Was I wrong? Serious answers only please?

Question

So the other day my almost 3 year old and I went to a place where basically there's a whole bunch of imagination stations for kids to play. When you get there, you take off your shoes and wear only socks. So I told my son to sit in the chair while I put on my socks. This unknown little girl (probably 3 or 4) went and sat in my son's lap (mind you there's 6 chairs and this is the only one occupied). So my son pushed her off his lap. Mind you she fell onto the chair next to him, not onto the floor. The child started screaming and the other mom kept saying how rude and mean my son was. She kept saying this over and over to everyone.

I did not punish him. I mean seriously, if a strange person sat on my lap I'd do the same thing.

I'm also very mad at that mom for saying how mean my son was.

Is it wrong that I'm mad at the other mom?

Is it wrong that I wasn't angry at my son and I didn't punish him?

Answer 1

You were right she was the rude one and her daughter is growing up like her, she probably sees her mom jump in strange men's laps alot.

Answer 2

Wow, and no, you are not wrong at all, considering that there were 6 chairs, and the little girl just fell onto A chair, and not the floor. I believe perhaps the mom thought it was mean for your son to push her daughter off *shrug* (because maybe she thought it was cute?), but I myself think it's slightly more awkward than cute to have a strange little girl or boy you don't know sit on your child's lap.

I honestly almost despise when you're not even in the wrong and everyone else starts to believe you are. Of course it would've been overboard to attack (verbally, of course, haha) the other mom, but anyhow, I don't think your son is under any fault at all. Just as long as he doesn't regularly treat strangers rudely. This is different though. That mom kind of went too far as to tell everyone else of how mean your son supposedly was. Especially if (or since) your son didn't even mean to be rude.

Answer 3

not wrong, but could have handled the situation differently, maybe explain to your son that maybe he should not have pushed her quite so hard as to make her fall but just enough to make her get off, then to the other mother, that had she been keeping an eye on her daughter this might not have happened, and that as your son is still only a toddler it is not his fault that he did not want a someone that he did not know climbing on him.
i would then have told her to grow up and act her age, reminding her that she was a parent and not a child in the school playground running round telling tales.
so no i do not think you are wrong. i would have been mad at her too

Answer 4

I guess all mothers can be a bit 'hyper' sometimes when something happens to their child (esp. around ages 3/4)... she was probably stuck in a moment where she couldn't think of anything else but how her daughter cried because someone pushed her off the chair...

but just tell ur son next time instead of pushing someone off like tht, tell him to tell whoever gets on his lap to get off of him instead ..

And if you do see the mother again, and if she still has tht pissed-off look on her face, just tell her ur sorry for what ur son did, and tht he didn't mean to hurt her or anything, and then explain what really happened, because i think the mother must've thought ur son did tht without thinking.. and remind her that ur son is still a kid as well.

Answer 5

No, you aren't wrong and neither was your son. This lady needs to be slapped. She's already prepping her daughter to be on the pole! There is absolutely no reason for her daughter to be running around sitting on other little boys' laps. That little girl needed to be reprimanded.

You shouldn't punish your son either. You can just tell him it's not right to put his hands on girls, but his reaction was ok to me. If he let the little girl stay on his lap, there would have been a little problem that needed to be fixed. Kids are kids, but that lady was acting like on also.

Answer 6

The problem is not your son's reaction. But because of this rude woman, it might have been a good idea to explain to him later that he did nothing wrong, but maybe he should have been more gentle. But, really, nothing should have happened!

That being said, kids have to deal with things on their own at that age. The problem is that the little girl OVER-reacted, and so did the mother. SHE is the one who should have explained to her daughter that things like that can't be done.

So, basically, no, you were not wrong to have reacted the way you did. It's not as if he had slapped her! This woman really is not helping her daughter!

Answer 7

check to see if there are leash laws in your area, if there is, he was in violation of them by letting the dog run loose, no matter HOW it got out! It was nice of you to try and protect the dog from getting hurt or hit by a car, if the man can not appreciate that, well hes just being a butt! A person can take another person to small claims court for about any reason, so he may try to do that , if he thinks he can get money out of you. Hopefully you have kept track of the times the dog was out, if you write that on a calendar and the times, the court will take that as evidence of the dogs getting out on a regular basis. If you did not do that, as some of us would not think to do it (I didnt when this happened to us once, but did after that anytime we had a loose dog problem!), if you have anyone else outside your family who had seen the dog loose, they could be a witness for you if he should take you to court. I dont see the court making you pay for the dog as it was NOT your fault the dog disappeared... nor your fault the dog continually got loose. You were only being a good neighbor, unfortunately some people can not appreciate that! Check with your local animal control, maybe others have talked to them about this dog running loose, and if so, theres the evidence you need to prove it was not a one time thing with the dog! Best of luck with this, and next time they get a dog,if it escapes from thier yard also, just write it all down on your calendar and if you can, take video or pix of the dog being loose!

Answer 8

You were not wrong not to punish him, but maybe you could have told him that there might have been a better way than to push the little girl. The other mom needs to teach her daughter some lessons in politeness, but then again, she probably wouldn't know about that.

Answer 9

u were absolutely right to be angry at that other mom. the girl most likely had a mental issue that u did not know about and that is ok. the other mom had no right telling other ppl that ur son was mean 2 her daughter if anything, that mother should hav punished her child for doin that.

Answer 10

No, you did nothing wrong. I would have reacted the same way if a person of my own age or older, who I didn't know, randomly came up to me and sat on my lap! The girl's mother is simply a bad parent, and you need not concern yourself with what she does or thinks. Just forget about her.

Answer 11

You were not in the wrong neither was your son. It was a natural reaction doing what he did out of surprise from someone he didn't even know. The other mother just wanted to make a big scene out of it to belittle you and your son and make you both look inconsiderate when she was the inconsiderate one for doing that. She wasn't even watchin her daughter for petes sake. She could have handled it quietly and asked you once, if nothing leave it at that.