When I taught kids, they had to do plenty of basic drills and prove discipline before they were allowed near mits / pads / bags / each other.

That sounds frustrating.  They probably* all went down the nearest soft play area for some real practice as a result 😉 😀

*perhaps

Ugh!   Fecal Matter Everywhere.

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 I told him to be mindful of his locations and others

You hit him, didn’t you? You hit a child!

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Genuine LOL

I always go in with my kids; 1. its a laugh for all of us, 2. I can make sure, as there is a 3/4yr age gap between them and the older one shouldnt be his keeper, that they are supervised, safe, and respectful to other users.  Stereotyping I know, but these auto-pilot parents, who pass the job of keep their off-spring safe and sound once they’ve entered the building, and without any consideration till theyve finished their skinny-salted caramel-latte, annoy me.

And you dont walk up a slide ffs.  Why do they let them do it.

And you dont walk up a slide ffs.  Why do they let them do it.

To learn ’em not to do it again when they get taken out by the fat kid hurtling down it at Mach 2.

Karate kid needs sending to bed without pudding.

Or maybe just avoided for 5mins until he got bored of that game ?

And you dont walk up a slide ffs. Why do they let them do it.

I can remember parents like you from when I was growing up.

You’ve spent twenty minutes going down the slide,  it’s boring. What to do next? Go up the slide. Possibly throw branches at a tree. Or chase a pigeon.

Were you never a child? 😂

^^^^ Exactly. Let kids be kids. The bounce (generally) and they soon learn what is and isn’t a good idea. Of course I would step in if either of my girls ever overstep the mark or another child oversteps the mark with them but in the nine years of having them I think the most I have ever done is remind kids to wait in line and not push in.

I reckon it was Santa. He’ll be grumpy at this time of year, holidays are coming to an end for him!!

Ah, so you were the little git who covered the slide in mud and dog egg, in the park!

mud and dog egg

Just think of the reduced friction!

I always used to assume that soft play places were full of the dregs of society, and follow my little darlings around so other children couldn’t introduce them to drugs or molest them. Helicopter parenting at its finest.

As long as the white haired man didn’t look like this, it should be OK.

You shouldn’t have spoken to the Karate Kid. Everyone knows you should’ve just swept the leg. I always dive on the soft play with my son, it’s brilliant. You get to act like an idiot, spend time with your kid, make sure that they’re okay and have fun. Only go when it’s quiet though. When it’s busy the local Fun For All is Fun For Nobody.

no mercy

Keep em indoors and out of the way. The last thing we want is ‘trail kids’ to take over from trail dogs.

Taken as a whole, this is the thread equivalent of a visit to soft play – begins well meaning, goes off the rails once the juice starts flowing, progresses to parents bitching about other parents and their clearly delinquent offspring, my kids an angel, has anyone got any wipes? when I was a kid we used to poke each other in the eye (just kids being kids etc), has anyone seen my kid? sorry they can’t have been mine he/she would never do that, who had the wipes…? does anyone want any chips? no you can’t have any money for the bob the builder ride it made you cry last time, well he would say that wouldn’t he, who had the wipes last? is it time to go yet? what we’ve only been here 10 min? **** whose idea was this, never again

To answer the OP’s question, as others have indicated, there are parents and cameras everywhere, and you can’t get in without a child, so most likely it’s something to do with a parent checking on their child than someone intentionally targeting yours. It would do no harm let the soft play know your concerns though, especially if it gives you peace of mind.

I’d ignore it.  Probably someones grandad wheezing around trying to keep up – there’s really zero likelihood of it being anything sinister.  I love soft play, shame the have to let kids in to ruin the fun!

Quick update for you all:

I spoke to the soft play centre. They immediately raised it up to regional manager level and took full details as to what my little lad had said and what our concerns were. They then used the description to go through the CCTV from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left AND they checked everyone who came in around the time to see if they could match the descriptions. Two men did, so they watched their interactions.

It sounds like one of them – a ‘larger gentleman’ according to them – was playing in an ‘aggressive’ manner with one of his kids, chasing and being very boisterous. They couldn’t be ‘definitive’ they said, but they think my lad has got caught up in that and misinterpreted something, combined with being told off for moving a block.

Quite impressed with the response from the centre to be honest, but glad i checked it with them – as were they.

Thanks for your input folks.

Next time you see him, drown him in the ball pit.

quite a reassuring response that.

Quite impressed with the response from the centre to be honest

That’s really, really good, yes.  Though I suppose a “can’t be too careful” policy is wholly sensible.

Random aside – I used to work constructing soft play units in a past life, including helping build what was then the largest installation in Europe.

Doesn’t sound like much has changed for you then, Cougar?

From building playgrounds, for whiny, argumentative, snotty nosed kids, to maintenance of them!!

Waheyy I was right. 😄 good outcome 👍

Can i suggest that you also discuss with your boy – so he knows that you followed his worries up, that the man was only playing but maybe he did take it too far, but that your son was right to say something and he should always tell you straightaway if someone is doing something to him or treating him in a way that makes him scared or uncomfortable.

Thanks Jon. Good shout.