Parenting

Kelly Osbourne Brags About Being Banned From Parks For Yelling At Kids

by Ashley Austrew

Kelly Osbourne has never been shy about speaking her mind, but there are certain situations where having a filter could come in handy. Case in point: Osbourne says she’s been banned from two parks for yelling at little kids.

The 31-year-old TV personality was recently interviewed on The Meredith Vieira Show and confessed that she’s so protective of her three-year-old niece, Pearl, that she just can’t control herself in confrontations with other kids. “I love her so much,” Osbourne gushed, “I’ve been banned from two parks in the area because this kid was mean to my niece and I yelled at the child and the child’s mother.”

Vieira pressed her for more details, including what exactly she said that got her banned, and Osbourne responded that she couldn’t repeat the diatribe “on the telly.” That, combined with the fact that whatever she said got her literally banned from the area, makes it obvious Osbourne must have gotten pretty out of control.

Interestingly, Osbourne’s comments have garnered her a bit of support among the parenting crowd. In a discussion about the star on SheKnows, moms agreed that yelling at so-called playground bullies is the right thing to do. Wrote one mom:

“She didn’t go to [sic] far. I have yelled at a parent for their child’s bullying in a park as well. I didn’t get kicked out and I would do it again. Bullying is unacceptable and I will protect my child by teaching them to stand up for themselves or me stepping in.”

Figuring out your role in kid disputes at the playground is one of the more difficult parts of caring for a child. You never want to see a kid you love hurt or treated unfairly, but there’s also that part of you that knows you have to let them learn how to solve their own problems (within reason, of course). It’s difficult to know when to take action and when to watch and wait.

We’ve all got our own threshold for when we decide to take charge of a situation involving our kids, but what strikes me about Osbourne’s comments is how disrespectful she likely was to both the “bully” and their mom. A kid who’s being mean to your daughter, son, grandchild, niece, or nephew is still just a kid, and it’s still your job to act like an adult and treat others with dignity.

As a mom of young kids, I’ve dealt with disputes over toys, sand throwing, and even older kids purposely pushing my little ones down for a laugh. Despite my inner urge to fully Hulk out in those situations, I kept my cool because I’m not a child and I know better. Plus, my kids are watching and using my actions as a tool for learning how to handle conflicts.

If you want to jump in every time little Johnny gets his shovel taken away, fine. But none of us ever has the right to get so irate and treat people so horribly that we get banned from a playground. Get a grip, Osbourne.

H/T SheKnows