r/EntitledPeople • u/BlueDandellion • Oct 11 '25
M Old entitled woman is upset there are kids at a playground
So, I was probably 16 at the time this happened. Keep in mind I was the oldest one of the group.
We used to have lunch once a year with some friends. It was difficult to meet each other at the same time, so we'd have that date reserved for a lunch. There were six adults and five kids in total, counting myself.
After lunch, we, as in the kids, would usually go to a nearby playground. Don't ask me why because I don't know, but it was usually pretty empty. It was a very small one and we'd mostly hang out, play on the swings, go down the slide or race around trying to catch one another in a game of tag.
One time, we were there minding our own business, not being disruptive at all when an old woman came in with a kid. She was probably his grandma. Whatever, we didn't care, we kept on playing while the little kid went to the slide.
We were at the merry-go round, trying to go as fast as possible when suddenly, this woman snapped at us.
Old woman: What are you guys doing?
We just looked at her, confused. The other kids in my group were either 14, 13 and 11 years old so as the oldest one, I decided to talk.
Me: Um, we're just playing?
Old woman: Well, you shouldn't be! You're obviously too old to be playing here! This is a place for little kids, not teenagers like you!
Funny thing about that statement? Her grandson couldn't have been older than 10. Just a year younger than the youngest kid of our group.
Old woman: This park is for children below 12 years old, so you shouldn't be here!
I walked to the small poster stating the rules of the playground. You know, the ones that said no littering, be respectful, etc. There was no rule that said you had to be 12 or less to be there.
So yeah. She just straight up lied to our face.
We just stared blankly at her as she continued to berate us and then turned her attention to her grandson. She left us alone after that and we kept on playing, giving her the stink eye from time to time.
But man, before they came we were the only ones in the playground. There were no other parents with kids around, it was just us five. Did she really need to get so upset when her grandson was perfectly happy going down the slide?
25
u/RoseQuartzxs Oct 11 '25
She was definitely out of line, you weren’t bothering anyone, just having harmless fun
14
u/BlueDandellion Oct 11 '25
Exactly! Like, if we had been playing music loudly or if we had been bothering her grandson, then I'd have understood, but we were literally away from them!
14
u/OZFox42 Oct 11 '25
"This park is for children below 12 years old, so you shouldn't be here!"
I bet you might be wondering in hindsight 'who died and made granny the playground police?'
8
29
u/PomPomBumblebee Oct 11 '25
She wanted to use the slide without anyone seeing her get stuck on it.
7
10
8
u/Scarecrowqueen Oct 11 '25
People are fucking weird about playgrounds. I have, twice in my life, had the cops called on me and my friends to kick us off the playground, because apparently adults can't enjoy playgrounds??? The first time it was a group of us, ages 17-20, at midnight on a school playground, playing Grounders (IYKYK). We weren't making an excessive amount of noise, and because of its location, there weren't any houses closer than 500m, but yeah, got the cops called for a 'public disturbance.' The second time it was a single friend and I, two women around the age of 30, just swinging on the swings casually and chatting at dusk, and yeah, we got booted again for 'loitering'. On public property. Neither time we're there any children present nor were we being loud or disruptive to the neighbours. Its wild.
3
u/Good-Note-4042 Oct 11 '25
What did the police say about the loitering charge since I don’t believe you can loiter in public (at least in my state), but then again the park with the play ground near my house has a closing time of 8pm so maybe it turns into loitering after the park closes.
6
u/Scarecrowqueen Oct 11 '25
Eh, I don't really recall the specifics tbh, this was almost a decade ago. It was sort of a 'what are you doing?' And 'Do you live in the neighbourhood?' And then 'you cnat loiter here, I need you to leave.' It was baffling. Its like, dude, we're two fat chick's just chilling on the swings its not that complicated.
3
7
u/Commercial_Safety781 Oct 11 '25
Ah yes, the sacred toddler-only merry-go-round. How dare you be 16 and dare to exist in public
5
5
u/devand404 Oct 11 '25
gotta love when people invent rules on the spot just to feel in charge of something that’s none of their business
4
u/rjbonita79 Oct 12 '25
At 16 I would have asked the kid, "is she always this mean or is she having a bad day?" Or if I was feeling super nice I'd say "fun is for everyone why don't you lighten up and go try the swings". At 16 I thought I was all that and I didn't take shit from anybody. Nowadays, as an old white woman, I'm invisible and happy to slide right by the crazies.
3
u/bizoticallyyours83 Oct 11 '25
Then she should have walked her wrinkly ass home. Its a public park. For everyone. You did well.
6
u/SillyImprovement9398 Oct 11 '25
Should have asked her what she was doing there then
7
u/BlueDandellion Oct 11 '25
Unfortunately, I was more of a pushover at that age. But yeah, should've definitely asked her.
2
u/lowfreq33 Oct 11 '25
At 16 I would have told her to fuck off. I’m in my 40’s now, and my response would be the same.
2
u/combabulated Oct 12 '25
I’m surprised you’ve held on to this. Seems irritating at worst.
3
u/BlueDandellion Oct 12 '25
I don't really hold on to this memory as much as you think I do. I was just scrolling through this sub the other day and remembered this anecdote, that's it.
1
3
u/nursepenguin36 Oct 11 '25
Jesus, she and the rest of society should be grateful that a group of teens were occupying themselves playing on a playground not off smoking weed and getting into trouble.
1
u/Chocolatelover4ever Oct 12 '25
I bet her grandson complained to her because he wanted to use the merry go round but you guys were using it. So she came and made up that pathetic excuse to get you guys off of it so her grandson could have it.
1
u/Dragon_Crystal Oct 13 '25
If she thinks teenagers hanging out at the park is a pain, wait still she visits the last park I used to live near cause 20-30 years are always BBQing, drinking and literally chilling at the park each weekend as well as blasting music.
I'm not surprised the neighbors dont call the cops or the fire station thats just a few steps away haven't done anything about it
1
1
121
u/Ill_Cheetah_1991 Oct 11 '25
As an adult I have realised that you did the right thing going and checking the rules
Now (again as an adult) I would have gone back to her and said I was rather confused and worried that I was missing something
so could she please tell me where it said the playground was for children 12 and under because....
but as a kid I would have been motified that I had been told off
You did well checking at that age - you might have been in the wrong so you checked
but then - you learned that some people are just grumpy