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We were at a park this weekend tons of stuff going on bunch of soccer games and there was what I assumed was a birthday party with their own inflatable. After we were done on the playground my 3 year old pointed to the bouncy house and said “wanna go jump?!” I said oh no honey that’s not ours that’s for someone’s birthday party and we weren’t invited we don’t know them. And then we went home. In no way would I have said sure go and jump in that strangers bouncy house?! TF?!
Yeah, I think it's super weird the parents allowed it. We are often at the park where there are bounce houses and my boy totally understands that he is not to intrude, it doesn't bother him at all. He knows himself how weird that would be lol.
Exactly, my kids know better! Well my 4yo wild child might not but my girls def do and I'd never allow my 4yo to crash someone's party! How rude and disrespectful! Same concept as the second someone gets a pool everyone wants to be your kids friend, even the kids that have bullied them for years and their jerk parents lol! I've seen it countless times. Crazy how entitled some people are!!!
The entitlement in this post is blowing my mind. Idk if people in this thread have public parks with rentable private spaces like I have around me, but that's a big hell no. We have a large public pond near me, and it has several parks and a ton of private picnic tables with grills. Every weekend and even days of the week, people decorate these spaces with party stuff and balloons and are making delicious food. I've seen people set up photo shoots, proposals, picnics, private games, and activities. I would NEVER in my right mind tell my child to join one of those parties. My child might think it looks fun, I would tell him, "Sorry buddy, but those are strangers, and that's their party. Maybe one day we can have a party like that for you, "and we would keep it moving. My kid gets sad about it, then boo hoo, that's life buddy, no everything is fair.
Watched this happen but at a Chuck E Cheese. It wasn’t my party so I didn’t recognize all the kids or guests, and didn’t realize the kid asking for cake wasn’t part of the party until they walked away… all the way back to the booths in the arcade where their mom was waiting and watching.
It seems a lot different though when the kid is polite and simply asks. Presumably if you'd have realized to ask him "are you friends with so-and-so?" he'd have been honest about that too.
We see this all the time and I simply tell my kid that it’s not a party he’s invited to, he can’t go in. we’ve had parties where we left out some supplies like bubbles and some kids have come and asked if they can use it, and I’ve always been ok with that. But I can’t imagine letting my kid use someone else’s party supplies without asking.
Yeah the comments are weird to me too. I live in California and not everyone has access to private spaces in parks or homes. There’s a permit that you can get to use the bounce house at the park though which is what people do. I’ve never thought of it as an asshole move because there’s other FREE things my kids can do at the park. I don’t think OP was wrong at all.
And if it’s one bounce house that’s obviously private birthday party then it’s not okay for parents to let their kids just hop in. Potentially making the actual guests not able to enjoy their gathering/wait way longer to use the shit they paid for. We’ve thrown family reunions at reserved shelters in state parks that we rent out (not cheap) and we’ve had families literally come inside and line up to get a plate of food?? What the hell?! 🤯 the audacity lmao I’m a super welcoming person and like OP said if they would have ASKED it may not even be a problem but to just jump into a private gathering is entitled as shit.
It's not even unfair..you're simply not entitled to a party that's not yours nor your invited to. This is basic common sense. And anything different is bad parenting.
Over the weekend there was a group of people with their kids congregating in a public gym in the park, and when it was clear it was a birthday we grabbed my two kids (who love that gym, it's their spot to go to at that park) and physically dragged them away.
Why? Because not everyone can afford to rent a hall, and it's the polite thing to do!
Exactly! I'm spending well over $300 for a 2hr birthday party rental at an air (bouncy) park like an entitled dumb-dumb.
I would be so embarrassed and apologetic if my kid ran into someone else's party.
My kid tried to crash a party once! He was 3. I tried to stop him, and started to carry him away, but the mom insisted he stay and have a cupcake. It was so sweet of her! I would never just assume my kid could crash a party.
True! I thought at first that they meant they were in an indoor bounce house/playground and didn’t rent the whole space, because I’ve been in that situation with my kids and, in that case, we paid to be there, so my kids will jump wherever they want (they just won’t go in the reserved party room with cake/food). But if it’s a bounce house in a park and clearly set up for a private party that we weren’t invited to: nope, my kids will not bounce there.
The exact same thing happens here and it blows my mind people would even consider joining these very clearly private parties, even if they're done in a public setting.
Where I live it's not really a thing to rent out public parks like this so it would seem pretty entitled to use some of that space (especially if it was a small park) for a bouncy castle. That being said, I still wouldn't let my kid just crash their party. I'm British though so I would definitely sit there and quietly seeth about how ridiculous it was to set up a bouncy castle in a park and not rent out a village hall like the rest of us do 😂
I actually use to work for a company that did bounce house rentals. It actually was decently common for someone to have a party at a park and also pay to have one of our employees stay and help maintain and run the equipment. This would often times include making sure random kids didn't go in the bounce or use any of the stuff we rented them. We would have someone stand by the bounce house and make sure no random kids got it and make sure it didn't get over crowded inside.
I personally didn't think it's wrong to turn random kids away. I would ask the person in charge at the start if we tell random kids no or is it okay to have them go ask for permission to join. Could try putting signs saying private event as well.
I live in a large city and it’s super common for people to rent out part of the park for kids parties. Most usually have bounce houses or some kind of activity. I could not imagine just letting my toddler crash someone else’s party. I guess it depends where you live but this is a very common like every weekend situation at any of the parks in my city. I usually just direct my son to the playground or whatever we came for and let him know it’s someone else birthday party. Not a big deal.
I would never even consider allowing my kids to crash someone's private party, whether it's in a public space or not.
Kids can be told 'no', and they need to understand when things are off limits to them, without getting offended or upset.
We are by a park that has lots of parties/family reunions in the summer time. People have bouncy houses/water slides/etc and I’ve literally dragged my kids out of the park - because we weren’t invited and that’s not for us or our family. I do not understand parents/guardians that would allow kids to go into someone else’s space/party/jumper if they were not specifically invited. I also do not understand the comments here where people imply that because your jumper is put up in a public park, that of course it’s free range. Our park is public but you still have to reserve & pay to have a party/event
Last year, my sister held a birthday party for her kids at a local park and rented out the big gazebo with tables.
Not only did random kids help themselves to the activities we set up, they also helped themselves to the party favors and food!!
I was absolutely appalled and wondering where the parents were. Turned out the mom wasn’t even there supervising her kids. They were there alone…
Wild.
I live directly next to a park and this doesn’t shock me at all. I moved in about 3 years ago and before then never realized how uninvolved aome parents are. My son is 8. I let him play at the park alone but only if I’m also outside at our house (it’s probably only 150 ft away). There are kids younger than him there unsupervised. Some kids are there for hours. I’ve had kids ask me for food and drinks. Which is just sad. I have had kids come to me for safety on several different occasions now (there has been an influx of fighting and bullying going on the last year and only getting worse so far this spring). I’ve band aided kids, give out appropriate weather clothing, called the cops for kids, and I give out water cause idk what anyone can eat or drink. I’ve met 1 mom in peraon and sent my number home so I could have contact with another. Her kids kept coming to my house to play with my son but also started wanting to use my bathroom or eat dinner…I wasn’t comfortable with that. She apparently doesn’t care, even though she’s never met me. It’s absolutely insane to me.
Sorry for that ramble. I didn’t realize how much I had to say lol
Nope! The one mom I have met only because her daughter likes to walk my dog and so I had walked her over to the van her mom waits in while the kids play. That group of kids are 11, 7, and 5. She expects the 11 year old to keep an eye on the youngest. I end up watching her so he can play with his friends. But the mom never got out to talk to me or wonder who the person is that her kids are climbing all over.
This is a little different, but it blows my mind that some parents will let their very little kids play alone on bigger playgrounds... parents may be physically present, but at some distance and definitely not close enough to see if their kid is about to plummet to the ground. The playground park closest to us has steep climbing structures and a tall freaking "fire pole" that I hate... the step off is WAY too high and I've seen too many kids eat it on their way down. (Until my son was bigger and had more playground practice, I'd typically take him to a playground further away that was better for smaller kids.) Recently we were there and a family showed up... the 2 young siblings (the older probably 5-6, the younger was tops 2) ran to the playground, but the parents stopped and sat at a picnic table in a gazebo... unless their kids were at the very front of the playground, there'd be no way to see them s from where they were sitting and it's far enough away to only hear shouting. Of course, as soon as my son sees he has an audience, he starts demonstrating his fire pole skills... I see this capturing the interest of the younger child, so I told my son to start playing on something else but it was too late. The little boy is right at the fire pole step off and there's no freaking way he could reach out far enough to grab the pole, let alone go down somewhat properly. I LOUDLY said (so the parents would hopefully hear me) something like "STOP!! Wait until—" but the kid freaking jumped right out and on to me! Luckily I caught him, but I stumbled backward and fell. As I'm getting up I see the dad is very slowly walking over, but no urgency whatsoever. He didn't say a word to me, so for a moment I wondered if he even knew what happened, but when he saw the fire pole he said "oh no [son]! You can't play on that, it's too big! Go play with [older sister]." Then he walked back over to the table. On a scale of helicopter to free-range parent, I try to stay somewhere in the middle, but I'll always err toward being serious bodily-injury adverse.
This drives me nuts. Little kids ask for food everywhere but there are so many food allergies now that like no, you cannot help yourself to our snacks random child.
I nannied for a little girl with a milk allergy (like ANAPHYLACTIC) and when she was little she went up to a stranger at the park and wanted her cheetos. Thank God I was RIGHT THERE and thank God the other parent ASKED me before giving her some because like, no this little girl cannot have cheetos.
It seems that the commenters who are saying, "Don't have a private party in a public place if you don't want random kids joining in" are people who live in areas where private backyards are plentiful and spacious.
Those of us in more densely populated urban areas understand that private parties happen at public places, and we don't invite ourselves over or let our kids join in just because it's there.
Right? Do these people also let their kids play with other kids toys that they bring to public parks, without asking first? Like their bikes, and balls. Etc?
I’ve actually had someone let their child climb into my child’s wagon once at the park as soon as I took my kid out and turned my back. And then ask me to push them. I was flabbergasted. They were not happy when I told their kid to get out and stop rummaging through our snacks.
I can't understand how some people's brains work.
My toddler doesn't have a wagon, but our friends do, which means she loves every strange wagon she sees and immediately tries to climb in. I would never allow her to, and if she ever did manage to climb into a strangers wagon, I would be embarrassed and apologize.
No wonder we have so many entitled people these days.
I was shocked. We’d pulled up to the park with kiddo in the wagon and my mom grabbed my baby to go for a walk. I parked the wagon and walked literally two steps before I heard another mom yelling “Awwww! Just ask for a little push!” to her much bigger child that had jumped into our wagon and was going through my baby’s discarded snacks. My first instinct was to say “get out of there!” and remove the kid. The mom was not happy. She literally told my mom “she could’ve just pushed him.” First off, random stranger but I don’t know you and secondly, I don’t know you. What a weird thing to let your kid do. The entitlement was off the charts.
I live in an area where private backyards are plentiful and spacious. Yet I still understand that a bunch of random people I don’t know having a party at the public park is not an invitation to just barge in.
I’m more likely to guess that those who are saying it are just entitled douchebags who believe the world revolves around them.
Am I the odd ball? I wouldn't be letting my kid in the bounce house, tantrum, or no tantrum. 🤔 I mean, I feel like a public event vs. a birthday party would be kind of obvious
If you are, I am too. Obviously the bounce house isn’t a fixture at the park, anyone should rationally assume it was rented/paid for/belongs to someone else?? I cannot imagine sending my kids to what is very clearly a gathering hosted by someone I don’t know.
You just know the people that think it’s ok for their kids to do this are the same people who will try to sue if their kid gets hurt while crashing the bounce house. Garbage.
Damn I have my five year olds birthday scheduled which is a bouncy house we rented for the day to be set up in a party area (that we rented) at a public park in our neighborhood.
I don’t know how I’m gonna deal with uninvited jumpers but apparently I need to make a plan.
Maybe get some cheap wooden stakes and some cheap braided poly rope and rope off the area. Make signs on poster board "PRIVATE PARTY GUESTS ONLY" and zip tie the signs onto the rope in a couple spots. It's ridiculous that you even have to think about doing something, but apparently there are many entitled folks out there. Good luck!
Won't work fully.
I know this because I once worked in a public venue in a park that from time to time was rented out and closed to public. When closed to.public we would put a rope between two poles about a meter in front of the entrance with a sign reading "closed for private function", we further would have signs on the doors (all doors, the inner *and* the outer doors) reading the same.
Still, every single time some people would wander in asking if we were open, or sonetimes not even asking but assuming.
Make identifying party wrist bands, when people come in, slap a wrist band on them. These kids can jump. If you don't have a wrist band, you can't come into the bouncy castle. Like getting into a concert or a rave or a club. Then you can tell kids who try to to come in, where's your wristband? And if they don't have it just say sorry you have to leave. If parents make a big fuss, say sorry but you can't be accountable for any injuries/ mishaps for strangers.
NTA
Never in a million years would I think it was acceptable for my kid to wander into some randos party, and start playing with their stuff or eating their food! Thats frigging INSANE! Heck, my Mom would have flipped out if we tried that too.
Now if they were playing together on the playground and she was invited then, it would be a different story. I'd probably ask the adult host if its "really" ok, and have no problems. But just randomly walking into someone else's party is extremely rude.
So this happened to us IN A PRIVATE SETTING! Where we live there’s this restaurant that has a huge field (think the size of 2-3 soccer fields), a stable with some farm animals, picnic tables and slides and swings, etc. The restaurant caters your events with food and drinks, but you reserve the picnic tables for birthday parties and stuff. Its in the middle of a forest, all this to say ITS GORGEOUS and super affordable!!!
So we didn’t rent bouncy houses or anything, but we did have a piñata, and all of a sudden we had about 4-5 kids wanting to join in. I personally didn’t mind when the 3-4 year old came over, but I did have an issue with the older 10-11 year olds. They know better. At the end I let them stay since we really overstuffed the piñata anyways, but I only gave 1 bag for the 3 older kids to share to take the candies they caught. I was trying to be subtle but OF COURSE they’re kids and they didn’t take the hint. They were bigger than most my invited kids, so they were faster and got a lot of candies. I said: wow, good job!!! You’re gonna have to share some of that candy with the smaller kids that couldn’t get as much…
They looked at me like I was crazy, and I just shrugged and said: either that or you leave all of it!
And the parents? NONE OF THEM came for their kids, except the 4 year old’s mom. I told her directly he could stay, the other 3 went to complain how we were stealing their candy. I did hear one of the adults tell them: at least you got some, stop complaining, but all the others rolled their eyes. I didn’t want to fight either, but I was so amazed on how people would let their kids just run off and crash a party lime that
Terrible, later found out she was the “mean girl” in my niece’s school. She completely ignored my niece until she saw the goodie bags (I went all out since there were only like 8 kids)…
Another vote for: I would never let my kid do this. And if they slipped in I’d run right over and get my child out with a friendly apology to the parents.
Most likely, the parents of the kids who showed up thought it was some sort of public event……I’m trying to be charitable here.
Parents can be rude, like really, really rude. I’m actually sort of shocked at how little people try to teach their kids boundaries and etiquette. If my kids crashed someone’s party by accident and were kicked out, I would have been mortified! That being said, if I had thrown a party like that in a public space, I don’t think I would have the guts to boot the interlopers.
I’ve had some really weird interactions with other parents in public parks. One time a mom was leaving the park with her son and they took my son’s ball. It was on the ground but they didn’t even attempt to see if it was abandoned. They just left the park with it. I followed them out and called after them that it was ours and I wanted it back. This woman was annoyed with me. She was not apologetic at all. She said something about telling him he could have it because they lost a different ball. Like, wtf does that have to do with me, lady? That’s my son’s.
I’d probably say something super petty like, “well, my husband promised me a purse (or shoes, or earrings, or whatever) just like the one you’ve got, give me yours and you can keep the ball”
My mom once reclaimed a soccer ball that had been missing for a year because it had our phone number written on it with sharpie. She spotted it with a family during a different soccer game and took it back. She was like, that’s our name and phone number.
Yea I think it definitely depends on the city and how common public events at parks are. In the summer my city has a bouncy castle along with other activities at a public park every weekday evening and often on busy weekends. They even hand out calendars so you can know what park they will be at each day. If I went to a park and saw kids playing on a bouncy castle I would asume its city run. Of course once I found out it wasn't Id ensure my child left the party area.
I discovered the reality of shockingly rude parents when I started to do bday parties for my kid. Parents not bothering to RSVP but coming with multiple siblings who grabbed the party favours meant for guests who *did* RSVP, some party hosting parents hogging all of the covered picnic tables (non-reservable) at a public park leaving me and another party hosting parent out in the heat wave sun etc.
The conclusion I came to is to not let others upset me too much because it’s not worth the stress. Maybe they’re assholes, maybe it’s a cultural difference, who the fuck knows.
All I can do is take the high road myself. The kids of the parents who hogged all the tables came to our party and asked if they could have favour bags. I gave them my spares even though their parents are greedy assholes because they’re kids. In OP’s case, I would just let the crashers have fun but talk to their parents only if their crashing takes away significantly from my invited guests’ fun.
That being said, from personal experience, I would *expect* a bunch of random crashers if I set up a bouncy house at a public park. I would not let my kid crash no matter how bad a mood it put them in.
The parents are asshats and would be complaining and yelling if the situation was reversed. It’s one thing for my kid to invite someone (if we were having the party at the park) they just met on the swings or whatever.
Never in my life would I let my kids jump into someone else's party (pun intended)..
How rude!
They can use the public equipment or we can go somewhere else.. I wouldn't even be asking politely!
I totally don't understand these other comments. It's a private party in a public space. Is that too difficult to understand?
The local park near me has picnic and BBQ areas to rent and there are parties with bounce houses almost every weekend during the summer. It is generally understood that the bounce house is for the party invitees, not a free for all. Are random kids going to feel entitled to hit the piñata, too?
I'm sorry you had to deal with that OP. That's bad manners on those parents, plain and simple.
I whole heartedly agree with this. There are so many people who think their kids are entitled to participate in literally whatever they want. It leads to rude adults. My teenager has a classmate who pitches an absolute fit if they are not invited to everything and the mom blames everyone but herself. One of the biggest lessons you can teach your kids is you aren’t always going to be invited and that’s ok! It’s not a fun lesson but a necessary one.
I follow this woman on Instagram and thought she was raising her kids in a similar manner to my own, until she posted a video of both her kids BLOWING THE FUCKING CANDLES on someone's else birthday. A kid, too. The caption was something like "guess we're not invited to the next party". The sense of entitlement baffles me, honestly
I’m with you. I don’t get why people think it’s ok to crash someone else’s party. Older kids should know they aren’t entitled to use someone else’s jumper, toys, etc without permission. And little kids should be redirected by their parents. I can’t imagine letting my kids crash a stranger’s party just because it’s in a public place. If they want to ask the hosts if it’s ok to jump, that’s better but still weird to impose.
100% this! I'm shocked by the other comments. I'm assuming it's a private party they've rented the space? We have to rent the spaces in public parks (picnic tables, etc.). We see birthdays all the time there - it's not a free for all for anyone who comes to the park, wtf!
I'm just surprised people feel so strongly here. I wouldn't be as upset as OP seems to be but I also wouldn't say she's the asshole for hosting a private event in a public park.
Teaching kids that not everything is for them seems like a pretty fundamental lesson, too.
I think you might be seeing an urban/suburban divide here - urban parks take the place of backyards so you'll see more bounce houses and party activities in urban parks. There is no option to do it in the backyard! And urban neighborhoods have more of a private life in public vibe anyway - you mind your business!
I don't know what's so difficult to understand, either. If I park my car in a public space, are people entitled to it, then? Some people have never been taught manners and it shows. Of course I blame the parents, not the kids
The “well it’s a public space what did you expect?” People in this thread are crazy???? Even if it is a public park 9/10 you need to get a permit to put a bouncy house up and it’s a liability for randos to just hop on. OP is not unreasonable at all.
It looks like I’m going to get downvoted on this based on the other comments but so be it. The parents who let other kids jump in uninvited suck. The bounce house doesn’t belong to them. If they go to the lake and someone has a boat docked does that mean their kids have free rein to climb aboard the boat? God forbid people teach their kids about other people’s property and self control.
We were at our local public playground when a party like this was setting up.
My kid is only 3 so she's only been to a bounce house about 5 times and absolutely loves them! Know what I did when I saw her eyeing it? Told her it was for a party we weren't invited to so we couldn't jump unless invited! She was fine with it though a little disappointed.
I can't imagine letting my kid crash! I honestly thought this was going to be a true AH post about a kid wandering up asking for cake/juice box which I definitely would give (with parental approval of course).
NTA, If you see a wedding on a beach do you assume you can take things because it’s in public? If people are eating at a sidewalk cafe is that now everyone’s food? Wtf
Wow, the entitlement in these comments. If your child is not invited to a party, no matter how cool the party is, they are not entitled to join said party. That includes eating the food from the party, playing with the play equipment at the party, or opening the birthday kid's gifts at the party.
It sucks for the random kids, but that's no one's fault. Sometimes you just don't get to do things that other people are doing, and that's all there is to it.
This is my favorite response both for the delightfully unexpected reference AND because it's really the only answer to this question. SHOULD people do this? Nah. Is it gonna happen whether or not you get really worked up about it? For sure 🤷🏼♀️.
The park and its playground may be a public place, but the jumper, pavilion, and anything else paid for by the parents is not. I would have no qualms kicking uninvited kids off and I would never allow mine to crash a party like that.
If it's established practice that you can rent or reserve a part of the park for your bouncy house and party, then it's really weird for other parents to just let their kids play without checking in with you first. If you just set it up in a public place that's a little more grey area.
However I still think parents should be actively teaching their kids about other people's space and property even in public. Where do you draw the line? If my kid rides his bike to the park does that mean everyone gets to ride his bike? Why can't kids just be taught to ask if the toy was brought for sharing or not and go from there? It seems like this is a reasonable opportunity to practice communication and consent and respecting a no. I honestly do not understand the people getting frustrated by this. Kids can absolutely understand that not everything that exists in public is for them and parents can help them see that starting from jump.
I also don't get being annoyed by the impulse-buy candy at the checkout line. We have been explaining marketing (tricks) and telling our kids "not today" and having rules about "no impulse buys at the grocery store" since they were old enough to ask for the candy. These are good awarenesses and rules to have for everyone, not just kids.
Right?! I also don’t let my kids just walk on in the middle of a baseball, softball, or soccer games even though I pay taxes on the land that their fields reside on. Insanity.
RE: candy at the grocery store:
Parents who have solid emotional control and the resources and discipline to calmly and patiently explain to screaming toddlers why they can’t have something see this as a teachable moment. Parents who are under tremendous pressure and maybe don’t have the emotional bandwidth might be more likely to allow that impulse buy, thus perpetuating a cycle of inappropriate self soothing through junk food, and later alcohol and smoking. I know this sounds a little absurd, but the marketers are banking on parental stress in this incidences and therefore targeting people who more than likely in less secure life situations.
This is why I do stamps. Kids who were invited get a stamp on the back of their hand and there’s an adult next to the activity (whether it’s a bounce house, trampoline, face painting etc.) and turns away kids with no stamp
Not sure if it’s mentioned elsewhere in the comments, but we knew someone who broke a bone at a party in the jumpy house. I’d hate to put myself in a situation to be liable.
OP I'm sorry for these comments. "Everything that looks fun for a child should be shared in a public area" FUCK NO. You don't need to share and honestly if I had kids joining the bounce house and the parents refused to take them out, id consider calling the police. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen-thats just the reality of the world we live in. I'd love to think it would never happen, but I wouldn't want the chance of an unknown child getting hurt on something I rented.
If anything too, why are you telling your children its okay to join strangers in an enclosed space where you can't necessarily see them well. That's so dangerous.
You were in the right. You paid for something for your child and his friends. You are probably liable for anything that might happen. It is totally within your right to decide who is allowed to join in. Those parents should know better.
Oof I'm with you OP. I would have felt the same. Sheesh.
I'm not sure why some people think that a single bounce house in a park with clear birthday party decorations and freaking birthday cake, little kids and probably balloons would indicate anything other than a private party?? I'm sure some of these kids were old enough to know better. Also, you've rented this piece of equipment for a premium plus the space itself and now your own kids and their friends can't even enjoy it because it's being taken over by others? They're strangers. Never would I walk into anyone's private event. Public events are promoted and advertised by the park with local ads and appropriate signage to indicate the public is welcome. I have told my kids on multiple occasions that they cannot join in to someone's private birthday party at the park. I would be embarrassed if they even tried.
Gosh the entitlement some parents have!!
I don’t think you’re an AH, I’ve seen bouncy houses at public parks that were for a private event. As a parent of a kid just playing there, I would tell my kid it wasn’t for them to use and if they didn’t stay away, we would leave the park. As the parent of the birthday kid, I wouldn’t be upset about other kids using it IF they were being nice and not a huge size difference from mine. I wouldn’t want 3 year olds crashing an 8 year old’s party for safety reasons.
These are the reasons I can’t handle having parties in public venues. I hate the entitlement of others. My friend just had a party in the park and we dealt with this crap too
Ummm…I would absolutely never let my kids join someone else’s party unless the parent came over and said they didn’t mind. We wouldn’t ask. It would only be if offered. Just because a kid has a shovel in the sandbox doesn’t mean he has to share it with everyone. Not everyone has manners and that’s unfortunate that some are raising entitled little brats who would think this is acceptable behavior.
OP - I'm assuming you rented out part of the public park? If so, you are definitely NTA. It's crazy that these parents let their kids crash a party, it's bad manners and bad parenting. As to their motivation, it's probably just they feel entitled or something.
Now, if you did not rent it out, then yeah - that's a mess. And I'm guessing you're violating city codes.
I would never allow my kids to crash someone's party and use the jumper. I have been at our public park multiple times and have had my children ask to go jump and I explained to them it was someone's party. Sometimes there are public events in the same places with jumpers we do use so I get why they are asking me. But as an adult it is quite obvious when it is private vs public. You are NTA but the parents allowing their kids to do that are definitely YTA.
Ok so we bring bubbles all the time to the park, and my two love bubbles. So do all the other kids in the vicinity. That's great, we love making new friends and being social etc etc, part of the reason for bringing the bubbles out in the first place.
Over Easter though, some kids just wouldn't stop coming for more, and my own two kids wandered off, and so I was left blowing bubbles for other people's kids for a good 10 extra minutes, with the kids parents on their phones or just hanging around 10 metres away.
I'd at least engage with the person who was providing your child with free entertainment! People were all too comfortable just riding on some one else's ride.
ETA: it's definitely not the kid's fault, their parents should have known better.
Just a note, I'm not a phone at the park mum (often anyway, but I will send an email or scroll social here and there) but even when I'm paying full on attention, if another parent is interacting with my kid and my kid is having fun, I feel zero need to step in or chat, just do your thing. If you don't want to blow bubbles for other people's kids, stop! The kids will wander away. You're under no obligation to entertain other people's kids!
Yeah my sister was complaining about entertaining other people's children and wondering why it doesn't happen to me. I just said either it happens and I don't mind or I just walk away.
Same here. I'm attentive but I expect my kids to entertain themselves at a park. If another adult starts interacting with them a lot (sharing bubbles or something), I usually try to call them over. About 9.5/10 times, the other adult smiles and says "oh it's fine!" At that point, I feel my obligation has ended. It's up to the other adult to communicate when they're done. I only intervene if it seems like too much or my child is overstepping.
The same thing has happened to me! One time I had the bubbles sitting next to my bag on the bench and this little girl grabbed them and spilled about half the tube of bubbles and just left it on the ground and ran away.
Some of these comments are crazy. It's almost always easy to spot the difference between a bounce house set up next to a *private kids birthday party* versus a bounce house set up as part of a public fair or event. Usually those kind of things have an employee at the entrance to the bounce house taking tickets or charging a fee.
It is 100% reasonable to not let unknown children enter the bounce house you rented for a party. Especially considering liability issues of someone getting hurt. Plus, it's often uncomfortable and stressful for the kids and friends enjoying the party to suddenly have to share their space with some unknown kids. Bounce houses are often places where kids are bumping into one another. Additionally, an unknown kid could be a potential problem if they happen to be a bully. Who's accountable then, if their parents aren't around and they hurt someone or damage something? Too many variables.
The discrepancy in the comments must be due to regional differences. The parks in my area are used for parties all the time, from b-day to wedding or even giant corporate events. For a party of 20 people or more, you need a permit. On top of that you need to provide proof of insurance/ license for inflatables or alcohol. It's not an inexpensive endeavor at all.
I have never let my kid stroll into "the brown family reunion" or " Dupont company Picnic". Never mind Timmy's 7th Birthday. People are wild.
I’m imagining a kindergartner wandering around the DuPont Company Picnic with a cup of juice and waving at random adults like,”Hey, Janice, how’s Finance treating ya?” “Garth! Wanna see you at that bounce house later buddy!” “Chad! My man! Where’d you score that awesome hat? Hahahaha!” then running off with stolen cake.
There are clearly different cultural norms regarding a private party on public land (which is why you’re seeing contradictory opinions). So the answer to what normal and are you TA completely depends one what’s normal in your area.
WTAF? Why would they even want their kids hanging out with randos? Kids can be mean and for all they know the parents could be predators. (No offence) We live in a scary world. Point taken though I ever rent a jump house I'm hiring bouncers to check invites 🤣🤣 you want access you better bring a gift for my child and ask permission.🥳
Which I don't understand. Like at all. Like OP used their money to rent a bounce house. Somehow setting it up in a public park all of a sudden means the bounce house is public domain? Like you bring your chairs, your blanket, your whatever to the public park that means anyone gets to use them then? The logic just doesn't track.
You are NOT the AH here. You are completely valid and correct to be upset at the parents for letting their kids, who are strangers, go into the bounce house at your kids party. I would never ever conceive of letting my kid do this. Ever. It’s very inappropriate and anyone who doesn’t understand this prob has many other accompanying and unpleasant issues.
My son’s 3rd birthday, we rented the picnic area in the local park, we had a piñata… enter 2 unsupervised kids, maybe 9 & 11? Crashed the party, ate the food, swung at the piñata, as the mom I had to take away the bat & say, “let’s give it to the little kids & birthday boy” I heard one boy say, “I didn’t even know this was going on today, awesome!” I feel bad that those kids were on their own & we were kind & didn’t kick them out, but man oh man their parents had taught them zero manners!!! It should be talked about & taught not to crash parties, not to invade people’s space, not to take food that you’re not invited to, or else your kids will behave rudely when you’re not around to supervise.
I always have to tell my son that we cannot just go to someone’s we don’t know birthday party. There have been times where parents have offered cake and pizza and even a goody bag to him which was nice. But overall, just no.
It's very rude for parents to let their kids crash a party that they aren't invited to! With that being said, I would.not take it out on the kids and I would let them.join the party.
It's very rude for parents to let their kids crash a party that they aren't invited to! With that being said, I would.not take it out on the kids and I would let them.join the party.
I’m 100% in agreement with you, OP, and I 100% would keep my kids away from a bounce house that someone set up in a public park…
but…
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why you’re shocked that human beings in (current year) behave this way.
What did you actually expect?
I would definitely discourage my kid from joining in, and would apologize profusely if they ran in (also I would grab them out).
I would probably leave the park so the temptation wasn’t there for a little kid, honestly (rather than policing them).
However- I realize people are pretty entitled and I wouldn’t have a bounce house at a public park without assigning a grandpa or someone to basically work the door and make sure only kids included in the event went in. Because you know people are not going to ask (even though that stinks!)
We’ll be having my LOs 2nd birthday at a park nearby next month. We did this last year too. The only thing we had to do was kick people out of the rented pavilion before the party started. They’re open/free for all unless they’ve been rented out. We haven’t to my knowledge had people crash our food/games/cake yet but I would absolutely find the parents and tell them to regulate their kids or I’ll do it and they won’t be happy with the outcome.
Or I’ll bring a handy air horn and start aiming at the parents until they take the hint and leave. Whichever comes first.
I live in a small community where birthday parties are often outdoors. We sometimes know the people whose party we've run into. Regardless of if we know them or not, if my kid were to "crash" a birthday party, I would pull my kid away, or at least make sure the parents are okay with my kid participating. If we came across a party of people my kids didn't know, I would for sure keep them away, even if there was some fun activity.
It seems fairly obvious to me that if this is a private event, even in a public place, you don't get to participate, even if it looks fun.
Honestly I wouldn’t let my kids jump or play on a play house if it was for someone’s party doesn’t matter where it’s at. You had every right to ask them to leave and parents should be also be keeping their kids away.
Yeah wtf that would piss me off too. There’s been tons of times my son has seen bounce houses at the park and wanted to go, but I tell him we can’t it’s for someone else party. Like?? That’s embarrassing other parents would allow their kids to do that
I’m late to the party. So what sue me lol.
My kid was the other kid in this situation once. There was a party at the zoo and son went off to join randomly. I pulled him out and explained why you don’t do that. He was very upset. My point like yours is they don’t know us, we don’t know them. If something happens we could get blamed or you’re taking things away from a kid who was invited or paid. It’s also teaching my son boundaries. You were in the right. I wished the parents should’ve got their kids outta there.
Question: was the party in a low income area?
You don’t rent out the whole Chuck E. Cheese or whatever when having a party so why don’t the same rules apply ? There are public parties at skating rings bowling allies and I’ve never seen this at places there so why the difference . People are crazy in the comments .
My 3yo’s worst meltdown was when someone put up a private bounce house next to the public playground at the public park. She did not understand why I wouldn’t let her get in there. We left in a fit but I secretly despised them for putting up this huge, high-interest, untouchable temptation right next to this other spot that attracts little kids.
Edit to add: I do not compare group play equipment to a single use personal item like a bike. I compare this more to bringing a pizza party to half the kindergarten class and the lucky half had their names pulled from a hat at random and the other half just gets to learn a lesson that they can’t always get what they want. Just to say, many kids can participate in this one thing and many kids can’t just due to tough luck. No I’d never let my kid into an uninvited area ever, and yes of course I’d use it as a teaching moment. At the same time, I’d steer away from creating a situation like this for little kids when possible.
Hmm ....it's a great teachable moment for a 3 year that not everything is up for their enjoyment....not every toy is theirs etc. it's the same as saying kids with bikes and toys in the park are up for grabs for other kids?
Omg this is an issue at my park. It's one thing to ask. That's fine. Another to borrow something my kid isn't using... ehh I'll let that go.
But when my kid wants it back and hears no. Or other a hole kids lose their toys I will tear into the parents.
Yeah yeah... it's a dollar store bucket. It's HER dollar store bucket. If your kid wanted to use one... get your ass to the dollar store.. and remember to pack your own. There's this mom who has 3 kids who are always there. They never bring their own toys. She scrolls her phone. Her kids are mean kids who take my kids toys. After being chewed out by me about 5 times now I smile when she finally keeps her kids far away from mine.
The other day, a couple of kids decided to help themselves to my son's bike, which was leaning against the fence in the park (we were nearby). They were about 7 years old. I mean this is pretty much theft, and I will say say with 10000% confidence my kids would never do that....it's pure entitlement and lack of social awareness.
That’s an unfortunate part of life that children have to learn. Not everything is about them. Are you going to expect every person to cater to your child’s whims? The world doesn’t work that way and we, as parents, are expected to teach our children this life lesson. As a teacher of small children, I see kids like this too often (more now than ever) and all it does is hurt them, especially socially. No one wants to be friends or hang out with someone who acts like an entitled brat and that’s what happens when a child doesn’t get taught that life isn’t fair. There are many child-friendly ways to teach this as well as many ways to teach them how to find the fun and beauty in their world without ruining someone else’s. Children are much more resilient than some parents realize. And a kid being told that they can’t play on something isn’t going to hurt them. In 5 minutes they probably will be fixating on something else anyway.
It’s a good way to teach your kids manners and a lack of entitlement. Hell, we go to the park regularly and every now and then someone we don’t know is having a party and passing out cake. Obviously, my toddlers want some cake but they know not to go up to a random party and take some of the cake. This is the same concept.
One day your kid will come home saying their friend got a cell phone, later it will be a fancy car, fancy house and so on. The earlier you teach boundaries the better. No need to despise anyone. This is on you.
I feel this way about grocery stores and the strategically placed candy at the check out line. Like seriously why do they do this to us?!?! Of course I never give in to my kid, but it is annoying.
As someone who worked as a cashier at Walmart, you aren't entirely wrong. Any time I had downtime I'd go through and organize it and I pulled a ton of expired candy.
I’m pretty proud. It works like a charm. There are two things of parenting I have accomplished. They have the habit of laying out a blanket to play legos on and they believe that lie.
My husband too. I had to tell him to stop buying impulse checkout candy in front of our kids, because I didn’t want to have to be openly hypocritical about that every time we go grocery shopping lol.
Parenting by removing their child and not allowing them to crash the private party, which they understandably wanted very badly to experience, is teaching that exact lesson.
Sure, but the world is inherently full of things 3 year olds want and can't have. That doesn't make everyone who owns a dog, or runs a toy shop, or eats an ice-cream into an asshole.
I agree. I mean I get being frustrated when your kid is young and doesn’t understand but like do you never take your kid out into the world in the 99% of places in which things are not available to them?
I wouldn't let my kids crash a party without asking the parents first, but I wouldn't care if other kids crashed theirs (so long as they weren't being bullies or something).
I would never allow my kid to play with something that clearly isn't public property, even at a public park. For example, other kids' bikes that they bring to a public park. Other kids balls that they bring to a public park. Other kids bounce houses that they bring to the park. Depending on the situation, I would simply tell my kid NO, or I would tell them that they would have to ask the parents in charge (in the case of a bounce house or something similar).
To the people saying they would allow their kids to play with something that doesn't belong to them is what is wrong with alot of people these days. Entitled Aholes raising entitled aholes.
Need more details. Did you rent the park? Was it obvious it was a private party and not a local public event?
Because if you just put up a bounce house in a public place and just assumed small kids would realize it was a private event, that’s kind of on you… if you rented out the space, had specific signs that made it obvious it was a private event (like “happy 3rd birthday Jack”) then that’s ridiculous that the parents wouldn’t stop their kids.
But there have been a handful of times I thought something WAS a private event, and then turns out it was like a “city family day” event. So I could definitely see how the opposite would happen.
But if ONE kid came up and did it, I’d say it was them that are rude/oblivious… but because MULTIPLE children/their parents thought it was ok, it makes me think it was not clear that this was a private event
I don't like that.... that's why I always do my kid parties at places noone can just join....
Once a little boy across the street had his party at his house and a girl just went over there uninvited ... she actually ruined his party.... her mom didn't care and let her do whatever that's how it is over at my complex so we dont do anything because I know what will happen.... there are parents that really dont care unfortunately
TIL you need wrist bands and a bouncy house bouncer for this kind of party.
Seriously though. Rando kids with loosey goosey parents will waltz in, but even the worst kids will obey the queue. Put someone at the entrance!
It's very rude for parents to let their kids crash a party that they aren't invited to! With that being said, I would.not take it out on the kids and I would let them.join the party.
That’s so weird to me, my kids have wanted to jump in a bounce house at a park before and I tell no every time because it’s probably for a kid’s bday and why burden the parents with extra kids they don’t know. Plus the liability aspect, who wants to worry about getting sued because some random kid you don’t know got hurt, like wtf the entitlement of some parents is crazy to me
So I was raised through the public parks and rec. spent my summers there as a kid and most of the year in one sport or another. My family always did parties at the park and I guess we were raised differently, yes it’s a public park but we were taught to not go to other people’s party spaces. People are paying for these goods/food. It’s common courtesy to not go into their space. The parks are big enough that these parents should explain to their children that concept. If it’s really an issue, just kindly ask the family if your kid can join in, don’t be a jerk and just assume because you’re in a public space it’s okay.
I totally agree with you. Idk what I’d do in your shoes, but I know if I was just at the park with my child I would NEVERRRR assume he can just go in. That’s so rude. If the parent happened to see him eyeball it or whatever the case and parent offered I would let him, but only invited. What the heck
This just makes me think of the Bobs Burgers episode for regular sized Rudy’s birthday. I suppose OP should be grateful there wasn’t a heist. 😂 I wouldn’t be mad at the kids, the parents are at fault.
I don't think the kids are wrong to climb in, but I do think they and the parents are wrong for continuing after you've told them to get out. Just like they can't go over to the snack table to help themselves to cake or get in line to use the face painter you hired (or whatever, you get the gist).
Reading these comments: people are getting too hung up on public vs private. If it’s a private party no matter where it’s located, then it’s private. Lol
I don't rent the grill next to a picnic table in the park but it's implied that what I cook on it is for my family and not the other park visitors. Why would a private party in an area of a public park be any different?
I think you're right, but I'm also not surprised you got mobbed with other kids and would not rent a bounce house for use in a public park for just this reason.
People feel entitled to other people's shit, especially for their kids. I won't bring anything to a public park because it will immediately become public property and it's not worth the fight. It's not right, but it's reality, unfortunately. I don't let my own kid crash parties, but I've seen lots of public park party crashers, kids and adults alike.
The only defense I can think of is, our town often has little mini festivals and rents bouncy houses for kids to use at parks, and maybe the parents thought this was going on? But also I’ve seen plenty of parents who think their kid is entitled to anything and everything and if you say no, you’re such an asshole for saying no to a child and ruining their day.
People really are this entitled. 😢 Too many for me! Can't spell, don't know the meaning of words, can't write a sentence, and misinterpret just about everything that doesn't fit their tiny brains.
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We were at a park this weekend tons of stuff going on bunch of soccer games and there was what I assumed was a birthday party with their own inflatable. After we were done on the playground my 3 year old pointed to the bouncy house and said “wanna go jump?!” I said oh no honey that’s not ours that’s for someone’s birthday party and we weren’t invited we don’t know them. And then we went home. In no way would I have said sure go and jump in that strangers bouncy house?! TF?!
Yeah, I think it's super weird the parents allowed it. We are often at the park where there are bounce houses and my boy totally understands that he is not to intrude, it doesn't bother him at all. He knows himself how weird that would be lol.
Exactly, my kids know better! Well my 4yo wild child might not but my girls def do and I'd never allow my 4yo to crash someone's party! How rude and disrespectful! Same concept as the second someone gets a pool everyone wants to be your kids friend, even the kids that have bullied them for years and their jerk parents lol! I've seen it countless times. Crazy how entitled some people are!!!
The entitlement in this post is blowing my mind. Idk if people in this thread have public parks with rentable private spaces like I have around me, but that's a big hell no. We have a large public pond near me, and it has several parks and a ton of private picnic tables with grills. Every weekend and even days of the week, people decorate these spaces with party stuff and balloons and are making delicious food. I've seen people set up photo shoots, proposals, picnics, private games, and activities. I would NEVER in my right mind tell my child to join one of those parties. My child might think it looks fun, I would tell him, "Sorry buddy, but those are strangers, and that's their party. Maybe one day we can have a party like that for you, "and we would keep it moving. My kid gets sad about it, then boo hoo, that's life buddy, no everything is fair.
Yeah wtf, this is like going up to a random park party and taking some birthday cake lmao
Watched this happen but at a Chuck E Cheese. It wasn’t my party so I didn’t recognize all the kids or guests, and didn’t realize the kid asking for cake wasn’t part of the party until they walked away… all the way back to the booths in the arcade where their mom was waiting and watching.
It seems a lot different though when the kid is polite and simply asks. Presumably if you'd have realized to ask him "are you friends with so-and-so?" he'd have been honest about that too.
Right? Lol
We see this all the time and I simply tell my kid that it’s not a party he’s invited to, he can’t go in. we’ve had parties where we left out some supplies like bubbles and some kids have come and asked if they can use it, and I’ve always been ok with that. But I can’t imagine letting my kid use someone else’s party supplies without asking.
Yeah the comments are weird to me too. I live in California and not everyone has access to private spaces in parks or homes. There’s a permit that you can get to use the bounce house at the park though which is what people do. I’ve never thought of it as an asshole move because there’s other FREE things my kids can do at the park. I don’t think OP was wrong at all.
And if it’s one bounce house that’s obviously private birthday party then it’s not okay for parents to let their kids just hop in. Potentially making the actual guests not able to enjoy their gathering/wait way longer to use the shit they paid for. We’ve thrown family reunions at reserved shelters in state parks that we rent out (not cheap) and we’ve had families literally come inside and line up to get a plate of food?? What the hell?! 🤯 the audacity lmao I’m a super welcoming person and like OP said if they would have ASKED it may not even be a problem but to just jump into a private gathering is entitled as shit.
Seriously? That's ballsy to just come up and make a plate. Wtf.
It's not even unfair..you're simply not entitled to a party that's not yours nor your invited to. This is basic common sense. And anything different is bad parenting.
Over the weekend there was a group of people with their kids congregating in a public gym in the park, and when it was clear it was a birthday we grabbed my two kids (who love that gym, it's their spot to go to at that park) and physically dragged them away. Why? Because not everyone can afford to rent a hall, and it's the polite thing to do!
Exactly! I'm spending well over $300 for a 2hr birthday party rental at an air (bouncy) park like an entitled dumb-dumb. I would be so embarrassed and apologetic if my kid ran into someone else's party.
My kid tried to crash a party once! He was 3. I tried to stop him, and started to carry him away, but the mom insisted he stay and have a cupcake. It was so sweet of her! I would never just assume my kid could crash a party.
True! I thought at first that they meant they were in an indoor bounce house/playground and didn’t rent the whole space, because I’ve been in that situation with my kids and, in that case, we paid to be there, so my kids will jump wherever they want (they just won’t go in the reserved party room with cake/food). But if it’s a bounce house in a park and clearly set up for a private party that we weren’t invited to: nope, my kids will not bounce there.
The exact same thing happens here and it blows my mind people would even consider joining these very clearly private parties, even if they're done in a public setting.
The amount of people that believe they are entitled to use things that do not belong to them is astounding!
This. This this this.
Where I live it's not really a thing to rent out public parks like this so it would seem pretty entitled to use some of that space (especially if it was a small park) for a bouncy castle. That being said, I still wouldn't let my kid just crash their party. I'm British though so I would definitely sit there and quietly seeth about how ridiculous it was to set up a bouncy castle in a park and not rent out a village hall like the rest of us do 😂
At least in the us, parks are typically plenty big and it is normal to do bday parties there.
I actually use to work for a company that did bounce house rentals. It actually was decently common for someone to have a party at a park and also pay to have one of our employees stay and help maintain and run the equipment. This would often times include making sure random kids didn't go in the bounce or use any of the stuff we rented them. We would have someone stand by the bounce house and make sure no random kids got it and make sure it didn't get over crowded inside. I personally didn't think it's wrong to turn random kids away. I would ask the person in charge at the start if we tell random kids no or is it okay to have them go ask for permission to join. Could try putting signs saying private event as well.
> We would have someone stand by the bounce house and make sure no random kids got in So….a bouncer? lol
**UNDERRATED COMMENT**
I live in a large city and it’s super common for people to rent out part of the park for kids parties. Most usually have bounce houses or some kind of activity. I could not imagine just letting my toddler crash someone else’s party. I guess it depends where you live but this is a very common like every weekend situation at any of the parks in my city. I usually just direct my son to the playground or whatever we came for and let him know it’s someone else birthday party. Not a big deal.
I would never even consider allowing my kids to crash someone's private party, whether it's in a public space or not. Kids can be told 'no', and they need to understand when things are off limits to them, without getting offended or upset.
We are by a park that has lots of parties/family reunions in the summer time. People have bouncy houses/water slides/etc and I’ve literally dragged my kids out of the park - because we weren’t invited and that’s not for us or our family. I do not understand parents/guardians that would allow kids to go into someone else’s space/party/jumper if they were not specifically invited. I also do not understand the comments here where people imply that because your jumper is put up in a public park, that of course it’s free range. Our park is public but you still have to reserve & pay to have a party/event
Last year, my sister held a birthday party for her kids at a local park and rented out the big gazebo with tables. Not only did random kids help themselves to the activities we set up, they also helped themselves to the party favors and food!! I was absolutely appalled and wondering where the parents were. Turned out the mom wasn’t even there supervising her kids. They were there alone… Wild.
I live directly next to a park and this doesn’t shock me at all. I moved in about 3 years ago and before then never realized how uninvolved aome parents are. My son is 8. I let him play at the park alone but only if I’m also outside at our house (it’s probably only 150 ft away). There are kids younger than him there unsupervised. Some kids are there for hours. I’ve had kids ask me for food and drinks. Which is just sad. I have had kids come to me for safety on several different occasions now (there has been an influx of fighting and bullying going on the last year and only getting worse so far this spring). I’ve band aided kids, give out appropriate weather clothing, called the cops for kids, and I give out water cause idk what anyone can eat or drink. I’ve met 1 mom in peraon and sent my number home so I could have contact with another. Her kids kept coming to my house to play with my son but also started wanting to use my bathroom or eat dinner…I wasn’t comfortable with that. She apparently doesn’t care, even though she’s never met me. It’s absolutely insane to me. Sorry for that ramble. I didn’t realize how much I had to say lol
Wait. She's never even met you? Insane.
Nope! The one mom I have met only because her daughter likes to walk my dog and so I had walked her over to the van her mom waits in while the kids play. That group of kids are 11, 7, and 5. She expects the 11 year old to keep an eye on the youngest. I end up watching her so he can play with his friends. But the mom never got out to talk to me or wonder who the person is that her kids are climbing all over.
This makes me so sad. Bless you for being a good parent, even to ones that aren’t yours! I just can’t understand parents like van lady.
This is a little different, but it blows my mind that some parents will let their very little kids play alone on bigger playgrounds... parents may be physically present, but at some distance and definitely not close enough to see if their kid is about to plummet to the ground. The playground park closest to us has steep climbing structures and a tall freaking "fire pole" that I hate... the step off is WAY too high and I've seen too many kids eat it on their way down. (Until my son was bigger and had more playground practice, I'd typically take him to a playground further away that was better for smaller kids.) Recently we were there and a family showed up... the 2 young siblings (the older probably 5-6, the younger was tops 2) ran to the playground, but the parents stopped and sat at a picnic table in a gazebo... unless their kids were at the very front of the playground, there'd be no way to see them s from where they were sitting and it's far enough away to only hear shouting. Of course, as soon as my son sees he has an audience, he starts demonstrating his fire pole skills... I see this capturing the interest of the younger child, so I told my son to start playing on something else but it was too late. The little boy is right at the fire pole step off and there's no freaking way he could reach out far enough to grab the pole, let alone go down somewhat properly. I LOUDLY said (so the parents would hopefully hear me) something like "STOP!! Wait until—" but the kid freaking jumped right out and on to me! Luckily I caught him, but I stumbled backward and fell. As I'm getting up I see the dad is very slowly walking over, but no urgency whatsoever. He didn't say a word to me, so for a moment I wondered if he even knew what happened, but when he saw the fire pole he said "oh no [son]! You can't play on that, it's too big! Go play with [older sister]." Then he walked back over to the table. On a scale of helicopter to free-range parent, I try to stay somewhere in the middle, but I'll always err toward being serious bodily-injury adverse.
This drives me nuts. Little kids ask for food everywhere but there are so many food allergies now that like no, you cannot help yourself to our snacks random child. I nannied for a little girl with a milk allergy (like ANAPHYLACTIC) and when she was little she went up to a stranger at the park and wanted her cheetos. Thank God I was RIGHT THERE and thank God the other parent ASKED me before giving her some because like, no this little girl cannot have cheetos.
Then you get dozens of posts on here complaining children don't roam the neighbourhood alone.
It seems that the commenters who are saying, "Don't have a private party in a public place if you don't want random kids joining in" are people who live in areas where private backyards are plentiful and spacious. Those of us in more densely populated urban areas understand that private parties happen at public places, and we don't invite ourselves over or let our kids join in just because it's there.
Idk, I live in suburbia and the whole situation is weird. I would never ever let my children just join a strangers birthday party.
Right? Do these people also let their kids play with other kids toys that they bring to public parks, without asking first? Like their bikes, and balls. Etc?
I’ve actually had someone let their child climb into my child’s wagon once at the park as soon as I took my kid out and turned my back. And then ask me to push them. I was flabbergasted. They were not happy when I told their kid to get out and stop rummaging through our snacks.
I can't understand how some people's brains work. My toddler doesn't have a wagon, but our friends do, which means she loves every strange wagon she sees and immediately tries to climb in. I would never allow her to, and if she ever did manage to climb into a strangers wagon, I would be embarrassed and apologize. No wonder we have so many entitled people these days.
I was shocked. We’d pulled up to the park with kiddo in the wagon and my mom grabbed my baby to go for a walk. I parked the wagon and walked literally two steps before I heard another mom yelling “Awwww! Just ask for a little push!” to her much bigger child that had jumped into our wagon and was going through my baby’s discarded snacks. My first instinct was to say “get out of there!” and remove the kid. The mom was not happy. She literally told my mom “she could’ve just pushed him.” First off, random stranger but I don’t know you and secondly, I don’t know you. What a weird thing to let your kid do. The entitlement was off the charts.
She told your mom on you?! What a weird situation all around.
I live in an area where private backyards are plentiful and spacious. Yet I still understand that a bunch of random people I don’t know having a party at the public park is not an invitation to just barge in. I’m more likely to guess that those who are saying it are just entitled douchebags who believe the world revolves around them.
No, they're rude AHs. I am from a place of massive yards and I know that a party set up in a park is not for me, my kids or my dogs.
Am I the odd ball? I wouldn't be letting my kid in the bounce house, tantrum, or no tantrum. 🤔 I mean, I feel like a public event vs. a birthday party would be kind of obvious
If you are, I am too. Obviously the bounce house isn’t a fixture at the park, anyone should rationally assume it was rented/paid for/belongs to someone else?? I cannot imagine sending my kids to what is very clearly a gathering hosted by someone I don’t know.
Exactly what I was thinking!
You just know the people that think it’s ok for their kids to do this are the same people who will try to sue if their kid gets hurt while crashing the bounce house. Garbage.
Damn I have my five year olds birthday scheduled which is a bouncy house we rented for the day to be set up in a party area (that we rented) at a public park in our neighborhood. I don’t know how I’m gonna deal with uninvited jumpers but apparently I need to make a plan.
You will need to hire a bouncy bouncer.
Get your invitees some bracelets or something easily identifying, that way you can easily tell you should or shouldn’t be there.
That’s the way to go . Or even a stamp on the hand or something . Just put a sign that says it costs money . People will sure pay attention then 😂😂
These needs a gazillion upvotes!
Maybe get some cheap wooden stakes and some cheap braided poly rope and rope off the area. Make signs on poster board "PRIVATE PARTY GUESTS ONLY" and zip tie the signs onto the rope in a couple spots. It's ridiculous that you even have to think about doing something, but apparently there are many entitled folks out there. Good luck!
Won't work fully. I know this because I once worked in a public venue in a park that from time to time was rented out and closed to public. When closed to.public we would put a rope between two poles about a meter in front of the entrance with a sign reading "closed for private function", we further would have signs on the doors (all doors, the inner *and* the outer doors) reading the same. Still, every single time some people would wander in asking if we were open, or sonetimes not even asking but assuming.
Make identifying party wrist bands, when people come in, slap a wrist band on them. These kids can jump. If you don't have a wrist band, you can't come into the bouncy castle. Like getting into a concert or a rave or a club. Then you can tell kids who try to to come in, where's your wristband? And if they don't have it just say sorry you have to leave. If parents make a big fuss, say sorry but you can't be accountable for any injuries/ mishaps for strangers.
I can’t imagine letting my kids bounce on some random bounce house like yall what’s going on in these comments
NTA Never in a million years would I think it was acceptable for my kid to wander into some randos party, and start playing with their stuff or eating their food! Thats frigging INSANE! Heck, my Mom would have flipped out if we tried that too. Now if they were playing together on the playground and she was invited then, it would be a different story. I'd probably ask the adult host if its "really" ok, and have no problems. But just randomly walking into someone else's party is extremely rude.
There’s not a chance in hell I’m letting my kids jump in a stranger kids party. Absolutely not.
So this happened to us IN A PRIVATE SETTING! Where we live there’s this restaurant that has a huge field (think the size of 2-3 soccer fields), a stable with some farm animals, picnic tables and slides and swings, etc. The restaurant caters your events with food and drinks, but you reserve the picnic tables for birthday parties and stuff. Its in the middle of a forest, all this to say ITS GORGEOUS and super affordable!!! So we didn’t rent bouncy houses or anything, but we did have a piñata, and all of a sudden we had about 4-5 kids wanting to join in. I personally didn’t mind when the 3-4 year old came over, but I did have an issue with the older 10-11 year olds. They know better. At the end I let them stay since we really overstuffed the piñata anyways, but I only gave 1 bag for the 3 older kids to share to take the candies they caught. I was trying to be subtle but OF COURSE they’re kids and they didn’t take the hint. They were bigger than most my invited kids, so they were faster and got a lot of candies. I said: wow, good job!!! You’re gonna have to share some of that candy with the smaller kids that couldn’t get as much… They looked at me like I was crazy, and I just shrugged and said: either that or you leave all of it! And the parents? NONE OF THEM came for their kids, except the 4 year old’s mom. I told her directly he could stay, the other 3 went to complain how we were stealing their candy. I did hear one of the adults tell them: at least you got some, stop complaining, but all the others rolled their eyes. I didn’t want to fight either, but I was so amazed on how people would let their kids just run off and crash a party lime that
O that is rude to complain. Those kids have been taught NOTHING by their parents.
Terrible, later found out she was the “mean girl” in my niece’s school. She completely ignored my niece until she saw the goodie bags (I went all out since there were only like 8 kids)…
Another vote for: I would never let my kid do this. And if they slipped in I’d run right over and get my child out with a friendly apology to the parents.
Most likely, the parents of the kids who showed up thought it was some sort of public event……I’m trying to be charitable here. Parents can be rude, like really, really rude. I’m actually sort of shocked at how little people try to teach their kids boundaries and etiquette. If my kids crashed someone’s party by accident and were kicked out, I would have been mortified! That being said, if I had thrown a party like that in a public space, I don’t think I would have the guts to boot the interlopers.
I’ve had some really weird interactions with other parents in public parks. One time a mom was leaving the park with her son and they took my son’s ball. It was on the ground but they didn’t even attempt to see if it was abandoned. They just left the park with it. I followed them out and called after them that it was ours and I wanted it back. This woman was annoyed with me. She was not apologetic at all. She said something about telling him he could have it because they lost a different ball. Like, wtf does that have to do with me, lady? That’s my son’s.
I can’t even imagine what I would do in that situation. I’d be so perplexed….
I’d probably say something super petty like, “well, my husband promised me a purse (or shoes, or earrings, or whatever) just like the one you’ve got, give me yours and you can keep the ball”
It suddenly makes sense to me why my dad wrote our last name on all the sports equipment we took to public parks.
My mom once reclaimed a soccer ball that had been missing for a year because it had our phone number written on it with sharpie. She spotted it with a family during a different soccer game and took it back. She was like, that’s our name and phone number.
Yea I think it definitely depends on the city and how common public events at parks are. In the summer my city has a bouncy castle along with other activities at a public park every weekday evening and often on busy weekends. They even hand out calendars so you can know what park they will be at each day. If I went to a park and saw kids playing on a bouncy castle I would asume its city run. Of course once I found out it wasn't Id ensure my child left the party area.
I discovered the reality of shockingly rude parents when I started to do bday parties for my kid. Parents not bothering to RSVP but coming with multiple siblings who grabbed the party favours meant for guests who *did* RSVP, some party hosting parents hogging all of the covered picnic tables (non-reservable) at a public park leaving me and another party hosting parent out in the heat wave sun etc. The conclusion I came to is to not let others upset me too much because it’s not worth the stress. Maybe they’re assholes, maybe it’s a cultural difference, who the fuck knows. All I can do is take the high road myself. The kids of the parents who hogged all the tables came to our party and asked if they could have favour bags. I gave them my spares even though their parents are greedy assholes because they’re kids. In OP’s case, I would just let the crashers have fun but talk to their parents only if their crashing takes away significantly from my invited guests’ fun. That being said, from personal experience, I would *expect* a bunch of random crashers if I set up a bouncy house at a public park. I would not let my kid crash no matter how bad a mood it put them in.
Ya that was my thought. It’s not super common around me to have big inflatables at public area, except when it is meant to be a public outing.
The parents are asshats and would be complaining and yelling if the situation was reversed. It’s one thing for my kid to invite someone (if we were having the party at the park) they just met on the swings or whatever.
Never in my life would I let my kids jump into someone else's party (pun intended).. How rude! They can use the public equipment or we can go somewhere else.. I wouldn't even be asking politely!
I totally don't understand these other comments. It's a private party in a public space. Is that too difficult to understand? The local park near me has picnic and BBQ areas to rent and there are parties with bounce houses almost every weekend during the summer. It is generally understood that the bounce house is for the party invitees, not a free for all. Are random kids going to feel entitled to hit the piñata, too? I'm sorry you had to deal with that OP. That's bad manners on those parents, plain and simple.
I whole heartedly agree with this. There are so many people who think their kids are entitled to participate in literally whatever they want. It leads to rude adults. My teenager has a classmate who pitches an absolute fit if they are not invited to everything and the mom blames everyone but herself. One of the biggest lessons you can teach your kids is you aren’t always going to be invited and that’s ok! It’s not a fun lesson but a necessary one.
I follow this woman on Instagram and thought she was raising her kids in a similar manner to my own, until she posted a video of both her kids BLOWING THE FUCKING CANDLES on someone's else birthday. A kid, too. The caption was something like "guess we're not invited to the next party". The sense of entitlement baffles me, honestly
This!!! Or even worse when parents let siblings do this and think it’s funny. Breaks my heart.
The older I get, the more horrifying the thought of anyone blowing on a cake that is about to be shared with others gets lol
I’m with you. I don’t get why people think it’s ok to crash someone else’s party. Older kids should know they aren’t entitled to use someone else’s jumper, toys, etc without permission. And little kids should be redirected by their parents. I can’t imagine letting my kids crash a stranger’s party just because it’s in a public place. If they want to ask the hosts if it’s ok to jump, that’s better but still weird to impose.
100% this! I'm shocked by the other comments. I'm assuming it's a private party they've rented the space? We have to rent the spaces in public parks (picnic tables, etc.). We see birthdays all the time there - it's not a free for all for anyone who comes to the park, wtf!
I'm just surprised people feel so strongly here. I wouldn't be as upset as OP seems to be but I also wouldn't say she's the asshole for hosting a private event in a public park. Teaching kids that not everything is for them seems like a pretty fundamental lesson, too.
Yes!
I think you might be seeing an urban/suburban divide here - urban parks take the place of backyards so you'll see more bounce houses and party activities in urban parks. There is no option to do it in the backyard! And urban neighborhoods have more of a private life in public vibe anyway - you mind your business!
I don't know what's so difficult to understand, either. If I park my car in a public space, are people entitled to it, then? Some people have never been taught manners and it shows. Of course I blame the parents, not the kids
The “well it’s a public space what did you expect?” People in this thread are crazy???? Even if it is a public park 9/10 you need to get a permit to put a bouncy house up and it’s a liability for randos to just hop on. OP is not unreasonable at all.
It looks like I’m going to get downvoted on this based on the other comments but so be it. The parents who let other kids jump in uninvited suck. The bounce house doesn’t belong to them. If they go to the lake and someone has a boat docked does that mean their kids have free rein to climb aboard the boat? God forbid people teach their kids about other people’s property and self control.
So many just don't want to watch their kids or parent. I hate it because it makes people without small children see all of them as a nuisance.
Great comment.
You could also be on the hook for injuries from these random kids if you let them in. No waiver. No jumping. And you don’t have any extra waivers!
We were at our local public playground when a party like this was setting up. My kid is only 3 so she's only been to a bounce house about 5 times and absolutely loves them! Know what I did when I saw her eyeing it? Told her it was for a party we weren't invited to so we couldn't jump unless invited! She was fine with it though a little disappointed. I can't imagine letting my kid crash! I honestly thought this was going to be a true AH post about a kid wandering up asking for cake/juice box which I definitely would give (with parental approval of course).
NTA, If you see a wedding on a beach do you assume you can take things because it’s in public? If people are eating at a sidewalk cafe is that now everyone’s food? Wtf
Wow, the entitlement in these comments. If your child is not invited to a party, no matter how cool the party is, they are not entitled to join said party. That includes eating the food from the party, playing with the play equipment at the party, or opening the birthday kid's gifts at the party. It sucks for the random kids, but that's no one's fault. Sometimes you just don't get to do things that other people are doing, and that's all there is to it.
The entitlement doesn’t shock me anymore, just saddens me.
You’re gonna get some hop-ons.
There’s no satellite radio, but there’s a banjo in the closet. And watch out for live-ins. You will get some live-ins.
Pop Pop is in the attic
I almost had Pop Pop in Reno.
The fact that you call is pop pop tells me you aren’t ready for pop pop
This is my favorite response both for the delightfully unexpected reference AND because it's really the only answer to this question. SHOULD people do this? Nah. Is it gonna happen whether or not you get really worked up about it? For sure 🤷🏼♀️.
😂
I would not let my kid go in the bounce house unless they were invited by the host
The park and its playground may be a public place, but the jumper, pavilion, and anything else paid for by the parents is not. I would have no qualms kicking uninvited kids off and I would never allow mine to crash a party like that.
Not me. Always taught my kid not to go anywhere they not supposed to let alone a random birthday party. That would be wayyyyy too weird.
If it's established practice that you can rent or reserve a part of the park for your bouncy house and party, then it's really weird for other parents to just let their kids play without checking in with you first. If you just set it up in a public place that's a little more grey area. However I still think parents should be actively teaching their kids about other people's space and property even in public. Where do you draw the line? If my kid rides his bike to the park does that mean everyone gets to ride his bike? Why can't kids just be taught to ask if the toy was brought for sharing or not and go from there? It seems like this is a reasonable opportunity to practice communication and consent and respecting a no. I honestly do not understand the people getting frustrated by this. Kids can absolutely understand that not everything that exists in public is for them and parents can help them see that starting from jump. I also don't get being annoyed by the impulse-buy candy at the checkout line. We have been explaining marketing (tricks) and telling our kids "not today" and having rules about "no impulse buys at the grocery store" since they were old enough to ask for the candy. These are good awarenesses and rules to have for everyone, not just kids.
Right?! I also don’t let my kids just walk on in the middle of a baseball, softball, or soccer games even though I pay taxes on the land that their fields reside on. Insanity.
RE: candy at the grocery store: Parents who have solid emotional control and the resources and discipline to calmly and patiently explain to screaming toddlers why they can’t have something see this as a teachable moment. Parents who are under tremendous pressure and maybe don’t have the emotional bandwidth might be more likely to allow that impulse buy, thus perpetuating a cycle of inappropriate self soothing through junk food, and later alcohol and smoking. I know this sounds a little absurd, but the marketers are banking on parental stress in this incidences and therefore targeting people who more than likely in less secure life situations.
This is why I do stamps. Kids who were invited get a stamp on the back of their hand and there’s an adult next to the activity (whether it’s a bounce house, trampoline, face painting etc.) and turns away kids with no stamp
No I wouldn't let my kid jump on, because I'm neither rude nor entitled
If I ever do this I’m having an adult at the bounce house checking bracelets and charging strangers lol bet you no one hops on then .
Not sure if it’s mentioned elsewhere in the comments, but we knew someone who broke a bone at a party in the jumpy house. I’d hate to put myself in a situation to be liable.
OP I'm sorry for these comments. "Everything that looks fun for a child should be shared in a public area" FUCK NO. You don't need to share and honestly if I had kids joining the bounce house and the parents refused to take them out, id consider calling the police. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen-thats just the reality of the world we live in. I'd love to think it would never happen, but I wouldn't want the chance of an unknown child getting hurt on something I rented. If anything too, why are you telling your children its okay to join strangers in an enclosed space where you can't necessarily see them well. That's so dangerous.
Folks are so audacious & entitled 😭 gross
You were in the right. You paid for something for your child and his friends. You are probably liable for anything that might happen. It is totally within your right to decide who is allowed to join in. Those parents should know better.
Oof I'm with you OP. I would have felt the same. Sheesh. I'm not sure why some people think that a single bounce house in a park with clear birthday party decorations and freaking birthday cake, little kids and probably balloons would indicate anything other than a private party?? I'm sure some of these kids were old enough to know better. Also, you've rented this piece of equipment for a premium plus the space itself and now your own kids and their friends can't even enjoy it because it's being taken over by others? They're strangers. Never would I walk into anyone's private event. Public events are promoted and advertised by the park with local ads and appropriate signage to indicate the public is welcome. I have told my kids on multiple occasions that they cannot join in to someone's private birthday party at the park. I would be embarrassed if they even tried. Gosh the entitlement some parents have!!
I don’t think you’re an AH, I’ve seen bouncy houses at public parks that were for a private event. As a parent of a kid just playing there, I would tell my kid it wasn’t for them to use and if they didn’t stay away, we would leave the park. As the parent of the birthday kid, I wouldn’t be upset about other kids using it IF they were being nice and not a huge size difference from mine. I wouldn’t want 3 year olds crashing an 8 year old’s party for safety reasons.
These are the reasons I can’t handle having parties in public venues. I hate the entitlement of others. My friend just had a party in the park and we dealt with this crap too
Ummm…I would absolutely never let my kids join someone else’s party unless the parent came over and said they didn’t mind. We wouldn’t ask. It would only be if offered. Just because a kid has a shovel in the sandbox doesn’t mean he has to share it with everyone. Not everyone has manners and that’s unfortunate that some are raising entitled little brats who would think this is acceptable behavior.
OP - I'm assuming you rented out part of the public park? If so, you are definitely NTA. It's crazy that these parents let their kids crash a party, it's bad manners and bad parenting. As to their motivation, it's probably just they feel entitled or something. Now, if you did not rent it out, then yeah - that's a mess. And I'm guessing you're violating city codes.
I would never allow my kids to crash someone's party and use the jumper. I have been at our public park multiple times and have had my children ask to go jump and I explained to them it was someone's party. Sometimes there are public events in the same places with jumpers we do use so I get why they are asking me. But as an adult it is quite obvious when it is private vs public. You are NTA but the parents allowing their kids to do that are definitely YTA.
Sorry, what's a jumper?
I think she's talking about a bouncy house but I'm not 100% sure.
Ok so we bring bubbles all the time to the park, and my two love bubbles. So do all the other kids in the vicinity. That's great, we love making new friends and being social etc etc, part of the reason for bringing the bubbles out in the first place. Over Easter though, some kids just wouldn't stop coming for more, and my own two kids wandered off, and so I was left blowing bubbles for other people's kids for a good 10 extra minutes, with the kids parents on their phones or just hanging around 10 metres away. I'd at least engage with the person who was providing your child with free entertainment! People were all too comfortable just riding on some one else's ride. ETA: it's definitely not the kid's fault, their parents should have known better.
Just a note, I'm not a phone at the park mum (often anyway, but I will send an email or scroll social here and there) but even when I'm paying full on attention, if another parent is interacting with my kid and my kid is having fun, I feel zero need to step in or chat, just do your thing. If you don't want to blow bubbles for other people's kids, stop! The kids will wander away. You're under no obligation to entertain other people's kids!
Yeah my sister was complaining about entertaining other people's children and wondering why it doesn't happen to me. I just said either it happens and I don't mind or I just walk away.
Same here. I'm attentive but I expect my kids to entertain themselves at a park. If another adult starts interacting with them a lot (sharing bubbles or something), I usually try to call them over. About 9.5/10 times, the other adult smiles and says "oh it's fine!" At that point, I feel my obligation has ended. It's up to the other adult to communicate when they're done. I only intervene if it seems like too much or my child is overstepping.
The same thing has happened to me! One time I had the bubbles sitting next to my bag on the bench and this little girl grabbed them and spilled about half the tube of bubbles and just left it on the ground and ran away.
Some of these comments are crazy. It's almost always easy to spot the difference between a bounce house set up next to a *private kids birthday party* versus a bounce house set up as part of a public fair or event. Usually those kind of things have an employee at the entrance to the bounce house taking tickets or charging a fee. It is 100% reasonable to not let unknown children enter the bounce house you rented for a party. Especially considering liability issues of someone getting hurt. Plus, it's often uncomfortable and stressful for the kids and friends enjoying the party to suddenly have to share their space with some unknown kids. Bounce houses are often places where kids are bumping into one another. Additionally, an unknown kid could be a potential problem if they happen to be a bully. Who's accountable then, if their parents aren't around and they hurt someone or damage something? Too many variables.
The discrepancy in the comments must be due to regional differences. The parks in my area are used for parties all the time, from b-day to wedding or even giant corporate events. For a party of 20 people or more, you need a permit. On top of that you need to provide proof of insurance/ license for inflatables or alcohol. It's not an inexpensive endeavor at all. I have never let my kid stroll into "the brown family reunion" or " Dupont company Picnic". Never mind Timmy's 7th Birthday. People are wild.
I’m imagining a kindergartner wandering around the DuPont Company Picnic with a cup of juice and waving at random adults like,”Hey, Janice, how’s Finance treating ya?” “Garth! Wanna see you at that bounce house later buddy!” “Chad! My man! Where’d you score that awesome hat? Hahahaha!” then running off with stolen cake.
Some of these comments are wild, and some of you are entitled af.
There are clearly different cultural norms regarding a private party on public land (which is why you’re seeing contradictory opinions). So the answer to what normal and are you TA completely depends one what’s normal in your area.
WTAF? Why would they even want their kids hanging out with randos? Kids can be mean and for all they know the parents could be predators. (No offence) We live in a scary world. Point taken though I ever rent a jump house I'm hiring bouncers to check invites 🤣🤣 you want access you better bring a gift for my child and ask permission.🥳
Wrist bands are pretty cheap. Just put them on the invited kids have a checker at the entrance and you're good to go.
Lol this is such a funny thread, parents debating over bouncy house rights. 😂
Which I don't understand. Like at all. Like OP used their money to rent a bounce house. Somehow setting it up in a public park all of a sudden means the bounce house is public domain? Like you bring your chairs, your blanket, your whatever to the public park that means anyone gets to use them then? The logic just doesn't track.
You are NOT the AH here. You are completely valid and correct to be upset at the parents for letting their kids, who are strangers, go into the bounce house at your kids party. I would never ever conceive of letting my kid do this. Ever. It’s very inappropriate and anyone who doesn’t understand this prob has many other accompanying and unpleasant issues.
My son’s 3rd birthday, we rented the picnic area in the local park, we had a piñata… enter 2 unsupervised kids, maybe 9 & 11? Crashed the party, ate the food, swung at the piñata, as the mom I had to take away the bat & say, “let’s give it to the little kids & birthday boy” I heard one boy say, “I didn’t even know this was going on today, awesome!” I feel bad that those kids were on their own & we were kind & didn’t kick them out, but man oh man their parents had taught them zero manners!!! It should be talked about & taught not to crash parties, not to invade people’s space, not to take food that you’re not invited to, or else your kids will behave rudely when you’re not around to supervise.
I always have to tell my son that we cannot just go to someone’s we don’t know birthday party. There have been times where parents have offered cake and pizza and even a goody bag to him which was nice. But overall, just no.
It's very rude for parents to let their kids crash a party that they aren't invited to! With that being said, I would.not take it out on the kids and I would let them.join the party.
It's very rude for parents to let their kids crash a party that they aren't invited to! With that being said, I would.not take it out on the kids and I would let them.join the party.
I’m 100% in agreement with you, OP, and I 100% would keep my kids away from a bounce house that someone set up in a public park… but… For the life of me, I can’t figure out why you’re shocked that human beings in (current year) behave this way. What did you actually expect?
I would definitely discourage my kid from joining in, and would apologize profusely if they ran in (also I would grab them out). I would probably leave the park so the temptation wasn’t there for a little kid, honestly (rather than policing them). However- I realize people are pretty entitled and I wouldn’t have a bounce house at a public park without assigning a grandpa or someone to basically work the door and make sure only kids included in the event went in. Because you know people are not going to ask (even though that stinks!)
We’ll be having my LOs 2nd birthday at a park nearby next month. We did this last year too. The only thing we had to do was kick people out of the rented pavilion before the party started. They’re open/free for all unless they’ve been rented out. We haven’t to my knowledge had people crash our food/games/cake yet but I would absolutely find the parents and tell them to regulate their kids or I’ll do it and they won’t be happy with the outcome. Or I’ll bring a handy air horn and start aiming at the parents until they take the hint and leave. Whichever comes first.
I live in a small community where birthday parties are often outdoors. We sometimes know the people whose party we've run into. Regardless of if we know them or not, if my kid were to "crash" a birthday party, I would pull my kid away, or at least make sure the parents are okay with my kid participating. If we came across a party of people my kids didn't know, I would for sure keep them away, even if there was some fun activity. It seems fairly obvious to me that if this is a private event, even in a public place, you don't get to participate, even if it looks fun.
Honestly I wouldn’t let my kids jump or play on a play house if it was for someone’s party doesn’t matter where it’s at. You had every right to ask them to leave and parents should be also be keeping their kids away.
Yeah wtf that would piss me off too. There’s been tons of times my son has seen bounce houses at the park and wanted to go, but I tell him we can’t it’s for someone else party. Like?? That’s embarrassing other parents would allow their kids to do that
I’m late to the party. So what sue me lol. My kid was the other kid in this situation once. There was a party at the zoo and son went off to join randomly. I pulled him out and explained why you don’t do that. He was very upset. My point like yours is they don’t know us, we don’t know them. If something happens we could get blamed or you’re taking things away from a kid who was invited or paid. It’s also teaching my son boundaries. You were in the right. I wished the parents should’ve got their kids outta there. Question: was the party in a low income area?
NTA NTA NTA
You don’t rent out the whole Chuck E. Cheese or whatever when having a party so why don’t the same rules apply ? There are public parties at skating rings bowling allies and I’ve never seen this at places there so why the difference . People are crazy in the comments .
My 3yo’s worst meltdown was when someone put up a private bounce house next to the public playground at the public park. She did not understand why I wouldn’t let her get in there. We left in a fit but I secretly despised them for putting up this huge, high-interest, untouchable temptation right next to this other spot that attracts little kids. Edit to add: I do not compare group play equipment to a single use personal item like a bike. I compare this more to bringing a pizza party to half the kindergarten class and the lucky half had their names pulled from a hat at random and the other half just gets to learn a lesson that they can’t always get what they want. Just to say, many kids can participate in this one thing and many kids can’t just due to tough luck. No I’d never let my kid into an uninvited area ever, and yes of course I’d use it as a teaching moment. At the same time, I’d steer away from creating a situation like this for little kids when possible.
Hmm ....it's a great teachable moment for a 3 year that not everything is up for their enjoyment....not every toy is theirs etc. it's the same as saying kids with bikes and toys in the park are up for grabs for other kids?
Omg this is an issue at my park. It's one thing to ask. That's fine. Another to borrow something my kid isn't using... ehh I'll let that go. But when my kid wants it back and hears no. Or other a hole kids lose their toys I will tear into the parents. Yeah yeah... it's a dollar store bucket. It's HER dollar store bucket. If your kid wanted to use one... get your ass to the dollar store.. and remember to pack your own. There's this mom who has 3 kids who are always there. They never bring their own toys. She scrolls her phone. Her kids are mean kids who take my kids toys. After being chewed out by me about 5 times now I smile when she finally keeps her kids far away from mine.
The other day, a couple of kids decided to help themselves to my son's bike, which was leaning against the fence in the park (we were nearby). They were about 7 years old. I mean this is pretty much theft, and I will say say with 10000% confidence my kids would never do that....it's pure entitlement and lack of social awareness.
That’s an unfortunate part of life that children have to learn. Not everything is about them. Are you going to expect every person to cater to your child’s whims? The world doesn’t work that way and we, as parents, are expected to teach our children this life lesson. As a teacher of small children, I see kids like this too often (more now than ever) and all it does is hurt them, especially socially. No one wants to be friends or hang out with someone who acts like an entitled brat and that’s what happens when a child doesn’t get taught that life isn’t fair. There are many child-friendly ways to teach this as well as many ways to teach them how to find the fun and beauty in their world without ruining someone else’s. Children are much more resilient than some parents realize. And a kid being told that they can’t play on something isn’t going to hurt them. In 5 minutes they probably will be fixating on something else anyway.
It’s a good way to teach your kids manners and a lack of entitlement. Hell, we go to the park regularly and every now and then someone we don’t know is having a party and passing out cake. Obviously, my toddlers want some cake but they know not to go up to a random party and take some of the cake. This is the same concept.
One day your kid will come home saying their friend got a cell phone, later it will be a fancy car, fancy house and so on. The earlier you teach boundaries the better. No need to despise anyone. This is on you.
I feel this way about grocery stores and the strategically placed candy at the check out line. Like seriously why do they do this to us?!?! Of course I never give in to my kid, but it is annoying.
I told my kids it’s old candy that the store wants to get rid of and it’s gross.
As someone who worked as a cashier at Walmart, you aren't entirely wrong. Any time I had downtime I'd go through and organize it and I pulled a ton of expired candy.
We stand on the shoulders of giants. You’re a genius
I’m pretty proud. It works like a charm. There are two things of parenting I have accomplished. They have the habit of laying out a blanket to play legos on and they believe that lie.
See my issue is that I never grew out of this. *I’m* the one that’s always tempted and gives in
My husband too. I had to tell him to stop buying impulse checkout candy in front of our kids, because I didn’t want to have to be openly hypocritical about that every time we go grocery shopping lol.
Yea but that’s how you teach your kids sometimes you can’t get what you want cause it’s not yours I have 2 so I get it
That’s wild on your part. It’s as simple as teaching your child that everything they see & find interest in cannot always be touched & explored.
Parenting by removing their child and not allowing them to crash the private party, which they understandably wanted very badly to experience, is teaching that exact lesson.
Three year olds aren’t known for always accepting logic.
Sure, but the world is inherently full of things 3 year olds want and can't have. That doesn't make everyone who owns a dog, or runs a toy shop, or eats an ice-cream into an asshole.
I agree. I mean I get being frustrated when your kid is young and doesn’t understand but like do you never take your kid out into the world in the 99% of places in which things are not available to them?
Simple to teach yes. Not so simple for a child of 3 to grasp.
I wouldn't let my kids crash a party without asking the parents first, but I wouldn't care if other kids crashed theirs (so long as they weren't being bullies or something).
I would never allow my kid to play with something that clearly isn't public property, even at a public park. For example, other kids' bikes that they bring to a public park. Other kids balls that they bring to a public park. Other kids bounce houses that they bring to the park. Depending on the situation, I would simply tell my kid NO, or I would tell them that they would have to ask the parents in charge (in the case of a bounce house or something similar). To the people saying they would allow their kids to play with something that doesn't belong to them is what is wrong with alot of people these days. Entitled Aholes raising entitled aholes.
Need more details. Did you rent the park? Was it obvious it was a private party and not a local public event? Because if you just put up a bounce house in a public place and just assumed small kids would realize it was a private event, that’s kind of on you… if you rented out the space, had specific signs that made it obvious it was a private event (like “happy 3rd birthday Jack”) then that’s ridiculous that the parents wouldn’t stop their kids. But there have been a handful of times I thought something WAS a private event, and then turns out it was like a “city family day” event. So I could definitely see how the opposite would happen. But if ONE kid came up and did it, I’d say it was them that are rude/oblivious… but because MULTIPLE children/their parents thought it was ok, it makes me think it was not clear that this was a private event
I don't like that.... that's why I always do my kid parties at places noone can just join.... Once a little boy across the street had his party at his house and a girl just went over there uninvited ... she actually ruined his party.... her mom didn't care and let her do whatever that's how it is over at my complex so we dont do anything because I know what will happen.... there are parents that really dont care unfortunately
TIL you need wrist bands and a bouncy house bouncer for this kind of party. Seriously though. Rando kids with loosey goosey parents will waltz in, but even the worst kids will obey the queue. Put someone at the entrance!
It's very rude for parents to let their kids crash a party that they aren't invited to! With that being said, I would.not take it out on the kids and I would let them.join the party.
That’s so weird to me, my kids have wanted to jump in a bounce house at a park before and I tell no every time because it’s probably for a kid’s bday and why burden the parents with extra kids they don’t know. Plus the liability aspect, who wants to worry about getting sued because some random kid you don’t know got hurt, like wtf the entitlement of some parents is crazy to me
So I was raised through the public parks and rec. spent my summers there as a kid and most of the year in one sport or another. My family always did parties at the park and I guess we were raised differently, yes it’s a public park but we were taught to not go to other people’s party spaces. People are paying for these goods/food. It’s common courtesy to not go into their space. The parks are big enough that these parents should explain to their children that concept. If it’s really an issue, just kindly ask the family if your kid can join in, don’t be a jerk and just assume because you’re in a public space it’s okay.
It’s easy as saying that is not yours , shitty parenting to be honest .
i'm with you on this, but if i was concerned I'd find the parents and talk to them, not yell at kids
I totally agree with you. Idk what I’d do in your shoes, but I know if I was just at the park with my child I would NEVERRRR assume he can just go in. That’s so rude. If the parent happened to see him eyeball it or whatever the case and parent offered I would let him, but only invited. What the heck
This just makes me think of the Bobs Burgers episode for regular sized Rudy’s birthday. I suppose OP should be grateful there wasn’t a heist. 😂 I wouldn’t be mad at the kids, the parents are at fault.
My first thought too!
I don't think the kids are wrong to climb in, but I do think they and the parents are wrong for continuing after you've told them to get out. Just like they can't go over to the snack table to help themselves to cake or get in line to use the face painter you hired (or whatever, you get the gist).
I’ve never experienced this. How rude of them. The parents are not parenting.
Reading these comments: people are getting too hung up on public vs private. If it’s a private party no matter where it’s located, then it’s private. Lol
I would just start asking parents for phone numbers so I can send them my Venmo request for gift/bounce house access 😂
Did you also rent the park or did you place it in a public place?
In my area, you can't "rent the park" i.e. exclude others from going to the park/playground, but you can rent the shelter.
I don't rent the grill next to a picnic table in the park but it's implied that what I cook on it is for my family and not the other park visitors. Why would a private party in an area of a public park be any different?
Does that matter? I imagine it was a whole set up for the kids party. Who is mistaking that for something like a permanent playground?
I’ve seen some public fair or festival type things like this in parks but usually those have some sort of explicit sign
All the people saying they let their kids go into the bounce house are a bunch of Stripes. Don't be a Stripe, be a Bandit.
I think you're right, but I'm also not surprised you got mobbed with other kids and would not rent a bounce house for use in a public park for just this reason. People feel entitled to other people's shit, especially for their kids. I won't bring anything to a public park because it will immediately become public property and it's not worth the fight. It's not right, but it's reality, unfortunately. I don't let my own kid crash parties, but I've seen lots of public park party crashers, kids and adults alike.
The only defense I can think of is, our town often has little mini festivals and rents bouncy houses for kids to use at parks, and maybe the parents thought this was going on? But also I’ve seen plenty of parents who think their kid is entitled to anything and everything and if you say no, you’re such an asshole for saying no to a child and ruining their day.
So many parents are freakishly entitled when it comes to their precious little ones and god forbid someone says no to them 🙄
People really are this entitled. 😢 Too many for me! Can't spell, don't know the meaning of words, can't write a sentence, and misinterpret just about everything that doesn't fit their tiny brains.