I have just returned from my second visit to our local Soft Play Area,
I have to say it has been a experience to say the very least....
and I am not saying it was a positive one!
When you visit these places you do expect other parent's to keep control
over their kid's right?
You do not expect a Mother to watch her child throw balls at babies?
You do not expect her to watch her child flamboyantly throw her self all over babies?
And you most certainly do not expect her to sit and watch her child, bite a baby in the face, before she decides she should intervene!
This is exactly what was happening today when I visited with Leo, and my friend with her 8 month old Son Zach.
Unfortunately it was Zach on the receiving end of the biting brat!
The Mum literally just sat there watching her Daughter do all of this, she was telling us to move her Daughter away if we felt the need to. While her precious Daughter got up into Leo's and Zach's faces and throwing herself all over them, in between snatching ball's out of their hands and then throwing them at them.
Surely the Mother should be the one taking control of her child?
Personally I do not feel it is our place to do this, of course I was moving Leo out of harms way and trying to keep some distance between them, while trying to keep my cool. At the end of the day though her Daughter is not our responsibility, and if she was I would have taken her right out at the first sign of violence.
We voiced our disgust at how the situation was handled, or not handled as it were. The troublesome Mother and Daughter made a swift exit after the biting incident. Probably out of shear embarrassment, that I know I would feel if it was my child.
I am not a over protective parent, but even I have my limit. I was absolutly disgusted with what happend. This was Zach's first time to soft play and he was terrefied of all the flying balls that were coming toward him, and then he get's bitten.
I am not a over protective parent, but even I have my limit. I was absolutly disgusted with what happend. This was Zach's first time to soft play and he was terrefied of all the flying balls that were coming toward him, and then he get's bitten.
This all took place in what should be a baby's area, it is a small area for baby's and toddlers to roam, and has a small ball pool. The area is actually for 'Under 5's' which personally leaves a awful lot to be desired. Surely there should be a place that is off limits to say..Under 3's? Somewhere they can play without the worry of bigger children coming in and trampaling all over them.
Under 5's is a huge age gap, and I would have thought from the age of about 3 they would be more than ready to roam a bigger area.
For some reason all the children seem to swarm to this one 'Under 5's' area to play, even though there is another ball pool (completely empty!) that they could play in. When I went the first time, I was told that we could only play in this one little area, which I have adhered to. It seems that even though certain children are obviously to big to play in this smaller area, they do anyway and their parent's just let them get on with it!
I feel that the Wacky Warehouse company should lower the age restriction on this one area so that babies can play happily and safely.
Signed....
A very frustrated Mummy
xx
Under 5's is a huge age gap, and I would have thought from the age of about 3 they would be more than ready to roam a bigger area.
For some reason all the children seem to swarm to this one 'Under 5's' area to play, even though there is another ball pool (completely empty!) that they could play in. When I went the first time, I was told that we could only play in this one little area, which I have adhered to. It seems that even though certain children are obviously to big to play in this smaller area, they do anyway and their parent's just let them get on with it!
I feel that the Wacky Warehouse company should lower the age restriction on this one area so that babies can play happily and safely.
Signed....
A very frustrated Mummy
xx
