What would you do?

[Amoeba]

While playing with my 1 year old son on the swings at Goose Green, three boys, probably 12-14 years old started throwing their basketball at each other in the swings area. I asked them if they could play elsewhere, pointing out the fact that a basketball could cause a 1 year old a fair amount of damage. Sadly their response was to adopt some agressive posturing (in so far as this is possible for that age) and to offer retorts along the lines of "You can't make us", "What you gonna do about it?" and "So what if I do hit your kid, if you touch me I'll call the police, you child abuser!"

Not wishing to escalate the problem further, I walked away (with my son!), but find myself frustrated that I could not do more, especially as walking away will have probably just made these kids think their actions are somehow acceptable. What would you do under the circumstances? What would you do had a ball then been thrown that did hit your child? I imagine that what I would want to do would land me in a fair bit of trouble, unfairly so.

[Fliss]

I would have done the same as you. Unfortunately they were horrible kids. On the whole, I find the older children are very careful of the little ones. You had an unlucky experience.

Edited to say: This wasn't this morning, was it? If so, those kids should have been in school. There must be a truant officer somewhere at the Council! You could have reported them!

[Atticus]

I'm with Fliss, normally the older kids are polite enough. I do think that the basketball and footy goal are too close. The playground isn't really big enough to house ball games alongside swings etc...

You did the right thing by walking away, though easier said than done.

[Otta]

Put their ball in a bin. That'll p!ss them off.

[Otta]

Childish I know, but would make me smile.

[Jeremy]

I've not been in the new playground... is there a basketball hoop there? Were the kids playing by the basketball hoop?

[Moos]

Yes, there's a large area for footie and basketball (with a hoop) some way away from the swings - the Locale corner of the playground, Jeremy.

Isn't that sort of thing what the Safer Neighbourhood team is for?

I sympathise with walking away. I backed down from a confrontation with a very aggressive dog walker not long ago whom I'd (politely) asked to stop yelling and swearing in front of my kids. I got a tirade of foul language as a response, and since the idea was to limit their exposure to fxxx and cxxx, I had to ignore it. Made me furious for days.

[the-e-dealer]

Dog Walkers Barks are much worse than their bites and are only playing.

[civilservant]

Amoeba, they were trying to get a rise out of you, as presumably the playground is far from full at that time and they chose to play near you and your child. As Fliss says, these kids should have been at school, and I suspect that they may be already be receiving quite a lot of official attention from school, social services etc. Not a lot you could add to that at a personal level.

IMO, you did exactly the right thing, hard though it may be to stomach.

[KidKruger]

One of mine had a ball hit her in the face not too long ago while on a swing at GG playground, it came from the footie area.

The ball wasn't kicked 'at' my child I'm sure, it just comes with the territory where there's shared use overall for the facility. But balls played by older kids within the play area is not on. Those children in OP's post were rude and OTT, they behave that way because there are several of them and they don't want to be seen to back down. You could have enlisted support from other parents but that may be difficult given the 'tunnel vision' that some of them seem to have, ie. they only 'see' thing that concern them.

I There were some school kids stood at a bus stop on the South Circular near College Rd a coupel of months ago who had a leather football which they were throwing over their heads, behind them, into the road, for kicks. They just waited until the ball was knocked/rolled to one side of the road then did it again, and again. It hit my windscreen, they all had their backs to me while they were doing this, to feign innocence. I parked on College Rd and walked round corner to the bus stop and forcibly removed the ball from the lad holding it at the time, they followed me and threatened me but never got their ball back. I'd hope they think twice next time, it was a nice ball. My lad loves it.

[womanofdulwich]

KK respect.(tu)

[sophiesofa]

It's half term for some schools this week so they might not have been truanting.

I think you did the right thing, especially as you had a child with you.

[the-e-dealer]

Its half term in the Posh Schools!

[sophiesofa]

Not just the posh ones, some academies too.

[the-e-dealer]

So where have these kids escaped from?

[flapjackdavey]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

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> KK respect.(tu)

seconded. (tu)

[zeban]

Thirded!

[Alan Medic]

Yeah, but what would YOU have done is the question.

[civilservant]

Amoeba had a very young child with her. Confrontation was not an option.

[Tarot]

Maybe parks should have pay or pass gates now to keeep the rude and uncouth element out,and have those big american cages for the antisocial basket ball players to use.

[womanofdulwich]

If you are a 13 year old boy, its best to be playing a ball in a park than trying some "stuff" someones older brother has.I don't excuse them but they have to have space of their own.

[Atticus]

Tarot, what is that supposed to mean? this thread hasn't even hinted at class war. Reactionary Rik out of the Young Ones springs to mind.

What would you do?

[Annette Curtain]

Atticus Wrote:

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> Tarot, what is that supposed to mean? this thread

> hasn't even hinted at class war. Reactionary Rik

> out of the Young Ones springs to mind.

>

> What would you do?

If they were "foreigners" she'd deport them.

[Tarot]

Atticus ,everything on this planet is graded, even people.

If you behave like a antisocial person, then you are classed as that, and so on and so forth..

If you think there is not degrees of classism then you are living in the proverbial bubble.

The mother who had to leave the park was bullied by these stupid numpties so why should they have the right to space

to bully and insult people.

Too many no go areas are springing up because people like you wont accept that people like them do not deserve to be pointed out as anti social.

Decent people need their space too.

Too much is said about the needs of these poor little deprived, dragged up gang orientated,lazy, yoofs.

The majority rule and we are fed up with leftie thinking and bleeding heart liberals.

[Tarot]

Yes annie man ,If they were illegal they would definetly be deported.

Brittain is not a giant lifeboat for everyone to jump aboard,eventually it will sink under the sheer magnitude of "foreigners.