To ask what you'd do/say

[Thepowerof3]

In the park yesterday there was a lady that was very angry with her two kids I'm estimating them to be around 3 and 8. She was yelling quite a lot, so far so normal but then she gave the little one a whack on the back and pinched his ear because he wouldn't wear his hat. The kids started playing with mine and a few others pretending to be splashing in the sea or something, her younger son accidentll
Y kicked the elder ( who didn't say anything) the mum saw and went ballistic, dragging him off the slide by his arm, gave him a smack and called him 'a bully'I didn't know what to do/ say if anything and I'm ashamed to say I said nothing. WWYD?

I witnessed something similar once, the mother being quite violent with a very small child because he had bopped my toddler one. The mother was very young and covered in bruises and what looked like cigarette burns.

I started chatting to her, telling her it didn't matter about him bopping my son, that little children will and do things like that. And I said I thought he was a very gorgeous boy.

I guess I could see that her lot was pretty tough and I wanted to lighten her load just a little, give her a little something to hold onto.

I work with v poor families, I see the horrible stressors they endure. The parents are usually products of sad families and need a lot of encouragement.

She did seem like she needed help with her temper as she just kept flaring up and yelling and telling her eldest to 'get away' from her. She didn't look young, badly off or bruised herself but did seem to be struggling

I guess she was having a bad day. I don't know what you could do really. It is always unpleasant to see children being bullied but realistically, what can you do? You don't want to be on the receiving end of a mouthful of abuse or a whack.

I've been shades of that mum in the past. I can only say that relentless behaviours from a child with attachment disorder and a resulting deep depression meant that the slightest thing gave me the feeling of being completely unable to cope.

On one particularly bad day in the park, where DD had physically attacked DS and then run away shouting abuse, a very nice lady and her daughter realised my distress and came to talk to me. They distracted me from my fury and behaved completely without judgement and am so very grateful for that.

I haven't been 'that mum' for a long time now, but I can spot it in other mums and feel desperately sorry for them and their children. I suppose, like me though, you have to really want things to improve and have a supportive family.

I'm really worried that if she'll hit like that in public, what will she do at home? Her kids were just playing normally with the others but her patience seemed wafer thin, They weren't hitting/swearing if anything the little one was really upset and subdued after his chastisement, went to sit quietly crying on the end of the slide but returned to his mum for a hug and she just shoved him away.

Usually I would Everlong especially when she called him a bully but the people I was with all said 'you can't say anything you don't know her' no excuse I know and I feel aggravated that I didn't speak up

Ill steal that line Everlong

I practically live there so it's a possibility