You know the one?

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Owners of children have no doubt experienced the delights of the indoor play area.  For the uninitiated its a locked, padded cell in which you release your children to burn off as much energy as possible.  They may vary in size, equipment and facilities but the padded cell element remains, this way you can sit back in the knowledge your little darlings cannot escape and you can take your well trained eye off them for a few minutes. 

Its hard work keeping your eye on children all of the time.  Try talking to a person behind a desk when your child is running away from you or pay for something as your child happily pulls at the contents of the shelf behind you- its hard work and at times you actually require your eyes to be looking in two totally opposite directions.  This is why parents turn to the solace of the indoor play area- they can bounce off the walls, climb up, climb down, slide and generally run around and you are comforted in the knowledge that they cannot open the door to escape. 

The one thing you will find in the indoor play area is the child who has a little too much steam to blow off.  They bully, push and run around like they own the facility and your child may fall victim to their boisterous ways.  You watch as they push your child off the toy they were happily playing with and you quickly check to see if bully child's parent also witnessed the event- of course they never do!  This leaves you a choice- march over and tell off bully child or usher your child away from the evil one whilst talking loudly about how some children are naughty and we don't play with them, in the vain hope that bully child's parent hears you and rushes over to get their child to apologise?  Bully child's parent never hear you!  So what do you do?  Is it right to tell off another child?  I have never done it yet and am not sure I would.  Should you go to the parent and explain what their child has been up to and that they are reigning terror on others?  I avoid confrontation at all costs so this very idea makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it. 

I have tried to think how I would feel if it was my child in the bully child role.  I would have them apologising left right and centre whilst explaining that their behaviour was very wrong.  But just maybe the reason bully child's parent came here was to have some time when they didn't have to watch their nasty child do nasty things?  Perhaps their time in the padded cell is the only sanity they get?  Either way I just make sure my trained eye is casually on my little darlings so I can check its not my child that others are looking at thinking how awfully behaved they are!

They are perfect angels of course so no need to worry! 
Perhaps ignorance is bliss!

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