Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:35     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

Honest question, OP? What makes you think you know better than this mom? Why do you believe your values are superior? Is there a racial or class component here that you're seeing?
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:33     Subject: Re:Would you say something to this parent?

WOW. No I wouldn't say anything to this mom or any other whose 5 year old was pretend playing. Geez. We are headed straight for the cliff.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:33     Subject: Re:Would you say something to this parent?

I'm not a fan of gun play and I think it would be a total overreach to speak to the parent of a random kid about it.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:31     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

Anonymous wrote:Well, I faced something similar. I was beside a group of teen boys at an ice rink who pretended to shoot at the little kids learning to skate and falling all over the place. I don’t care if the parents were nearby or not, I turned to them and said ‘hey, guys that’s not cool. Knock it off.” They got the message.

Yes, I’d tell the lady it makes me uncomfortable even knowing the kid is just playing. Keep it short, sweet and to them point.


You know what else would be short, sweet, and to the point? My response telling you to get the fu(k out of my face.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:29     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

Anonymous wrote:Well, I faced something similar. I was beside a group of teen boys at an ice rink who pretended to shoot at the little kids learning to skate and falling all over the place. I don’t care if the parents were nearby or not, I turned to them and said ‘hey, guys that’s not cool. Knock it off.” They got the message.

Yes, I’d tell the lady it makes me uncomfortable even knowing the kid is just playing. Keep it short, sweet and to them point.


Oh, poor you. This would make you "uncomfortable." We certainly can't have that, can we?
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:28     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

It would bother me, too, but I don't see any way you could say something to the mother without sounding like a Karen. She knows what he's doing and she's fine with it. It's not your circus.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:27     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OMG MYOB. totally normal behavior for a little boy.


So boys will be boys?


I certainly hope so.

MYOB OP. You're not the parent police for the entire neighborhood. I have 3 boys and you'd be shocked - I mean simply shocked- at the "cowboys and Indians" "cops and robbers" games they play with all kinds of things at my house.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:27     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

Anonymous wrote:You would totally be a Karen doing that. It's normal play behavior.

It's called "PRETEND"!!

Get over yourself already. Unclench.


I hate the term Karen, but in this case I think it would fit perfectly. If a child was running into the street and a parent didn't notice, say something. In just about every other case, especially this one, MYOB.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:25     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

I would laugh right in your face if you said something to me about that.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:25     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

You would totally be a Karen doing that. It's normal play behavior.

It's called "PRETEND"!!

Get over yourself already. Unclench.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:20     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

Anonymous wrote:OMG MYOB. totally normal behavior for a little boy.


So boys will be boys?
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:18     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

OMG MYOB. totally normal behavior for a little boy.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:18     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

Well, I faced something similar. I was beside a group of teen boys at an ice rink who pretended to shoot at the little kids learning to skate and falling all over the place. I don’t care if the parents were nearby or not, I turned to them and said ‘hey, guys that’s not cool. Knock it off.” They got the message.

Yes, I’d tell the lady it makes me uncomfortable even knowing the kid is just playing. Keep it short, sweet and to them point.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:17     Subject: Re:Would you say something to this parent?

If you saw him doing it two days in a row he probably does it quite frequently and the mom probably already knows. I wouldn't say anything.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2023 13:14     Subject: Would you say something to this parent?

On my commute home, I bike by a bus stop in a quiet DC neighborhood. Earlier this week, I saw a mom and a young son (maybe age 5 or 6) waiting for a bus. I noticed that the kid had picked up a stick from the ground and was pretending to shoot cars as they drove by. As I biked by he did the same to me while also making shooting noises. He was even "shooting" at my back. I heard and saw everything quite clearly because I was on my bike. The mom was on her phone.
Yesterday, I saw the same kid again and he repeated his behavior. Mom was once again on her phone.

Of course when I was a kid, it was common for kids to play with toy guys or pretend that sticks are guns, but in today's context, this is quite jarring. In my daughter's school, kids are not allowed to do this and teachers are very strict about it. Makes sense given the world we live in.

I was talking to my family over dinner about the incident, and I said that next time this happens, I'd like to say something to the mom. I don't want to be rude or get angry, I just want to make her aware that this is happening and that other people (including myself) find the behavior unnerving given the context. My preteen daughter and my husband said if I should not say anything and that would be classic "Karen" behavior.

WWYD?