https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 19 May 2026 17:23:02 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627697 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:28:57 +0000 .twist. 627697@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: I would have done the same thing. grabbed the ball and told them that wasn't nice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627684 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:24:12 +0000 mrbee 627684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: the ball belonged to the playspace... Olive had to go down for a nap anyway, so I just left. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627538 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 21:19:43 +0000 mrs. wagon 627538@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just read that to Wagon Sr. and he said "I'm not a naive suburbanite. I'm from the hood." Haha. (he grew up in Staten Island.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627536 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 21:19:17 +0000 mrs. wagon 627536@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would have taken the ball from him and said to his face "excuse me, but it's not nice to hit people in the face with the ball." and walked off with the ball and not given it back. I would not have approached the dad. </p> <p>Haha, I just asked Wagon Sr. what he would have done and he said exactly what I said! </p> <p>Maybe we are naive suburbanites but we both feel comfortable interacting with other kids when we're at playspaces or playgrounds. We both would not have touched him but we both would have taken the ball away. Wagon Sr. says he would have played with the kid with Wagon Jr. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627286 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 19:53:16 +0000 Bao 627286@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't have said anything honestly. I would have found a different spot to play though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627274 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 19:41:08 +0000 luckypenny 627274@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm sorry you have to worry about that. I think I would feel strange if some random guy tried to play with DD, but another Dad with his kids wouldn't bother me at all! </p> <p>I wouldn't have said anything to the dad myself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627270 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 19:36:45 +0000 MamaCate 627270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It is helpful to have your perspective, @mrbee:, because it did not occur to me to be worried about how it would seem if you played with the kiddo. Given his aggression, it sounds like you did the best thing. Poor dad and poor kiddo! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-627253 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 19:23:50 +0000 sarac 627253@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it is so sad that you feel like you can't even interact with another child comfortably. I hate the way we treat fathers. I probably would have said the same thing to the child, but made sure that the father could hear. He needed to know, but it's polite of you to cut him so slack for being overwhelmed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626995 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:37:23 +0000 Arden 626995@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: It's sad that you have to worry about playing with other people's kids just because you are a guy. All us women are thinking "just play with the kid!", because we don't have to worry as much about the reaction from other parents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626994 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:36:35 +0000 Cherrybee 626994@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's tough being a guy because people are automatically suspicious of men talking to children. For me, being a female, I would have included the kid in our game (and toned it down a little if I was playing rough) because I would have felt so sorry for him (and the overwhelmed dad, too!!). But I don't think my husband would have felt comfortable with that - I suspect he would have handled it exactly like you did. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626993 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:34:58 +0000 mrsmate 626993@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: Oh yeah, good point. I guess it is different for guys. Sorry you were put in that position but I agree with the others that you did the right thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626984 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:31:43 +0000 mrbee 626984@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsmate: I was playing a little rough with Charlie... not like body slams or anything, but I wasn't comfortable doing that with someone else's child.</p> <p>In general as a guy, I try to never touch anyone else's kid or even really talk to them much unless the parent is right there and we're chatting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626980 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:28:14 +0000 prettylizy 626980@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would have done what you did, and let it go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626977 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:27:29 +0000 anbanan15 626977@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I not confrontational at all so I usually just try to get away without saying anything. That was so weird how he got in between you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626976 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:27:29 +0000 mrsmate 626976@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I probably would have included the toddler in what I was doing with my own kid. What made you uncomfortable with playing with him in the first place? I know if my DD wanted to play with someone and wasn't allowed to, I'd be sad, but maybe I'm missing something? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626971 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:21:24 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 626971@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I would have just let it go and found a new space away from that child, which sounds like it wasn't easy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626970 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:20:13 +0000 loveisstrange 626970@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I probably would have just told him that you don't play with children who can't play nice.</p> <p>That poor kid. :( He obviously is just trying to get attention any way he can. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626968 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:17:32 +0000 matador84 626968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That is a bizarre situation. I would probably just tell the toddler that he wasnt playing nice and walk away. Who knows if dad would have even been prepared to handle it if you did say something to him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626965 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:16:02 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 626965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I probably would have handled it like you did since I'm not confrontational. But if the kid had been throwing the ball at Olive instead, I definitely would have said something. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626964 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:15:35 +0000 softcream 626964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i would have responded the same way. i hope the toddler stopped bothering you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626953 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:10:41 +0000 doodlepoodle 626953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh my gosh...honestly I have no idea! I'll be following this to see what others say! What a strange interaction... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-have-done#post-626947 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:08:02 +0000 mrbee 626947@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was at an indoor playspace, having a blast with Olive... when a dad with two kids sat down in between us (?) and started lecturing his toddler for bad behavior. I didn't mind at all - just figured he was having a hard day and hadn't noticed us. From what he was saying, it sounded like his baby had just pooped and the toddler was acting up... and the dad was feeling very overwhelmed by it all.</p> <p>Anyway so then about 20 minutes later, I was playing with Charlie, and the toddler started following me around carrying a basketball. The toddler *desperately* wanted to play with me, but I wasn't comfortable with that so I said to him, sorry I can't play with you because I don't know you.</p> <p>The toddler then started following me around, and hitting me repeatedly with a basketball he was carrying around. I looked around for the dad, but he was overwhelmed with the baby. Oh well, it's not the end of the world... it was more annoying than painful.</p> <p>So then I turn around, and the toddler decides to wind up and hit me in the face with the basketball! I said, "Owww... stop hitting me with the basketball!" in a loud voice and walked away from the kid. The dad was with the baby about 10 feet away, and I don't think he realized that his child was the one causing the problem. He was still in his own world...</p> <p>Would you have gone up to the dad, and said something to him about his misbehaving toddler? Or would you have just let it go? </p>