Flicking an unknown child for throwing rocks at terrapins

[Rafterplease]

I'm sitting in a pub and we are discussing an AIBU of one of the group.

Here's the scenario:

L is in Greece. There's a park with a pool and terrapins in it. A kid - roughly seven - is throwing rocks at the terrapins. The kid is blond but probably Greek. L is standing next to the kid and, fairly gently, instinctively flicks the kid with the back of her hand and says (in English) 'don't do that'. There was no parent in sight. The kid ran away.

L just didnt think, acted totally on instinct. She feels very guilty about doing this. Should she be beating herself up over it?

Those who want to fuck about with gentle shit

:o Gamer for the win!

NO!, innocent creatures, she did right-karma!.

shame the Terapins couldn't lob the rocks back at him. where would that leave us?

Yep the little b*gger deserved to be flicked. Maybe he won't hurt the terrapins again. The only reason I wouldn't advise flicking the kid is because in the UK you're bound to end up with either a) a punch in the face from some big five bellies type Dad or b) a report to the Police if the parent is a tree-hugging Guardian Reader type. Depends on the demographic. Luckily it was abroad so no one wil find out.
If I witnessed the rock throwing I would've defo had a right go at the kid and shouted at him but would prob not touch the kid for the reasons above.

A flick's a flick, as long as it's not a forehead flick

See, I would call that a fingernail snap, not a flick. And a fingernail snap is potentially nasty, because it is intended to hurt.

But the OP described it as an open-handed, back of the hand action, so I don't think it was a fingernail snap.

Personally I think we should ask the terrapins if OP's friend WBU!

It's a shame none of us had the sense to ask the op to film a drunken re-enactment in the pub car park.

I bet she and her pals are sober by now :(

This thread is Mumsnet GOLD!

Seriously, since when did any sort of physical contact with a child become 'violence', 'assault' or 'physical punishment'? And surely people are not that stupid that they cannot see the difference between a gentle flick to startle a child into stopping something, and giving a child a proper hiding in order to really hurt them.

This 'you don't get to touch my child' thing is bollocks as well - if my child was hurting animals and I wasn't there I would fully expect someone to 'touch' my child to sort him out. Obviously I don't mean to start beating them up, but then again, I don't think I should really have to be clarifying what I mean should I?

I too know a boy whose parents are so ineffectual that it has really had a negative effect on him. His mum has always taken the 'gentle' approach with him, and he is fast growing into a teenager with absolutely zero respect for his parents because he knows they will do nothing about his horrid behaviour - he also has no friends because all the kids got sick of his shit. I feel quite sorry for him really.

I also know a 4 year old whose father is from the 'gentle parenting' school of thought (not allowed to use the word 'naughty', mustn't stop her doing things she wants to do etc.) I struggle to see the point of it tbh - she is no happier, more secure or better behaved that my own ds who has suffered a few bollockings from me, quite the opposite in fact.