I can’t tell if I am in the wrong. For the last 3 weeks, every day when I go to the “employees only” area of my work, this 8 year old child follows me there. I have told his mother that kids are not allowed in the back, my bosses have told her twice, but still he persists. Today he showed up again, and I was done. I told him again that he needs to go, and that I was going to tell his mom. I took him to the front of the store and I told his mother, that I have been telling him he can’t come to the back and he keeps doing it. I generally have a really laid back and easy going personality and when I show my teeth, it tends to stress people out…so that’s exactly what happened. One of my coworkers told me I was harsh with the mother, and yeah I mean it’s been over 3 weeks of this child not listening, and his mother just dumping him on me when I have told her that Im not a babysitter. My boss told me I overstepped and that it’s her job, and the child’s mother said she felt embarrassed. Personally, I’m glad she felt that way but still, am I the asshole in this?
NTA for taking the child back to his mother and letting her know. However you didn’t say exactly what you told her that everyone says was harsh so a bit hard to judge if you were.
Nta. it is mom’s job to watch her child, not yours.
NTA. The mother should control her child and if she cannot then the Boss should.
NTA I’d be embarrassed too if a stranger set better boundaries with my kid than I do.
Who is this woman? Your partner, a customer, a friend? That sort of changes how I’d respond.
INFO: What did you actually say to the mother when you were telling her off?
P.s. the phrase “when I show my teeth” is super cringe
This is the question I have to. Also, where is the kid and mother come from? What eight year-old kid is in the store with their mother every day for three weeks
Yes this. And what was said to the kid, did the kid see these teeth (lol). Also don’t exactly understand who the mum and the kid are. Context is missing.
Similar scenario, construction site not a storeroom.
Kid (10-12ish) was always walking through, riding his bike, tossing dirt at the shed and machines.
He lived across the road.
Told the mother, told the father, asked the kid, told the kid, yelled at the kid.
Kids parents threatened us about going near him.
So…
Ended up yelling at both parents at the same time.
“There is NO insurance if your kid hurts himself in the yard, we don’t want the paperwork so we’ll not even call an ambulance if he does.” “We can’t touch him, so we can’t help him.”
Parents should keep their kids safe and out of non-public areas.
WHS/OHSA rules are absolute. Embarrassing someone is better than an injury.
Tell your boss you were concerned of the liability she’d face if the kid got hurt in an employee only area.
NTA
Boss said you overstepped, I think that means you are not longer responsible for what happens.
Let your boss manage the situation.
Nta ‘sorry boss would you rather us wait for him to have an accident in our staff room then you get sued for his injuries?’
NTA. A random child in a staff only area isn’t covered by insurance. Also are there cameras in that room. If that child gets hurt within the off limits area and it cannot be demonstrated the child wasn’t welcome there guess who is going to be held responsible. If there is any internal messaging it might be worth trying to get the boss to say both what happened and its not your place to do what you did in writing to cover yourself.
A random child? A employees child? Boss’ love child with the secretary?
Full in the blanks.
I have found memories of being at my parents work as a child. Things are vastly different now days thanks to the fun police, but if I was told not to be somewhere I sure wouldn’t be there again.
NTA.