AITA for not letting a kid on the swings?

An 18-year-old and his friend used swings at a park after waiting for their turn, but a woman with two small children demanded they get off, claiming swings were for kids. The user refused, saying they had just started. The woman berated him, comparing his use of the swings to how she partied at 18.

He eventually left after exchanging insults, baffled when she used the swing herself to accommodate her toddler despite there being kid-friendly swings available. read the original story below…

‘ AITA for not letting a kid on the swings? ‘

I (18M) was at the park with my best friend. We waited a while to go on the swings because two children were on it before we arrived, and not even five minutes after we started swinging a woman came up to us with her two children (one was less than three probably, she couldn’t even stand on her own, and the other was at least five).

The woman immediately yelled at us to get off the swings because children should have priority over us, so I tell her we just got on them and we wanted to swing a bit longer. The woman said that “this is a park for children (it’s not, there were a lot of teens there) and we need to get off.

I tell her that’s b**lshit and she needs to sit down and stop yelling at random people she never met before. She asks me how old I am and she goes on a tirade about how I’m problematic because I’m going on a swing at 18 when at my age she was going out clubbing.

I got pissed and got off, telling her that it shows she went clubbing at 18 considering how young she looked. She called me a b**ch, I called her a b**ch back and left. Then she proceeded to get on the swing herself to be able to let the toddler swing because she couldn’t stand on her own and I found that baffling – there were swings for young kids available. AITA?

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

PeacefulAnarchist04 −  NTA. Parks are, typically, public property. You have every right to be there as the mom and kids do. Also, what kind of mother brags about going clubbing at 18 in front of her kids???

First-Pressure7112 −  NTA Would people rather you do “normal” teenage activities and do drugs and drink and steal and “go clubbing” or… swing? Now a days teens quite literally cannot do anything without someone having a problem w it.

They complain because teens are holed away in their rooms on the phone but then also turn around and complain when they’re outside (not including the teens that do illegal things). As long as you guys weren’t being disruptive, I see no problem w swinging.

Maybe if you were on it for an hour, but if its true you were there for 5 minutes then… okay? She can wait or leave. It’s a public place, she can buy her own damn swingset if it bothers her that people are using the playground equipment.

[Reddit User] −  NTA, there’s not an age limit for the swings.

Perfect-Associate318 −  NTA the kids learn to wait their turn

rockology_adam −  NTA, as long as there are no signs posted at the playground equipment regarding expected ages or sizes. As a former teenager who hung out in parks and playgrounds, and now a parent who has had to wait for teenagers to get off the swings so my kids could go on them, I LIKE seeing teenagers at the playground swinging and chatting and sharing a bag of chips with their friends.

My kids wait their turn, and I hope they turn into playground hanger-outers and not car thieves and junkies. I have spoken to the teenagers at the park before when they jump on the toddler swings and slides (they aren’t made for adult weights, and the signage is there), and a couple of times when they have littered or otherwise left their crap where it shouldn’t be.

Teenager on swings, fine. Teenager leaving bike under the swings making them unusable, not fine. Frankly, if the swings are regular size, you have every right to enjoy them too. It’s not like you were on them forever. You waited your turn, and would have gotten off to let the kids have a turn after a good swing, right? Then it’s that mother who is the AH.

[Reddit User] −  ESH. Yes, you are legally e**itled to use the swings. And you should use the swings! However, not yielding to actual children who want to use the swings? Come on. Seriously?

This is a very obvious social cue that you somehow missed. It’s a generally proper thing to do to let kids play on the kids’ equipment and for you to use it only when there are no kids wanting to use it.

ClericalErrror −  NTA Part of staying young and holding onto the enjoyment of youth is doing youthful silly things.. Well done.. Play on.

pinkpink0430 −  NTA. I hate that people think once you’re no longer a small child you’re not allowed to have fun.

CityofOrphans −  INFO: You mentioned swings for kids that were available. Were these swings meant for kids that were this woman’s children’s age, and were they available the entire time you were swinging on your swings?

Should teens and adults share playground equipment with kids? Was the response justified? Share your thoughts below!