I was with OH in a clothes shop this afternoon looking for some bits. It was an extreme rarity for us to be child free so we were enjoying having a wander round without the double buggy!
When looking at some clothes I could hear a hysterical child having a tantrum, a hissing (parent i assume) and the sound of smacking. I looked around the racks I was browsing and sure enough a woman was knelt down at child height, hissing at the toddler to behave, smacked the child on the chest area and then went to smack the child's face but shot her hand down when she clocked that I was watching.
I was angered by what I saw and raised my voice at her to stop hitting the child, i told her we don't do that crap here (she was european - this is possibly not relevant but I know some cultures parent differently) and that her behaviour was disgusting and she should be ashamed and how would she like it if somebody her own size hit her.
This must have shocked the child as they stopped crying and the mother(?) sheepishly put the child into the pram rushed off.
OH was visibly embarrassed at being part of this confrontation but I think I was justified personally. In hindsight I think I could have said all of the above without raising my voice but my maternal instinct kicked in and I was furious for the child.
Was I being unreasonable for interesting? What would you have done?
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AIBU?
To have confronted a mother smacking her child in public
536 replies
Roux95 · 17/01/2020 23:46
OP posts:
Am I being unreasonable?
1336 votes. Final results.
POLL
You are being unreasonable
37%
You are NOT being unreasonable
63%
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