to wonder if I could have helped these children?

[rosycheeksmum]

We were in the shop a few days ago when a young mum literally exploded into the shop with her two kids, one about three and one about four. She went round the shop screaming and shouting at them "GET OVER HERE!" "MOVE!", treating them with such impatience and aggression. I tried to feel sorry for her, maybe she'd had a really bad day/had a horrible partner who'd wound her up/etc until the little boy did something to annoy her and she shouted in his face "YOU'RE AN ARSEHOLE!DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME!"

Anyway we all just looked at the floor as she was so aggressive, I got the impression that if I'd even briefly made eye contact with her she'd have started a fight with me.

I felt so bad for her kids and wondered afterwards if there is every anything you can do in a situation like that. Could you say to the child "You know it's not OK for anyone to speak to you like that, if something that a grown up in your life is doing is upsetting you you can tell a teacher or another grown up you trust". Or would that make it worse? I honestly don't know.

Massively well done misery, I hope that little boy's life got better as a result of you being so brave.

I wanted to kick her fecking head in but I couldn't. Not with her Son sat there. Police took statements and I had a call from SS about what happened but it was just to confirm what the police told them iyswim.

I saw her again once. She threatened to kill me. She didn't have her son with her. We were in a local bar. I was sooooo tempted. Lucky I'm a fairly nice person.

This thread has made me cry :(

I see some awful examples of parenting sometimes when I am out and about and often I don't know what to do. It's usually just me and my baby daughter,

Well done all of you who intervened. I admire you greatly.

Thanks for replies everyone. So sad that there are so many shite parents out there when there are people like my friend who has had several miscarriages and would give anything to be a parent.
I have fantasised about confronting this horrible woman, I think if my DH had been there I might have done (cowardly I know) so at least her kids knew that what she was doing was not normal or ok and might then have had the courage to tell someone. I don't know why people like her have kids, they seem to derive no pleasure from them.