I didn't join a MG mostly due to travel being an issue for me (would have to do a 60k round trip for MG at a time when most babies would be having a morning sleep - it didn't add up to me!). but i will admit to being one of those people that has done all i can to try to teach DD boundaries from a young age. if she is hurting someone, she gets told. she is told to be gentle with the cat (and if she grabs at his hair or tail, we take her hands off him as we say it). yes, it may seem ridiculous to be teaching her so young (we've used the term "gentle" or "gently" since she was tiny and grabbing at our glasses or hair) but she needs to know. it can be hard when you have everyone seeming to be superficial only due to where you are, but for some people, it's genuine and second nature to try and make sure their child isn't hurting someone else. we also say thankyou (mummy/daddy/granma) when we hand her something, and if she gives us something, we thank her.

like JwithJ, the only mothers group i'm part of is our baby buddies - and apart from the fact that DD is a stubborn little rat that didn't want to lay on the floor with the others (ratbag wanted to sit up and watch lol), it was an all in. when one of the other bubbas got upset, i picked her up for her mum. probably the only thing we were conscious of was bubbas dummy's - making sure the right kidlet got the right one (if they had a dummy). apart from that, it was just a case of putting the bubbas on the floor and letting them go. can't wait til we can do it again!