If this was your child, how would you react?

[TinkerbellMama]

Wouldn't have bothered me. Please try to put it out of your mind.

ETA: What YOU did wouldn't have bothered me. What THEY did is crazy!!!!!

 

[chris1gill]

They are nothing short of TRASH if what you say is exactly what happened. I can't even tell you how many times we've had to tap on the shoulder of a child or adult in an effort to get through a crowd... And to do this in front of their child, T-R-A-S-H....

 

[tevagirl]

To me it sounds like you were just unlucky enough to have picked the same ride as a couple of rude, obnoxious bullies. It's not like you picked their child up to move him out of the way for goodness sakes.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

 

[Keli]

Oh my, I am shocked those parents reacted the way they did to you. Wow, that just blows my mind.
I easily could have been in the same situation because you did exactly what I do when I need to get a little one's attention. Often they aren't aware of the world around them and short of YELLING in their face the only thing that works is a light touch.

 

[Cindy B]

Let me guess.. Six Flags? I'm sorry that this happened to you. Thats weird that you couldn't just get what they needed.


We had a similar problem at Universal a few years ago. The four of us were walking in MIB in the que. After the elevator ride, you walk in a hallway that narrows.

This man wanted to get past us, and he physically touched my then four year old daughter and MOVED HER! DH was ANGRY! He got mad that someone touched his daughter and moved her so he could get in line. He turned papa bear and Universal handled it very well. The security came and talked to the dude and my DH.

The guy that moved my daughter wanted to catch up with his party.. which I understand, but you don't move little girls to do it.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Is it possible that your shoulder tap coinsided with the child moving so it looked like you pushed him? That's what it sounds like to me. Just some incidental timing. If someone had their hand on my child and it looked like they pushed him I would have been po'ed too. It sounds like they were just protecting their child from what they thought they saw. Don't worry about it.

 

[va32h]

I don't understand why so many people are shocked by the couple's reaction. How many threads have there been on this board about mothers having a "momma bear" reaction (and as an aside, I really hate that phrase).

Or threads about their children being touched, accosted or otherwise approached by other adults and the resultant horror and trauma of such a thing?

We live in a society where people are paranoid and reactionary. Seven years ago, I was volunteering in my child's classroom when I saw one kindergartner pulling back her arm to hit another. I reached out and held the girl's arm, stopping her from hitting her classmate. The girl became hysterical, her parents both hit the roof. They accused me of assault; wrote to the principal of the school to ban me from the campus (which he did, to cover his own behind), wrote to our Girl Scout council to have me removed as Daisy Troop leader (which they did not do, thankfully), came to our home unannounced to demand an apology, and threatened to file a police report as well. The whole incident caused a massive feud in our neighborhood, with some parents taking my side and some taking the parents' side.

I think that's the last time I ever laid a hand on a child that was not my own or a very close family friend.

Aidensmom, I could hardly ask you to "get over it" when I myself still have vivid memories of something that happened seven years ago! But we just have to accept that physical contact with any child that is not your own is essentially forbidden nowadays.

 

[jodifla]

I don't understand why so many people are shocked by the couple's reaction. How many threads have there been on this board about mothers having a "momma bear" reaction (and as an aside, I really hate that phrase).

Or threads about their children being touched, accosted or otherwise approached by other adults and the resultant horror and trauma of such a thing?

We live in a society where people are paranoid and reactionary. Seven years ago, I was volunteering in my child's classroom when I saw one kindergartner pulling back her arm to hit another. I reached out and held the girl's arm, stopping her from hitting her classmate. The girl became hysterical, her parents both hit the roof. They accused me of assault; wrote to the principal of the school to ban me from the campus (which he did, to cover his own behind), wrote to our Girl Scout council to have me removed as Daisy Troop leader (which they did not do, thankfully), came to our home unannounced to demand an apology, and threatened to file a police report as well. The whole incident caused a massive feud in our neighborhood, with some parents taking my side and some taking the parents' side.

I think that's the last time I ever laid a hand on a child that was not my own or a very close family friend.

Aidensmom, I could hardly ask you to "get over it" when I myself still have vivid memories of something that happened seven years ago! But we just have to accept that physical contact with any child that is not your own is essentially forbidden nowadays.

Wow! I'm so sorry you went through this.

Just another sign of the sorry times we live in, and how so many parents are just completely irrational when it comes to their kids.


OP, I wouldn't have a problem with you doing this to my son at all. He often is completely unaware of how he's impeding pedistratin traffic!

 

[TeresaNJ]

I absolutely would not have a problem with you tapping my child on the shoulder to get their attention. I've done it myself, always say excuse me and thank you when I'm doing it. Some people are always just looking for a fight. They must be very bitter about something.

 

[Martha7]

I agree with Tevagirl, who concluded that the parents were bullies, which is why they dropped it when your DH came around the corner and asked what happened. Don't give it another thought. They're not worth the brain cells!

 

[MushyMushy]

We live in a society where people are paranoid and reactionary. Seven years ago, I was volunteering in my child's classroom when I saw one kindergartner pulling back her arm to hit another. I reached out and held the girl's arm, stopping her from hitting her classmate. The girl became hysterical, her parents both hit the roof. They accused me of assault; wrote to the principal of the school to ban me from the campus (which he did, to cover his own behind), wrote to our Girl Scout council to have me removed as Daisy Troop leader (which they did not do, thankfully), came to our home unannounced to demand an apology, and threatened to file a police report as well. The whole incident caused a massive feud in our neighborhood, with some parents taking my side and some taking the parents' side.

I think that's the last time I ever laid a hand on a child that was not my own or a very close family friend.

Aidensmom, I could hardly ask you to "get over it" when I myself still have vivid memories of something that happened seven years ago! But we just have to accept that physical contact with any child that is not your own is essentially forbidden nowadays.

OMG, what a horrible thing to go through! Do you still live in that neighborhood? How are things for you now?

 

[Stitchfans]

Not directed toward you, MAKmom, but has PC'edness (?) progressed that far??

I'm glad the parents of a toddler I grabbed before he took a header off the steps at a restaurant last night didn't feel that way. (BTW, I'm not a parent, just reacted instinctively if ANYONE were to lose their balance. The mom was grateful & almost apologetic, but I grinned/shrugged it off with "Wow, those little ones can move fast, can't they?")

I'm older than dirt, but continually amazed at how a simple touch on the shoulder can be misconstrued nowadays...

Again not directed towards OP but this is unbelievable! There is many times I had to reach out to stop someone from bumping into me or one of family members at DW and I never once thought it was "wrong" and many times to get someones attention when it was very noisey. Guess I was lucky cause no one got nasty with me about it.

 

[slo]

I didn't read all the responses - sorry!!!!


Let me assure you, did nothing wrong!!!!
Some people are so ridiculously, over the top, defensive, that's it's making our world an ugly place I have done what you did an uncountable amount of times, and people have done it to my kids too You were being very very polite, and it's a shame that those people blew up at you It's also a shame that they are teaching their child that being defensive is okay - what are people thinking?!?!


I would be shaken up too if this happened to me
Hugs to you!!!! Try to not stay shaken up to long, because you really did nothing wrong!!!!

 

[Thats_for_Shore]

Some people have those reactions -- YOU TOUCHED MY CHILD?!?!?!

I think it stems from them being paranoid and overprotective. Or they're aggressive people looking for a fight.

In this instance, I'd have to think it's the latter, because if they were paranoid and overprotective, they would have been standing right there with their child.

 

[Disney Doll]

The world is full of *********, OP. You were just unfortunate enough to encounter a couple.

Normal people know the difference between an inocuous touch and a push.

Normal people don't get upset when someone taps their kid ont he shoulder to get his or her attention to say "excuse me".

 

[java]

Well I wouldn't be thrilled with someone touching my child in public- I wouldn't view what you did as stuff that would upset me though.

I'll share mine from yesterday - must have been the moon??
I was in Panera- and there was a person ordering and I was giving him his space and standing off to the side. Another woman comes up behind me. Looks at me and shoos me up! Says "are you ready?" To which I replied- "I don't think we have to worry about the crowds of people pushing in front of us." And I didn't budge. SHOVE IT LADY was what I wanted to say and she shut up when she realized I wouldn't allow her to boss me around. She picked the wrong one. Sounds like your interaction was with similar bullies. They think the world is there for them and jumping all over you was out of line.

In giving them the benefit of the doubt- assume that they were drunken idiots. Don't sweat it and realize that you didn't do anything that deserved that reaction. If someone put their hands on one of my children I might say"please don't touch him" but I wouldn't berate someone for an excuse me kind of move.

 

[Beth76]

You can not touch anyone's child. I coach & it is normal to want to tap a shoulder to get attention or want to show them where to move to by guiding them. But I have to stop myself.

I've certainly never heard this "rule".

I'm glad the parents of a toddler I grabbed before he took a header off the steps at a restaurant last night didn't feel that way.

Absolutely. My 3yo ran out into the parking lot as we were leaving a store the other day. He knows better than that, so my guard was down a bit. A woman stopped him. Now, by some strange coincidence I happened to know this woman. Even is she was a stranger I'm greatful that she was there to stop my child. And actually this has happened before when my son was much younger. That time it was a stranger. Guess what? Still would rather a stranger touch my child than a moving car.

I don't understand why so many people are shocked by the couple's reaction. How many threads have there been on this board about mothers having a "momma bear" reaction (and as an aside, I really hate that phrase).

I so agree. I also hate that term. We as humans are evolved enough to be able to reason that not every person that touches or comes near our children is out to hurt or steal our children. There's no need to go into attack mode.

The world is full of *********, OP. You were just unfortunate enough to encounter a couple.

Normal people know the difference between an inocuous touch and a push.

Normal people don't get upset when someone taps their kid ont he shoulder to get his or her attention to say "excuse me".

I think you need a new tag!

And I agree. Normal people don't get upset over something like that. Normal people can discern if their child is actually being threatened or not.

 

[disneyaggie]

OMG, those people were waaaaay out of line, waaay rude, waaay aggressive, verytrashy.

Sorry you ran into such jerks!

NO, I would not be upset if someone tapped my kid on the shoulder and asked them to move.

I agree. You did nothing to provoke these idiots! I agree with the others . . . these were not "normal" people. Just pathetic ones!

 

[Feralpeg]

If what you did was wrong, then I am way guilty. I've done the exact same thing many times. I do it all the time in World of Disney. When I go into that store, I am on a mission to get a piece of merchandise. Of course, most people, in the store, are browsing. I often tap them and say excuse me so that I can get by. I've never had a negative reaction.

Don't let it get to you. There are nuts everywhere!