Woman smacked her son around the head in front of me today

[LindorDoubleChoc]

I was standing out in the street in a very wealthy area of London today. A typically upper middle class mother and her son (probably about 7 or 8?) walked past. He had obviously annoyed her, whingeing about something no doubt. She smacked him round the head! I was so shocked!

I didn't say anything and I hate myself for it. Would you have done, honestly?

Would you have been less shocked if this happened in Tower Hamlets, for example.

And how does one recognise a "typically upper middle class mother'?

Are you being serious?

From her accent, clothes and where she was, I guess.

I'm sure Oreos is not being serious.

I defo would have said something…it’s assault

Where was she?

And would you have been just as shocked if this was a "typical" working class mother in Enfield, for example?

If not, why not? And if yes, then why the need to mention the upper middle class background?

Yes I would of phoned the police you do not hit anyone in the head never mind a a child

It's really easy to say what you would do if you weren't actually there. I've experienced similar and the shock of it stopped me from responding.

Honestly I would have said something, I just can't help myself just can't let things like that go especially abuse that poor child gets my back up things like that I imagine if that was my kid i would be sent down children need to be protected even by own parents in some cases you should have called her out 😔

What would saying anything achieve though? If she's prepared to hit her child in public, she's not going to change her ways because of comments from a random stranger. Sad but true. Poor child.

Well it would achieve more than just standing and saying nothing, report it at the very least i just don't understand people nowadays.

It’s about doing the right thing in my opinion but I get what you’re saying …me I wouldn’t be able to stop myself saying something purely because it was a child

I'd have definitely said something. Probabably 'Oi, what the f**k do you think you are doing!'

💯

Happened to me once - was at a boot sale and a woman and child were in front of me. Heard nothing from the child but suddenly the woman slapped her hard straight across the face. I called her out - it was shocking. Child froze. Woman started screaming at me telling everyone I am what is wrong with this country. Pushed child towards me telling me I could have her. Everyone staring and nobody doing or saying a thing. I eventually walked off but called police when I got home. Luckily the following week we went again and they were there - I called 999 and as they had a copy of the report they came straight down. I met them and they went to talk to her when I pointed her out. Saw them speaking to her for ages but then they went and she carried on walking round telling all the stall holders what had happened. I don’t know if there was anything that came of it but I often think of that little girl - if she did that in public what the hell was happening at home. And the woman was not young, was well dressed etc.

Well I was recently a witness in court to a father hitting his child. It's illegal in Scotland. I phoned the police, gave a statement, and went to court.

So that's what I would do, and is in fact what I did.

Well done its the right thing to do

It makes you feel awful to see that doesn't it?
I was once in a shopping centre around Christmas time and a family was walking towards me. The boy stopped to look at a Christmas display and his mother pushed him really hard from behind.
I can't forget it.

Just hearing how some people speak to/around their children. Profanity is all they know and pass it on to their children. But I don't remonstrate with them. Probably tell me to fo at best

And got a slap yourself for your troubles

What worries me is if they do that in public what on earth could they be doing behind closed doors. I called a woman out many years ago after I saw her hitting a toddler round the head - just got foul mouthed abuse but I would do it again -

I would intervene, and have done before. It’s no way to behave.

I don't know what I'd have done. I did nothing today when a woman at the bus stop was going on and on at her 4-5 year old child and saying things like 'you're really pathetic' in a really cold tone.

To begin with I felt sorry for her. I missed the beginning of the situation and just noticed a child grizzling and crying. Then as I tuned in she kept telling him to stop crying, behave, shut up etc. He was saying he didn't want to go to bed when they got in (it was 10.30am) and that he didn't want to miss out on going out tomorrow. She kept on at him and I was thinking that it was easy as an outsider to see that she was making it worse by constantly telling him to stop crying and making these threats. And then she started getting really nasty, telling him he was pathetic and telling him over and over again to shut up. Shouted at him to shut up (You better shut up right now or I swear to God!) as we got on the bus. He did stop for a bit and then I heard her start at him again so he started crying again. And I did nothing. I wanted to advise her that if she changed her tone, or just ignored him a bit, he'd probably stop. But I thought then she'd probably be embarrassed and cross with me and shout and upset the child she was telling off, her child that was behaving, and my child who was with me. So I said nothing. Sadly the way she was with her child is quite normal for my area anyway.

Really difficult.

I have been in similar situations before; where I'd like to say something but you just don't know who you are saying it to. What if they punched you? Or even worse?

I am always with my toddler too, so wouldn't want to get into trouble with her with me.

It's really sad. Also, the kid might get more abuse if the parent has been embarrassed if someone said something too? I don't know. It's really tricky.