit in the face with a chair, and the mom's reaction? "Honey, we don't hit people with chairs." And that was the extent of the "punishment."

 

[gmboy95]

If you want my honest opinion....your son is better off for experincing things like this. Clearly this parent is out to lunch, but where i grew up you took you lumps, and it taught you valuable lessons later in life about how to treat people, and how to defend yourself....It is a tough world out there and a couple of pushes to the ground, makes us that much stronger....You did the right thing!!....Maybe next time after one push, the other kid will experience what it is like to mess with the bull.....sometimes you get the horns.

Again this is all about where i grew up

 

[lovetoscrap]

It is probably the former teacher in me but I have never had a problem getting down and looking a problem child in the eye and saying (in my best stern preschool teacher voice) "You need to keep your hands to yourself and leave other kids alone, or you need to go and find somewhere else to play." I make sure I have that teacher stare also. Then I comfort my child and hold our ground. I tend to stay for a close for awhile and make sure the child knows that I watching him or her. And believe me, they watch you to see if you are looking!

It really does work most of the time! There has been a few times that some friends and I have had a "chat" with with some parents that were not monitoring their darling monsters and the preschool teacher thing didn't work. We have always been able to get it resolved. . .

Sorry your little one was pushed. That stinks. Give him this

 

[Aidensmom]

I went "mama bear" on the playground when my son was 2 or 3. An older child, maybe 7 or 8, pushed my child off the top of the slide ladder as he was doing nothing more sinister than climbing up to slide down, and he landed head first about 5 feet down. There was NO holding me back on that one.

First, of course, I checked on my child. Luckily the sand seemed to be enough to avoid serious injury, I just had a crying child with a small bump. I gave the child that pushed him, however, at least a 5 minute lecture on how dangerous that action was and how seriously he could have hurt someone, and the child was in tears by the end of my rant. The mother, 10 feet away.....completely oblivious. I asked the child where his paren'ts were after I had my say...walked over to the mom, and she had no clue. So I gave HER my lecture too.

We've never been back to that playground. I'm really not an overprotective parent, but that was a situation that only by the grace of God was my child not seriously injured. Sometimes the mother bear has to come out.