My son is 3, and on Saturday we went to our local Chick Fil A to have breakfast and let DS play in their play area. Being Saturday, they were busy and there were several other children there as well.
One boy, I'd guess about age 9, took it upon himself to report to the various parents each infraction, real or imagined, of the children playing there. He definitely spent more time reporting other kids' behavior than he did actually playing. He identified which kids belonged to which parents and learned the kids' names, to streamline the tattling process I guess.
So for the hour we were there, he tattled on the various kids for dozens of things, such as making faces, spinning, or knocking on the door to wave at their parents. Believe me when I say that the kids were behaving quite appropriately, and most of this boy's claims were absolutely ridiculous.
I was completely baffled as to how to handle this. The kid's parents were on the far side of the restaurant and likely did not see or hear any of the incidents. When the kid first tattled on my son (for knocking on the door) I asked my son to not knock on the door anymore. The second time, I told my son "that boy is upset, let's try to ignore him and not get in his way."
The kid tried to tattle on my son for a third time, and I let my tone sound exasperated when I asked him to leave my son alone.
Do you folks have any tips for handling tattletale kids? Especially when the other children are honestly doing nothing but playing acceptably?