Rules vs. Recommendations

My daughter loves playing at the play area at the mall here near the house. This is usually a great thing, 'cause it's designed with kids in mind - little kids. Has a really cute picture of a bear, holding out his hand, showing you the maximum height of the kids allowed. Easy peasy, right?

Today, we're there and there's a kid, probably 13 years old, and easily 2 feet taller than the cutesy bear's hand. My daughter comes in - and she's not even the youngest kid there at 3 - and this kid goes running past full bore and brushes her, knocking her over.

I'm not a hot head. Really. Read other posts where people have PISSED me off, and you'll see it. I swear. But my daughter is something else here.

"Hey," I call to the kid. "You're too old, too fast and entirely too big to be in here. You're gonna end up hurting one of these kids... and they're all smaller than you. Get out."

He glares at me, and sulks his way off to his mom. She gives me the go-to-hell look as her ne'er-do-well kid goes and slouches next to her. All the other parents in the play area? Give me "Oh thank God someone spoke up" looks.

Am I an ass? I mean, really, are rules there to be followed, or is the mentality of the kids today (Oh, lord, I said it) right, they're just *recommendations*?