So we were at the local coffee shop, one with the kids' play area. Two other kids there, much older than my daughter (my daughter is 21 months, they were maybe aged 4, 5?) Siblings. Anyway, the girl is playing with a little hand-held toy and my daughter tries to grab it. Before I even have chance to say anything, the mother leaps up and tells the girl "Tell her "No." Use your manners - but she needs to learn!" (Which honestly, I was not thrilled about -her tone of voice, I mean.) I tried to ensure that my daughter didn't grab anything else, and if she did, I did the whole "Maren, that little girl is playing with (whatever) and you can play with it once she's finished" and gave the toy back to whoever was playing with it. No drama.
Ten minutes later, the girl and her brother start to play with a pirate ship - that is so large that 3 or 4 kids could have played with it, comfortably. So Maren wanders over and tries to join in. Before Maren even reached out to touch it, the little boy grabs the pirate ship, moves it away from Maren and says "We want to play with this by ourselves."
My response, "This is a public coffee shop and the toys here are for all the children to share. She can play with the pirate ship if she wants to." So the boy walks off to his mother, and she says something quietly, and the boy never comes back. We have to leave 5 minutes later anyway. Not sure if that was the right reaction - but I feel that if there is a "group" toy (i.e. more than one child can play with it) then there can be no "that is mine". From the look I got, the other mother did not agree. What would you have done?
Ten minutes later, the girl and her brother start to play with a pirate ship - that is so large that 3 or 4 kids could have played with it, comfortably. So Maren wanders over and tries to join in. Before Maren even reached out to touch it, the little boy grabs the pirate ship, moves it away from Maren and says "We want to play with this by ourselves."
My response, "This is a public coffee shop and the toys here are for all the children to share. She can play with the pirate ship if she wants to." So the boy walks off to his mother, and she says something quietly, and the boy never comes back. We have to leave 5 minutes later anyway. Not sure if that was the right reaction - but I feel that if there is a "group" toy (i.e. more than one child can play with it) then there can be no "that is mine". From the look I got, the other mother did not agree. What would you have done?