This Mom Is A Self-Proclaimed "Playground Meddler" Who Will Teach Your Kid “Etiquette”
Her hot take divided internet users.
The discourse of playground etiquette has been a hot topic on MomTok. Some moms get frustrated with the kids who are not “following the rules” such as climbing up the slide or throwing sand. But if you see something like this happening, do you actually step in? Especially if it has nothing to do with your kid?
A TikTok user and mom coach, a self-proclaimed “playground meddler” will correct your kid if she thinks they’re doing something that doesn’t align with the proper playground “etiquette.”
“I have no problem telling other kids on the playground a guidance on etiquette,” TikTok mom, @julieyourmomcoach, said in her video before giving an example of a time when she stepped in to correct another parent’s child for yelling.
“Like there's this little girl who was shouting like she's being attacked multiple times. I just walked over, and I was like, ‘Are you having an emergency? We don't scream like that unless we're having an emergency because it makes all the parents nervous that there's something wrong with you, and there's nothing wrong with you.’”
She continued, “Or my daughter is on the spinny thing right now, and one of the little boys keeps getting up and coming over to the sand and picking up fistfuls of sand and dumping it right on her legs and other kids' legs. And I said, ‘Hey, we don't throw sand on other kids. We don't.’
“And I don't know if this bothers people, but it's just like, if you're doing it to my kid, I'm going to tell you. If you're causing a ruckus that's causing a problem for everybody, I'm going to tell you. If you're doing something to yourself, I guess it's fine. But yes, I'm a playground meddler.”
Several TikTok users commented on the video with their own opinions on the park meddler’s opinions.
“I just worry about my kids. And I would be annoyed if someone tried telling my kids not to yell outside,” one user wrote.
“As a former child, and parent of multiple, I was taught to mind my business at a very young age,” another said.
“My go-to is ‘Is everyone having fun?’ when a group of kids are getting rowdy and it looks like one of them isn’t enjoying it. It makes them all stop and check in with each other,” another suggested as a way to intervene but not scold anyone.
One user said, “If it’s not harming anyone i mind my business. Playground is the one place kids should be able to be loud 😭”
One mom noted, “I had a mom scold my child at the playground, who was playing a game with his sister… that I was watching. She also thought she could tell other peoples kids what to do. I had a few choice words.”
Others agreed with Julie, saying that the core issue has to do with parents not “parenting.”
“Absolutely! The kids with behavior issues are from the parents that say, ‘don't tell my kids.’ I say, ‘If you don't tell them, I will,’” one user wrote.
Another echoed, “I’m the same way and some parents need to control their children.”
If there’s another child at the park, messing with my kid, and they can’t come to a resolution on their own. I will step in and help fix the issue.
However, if some kid is screaming and yelling, and it has absolutely nothing to do with own child, I am staying out of it. Kids scream and shout at playgrounds. Adults literally tell kids to use their “outside voices.” It sounds like the little girl screaming was more just annoying this mom, and she wanted to put a stop to it.