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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have yelled at this woman

27 replies

123upthere · 31/01/2015 16:46

Who I saw dragging her 2 yr old out of his pram & hitting him repeatedly on the pavement (I was stopped at traffic lights & wound down window yelled 'Nooooo' 'stop hitting!' She just looked at me & looked away Sad) My instincts got the better of me. Feeling sick about it all. That poor kid. Police car was 4 cars in front of me too Hmm

OP posts:
Frozenchipsareawful · 31/01/2015 16:48

Poor child! Its horrible seeing this type of behaviour. Well done for saying something.

IssyStark · 31/01/2015 16:52

YANBU

Sometimes the red mist can just descend and we need a third party to call us to our senses. I wish someone had spoken up to my mum when she would wallop me in public, but they never did.

Original poster
123upthere · 31/01/2015 16:54

Thank you. I just feel sick in my stomach. Utterly sad, sick. I hate seeing this. My DM was similar but never in public though. So so sad. Mostly because I can't do anything more to help that kid today.

OP posts:
DrinkFeckArseGirls · 31/01/2015 16:55

Hmm Why didnt you call the police if it were that bad?

Original poster
123upthere · 31/01/2015 17:00

Police saw it as they had been at traffic lights. They later turned their car around so maybe went back to her. I don't know as had to drive car on

OP posts:
Catsize · 31/01/2015 17:06

Yanbu

LuxuryTrifle · 31/01/2015 17:08

Yanbu at all! How appalling. Thank goodness someone tried to intervene.

TooHasty · 31/01/2015 17:18

It is perfectly legal for her to smack her child even though you and I don't agree with it.A smack through clothing , will be hardly felt.I assume it was on the bum?

Dawndonnaagain · 31/01/2015 17:24

It is perfectly legal for her to smack her child
Unfortunately.

WorraLiberty · 31/01/2015 18:00

How could you tell the Police saw it if they were 4 cars in front?

Original poster
123upthere · 31/01/2015 18:42

I couldn't tell. But I saw her doing it from when I was 10 cars away from the lights then the lights went red and all cars sat there while she kept hitting.

Oh it wasn't just a smack and off they went. She manhandled the kid out of the buggy was pulling his coat near the neck with one hand and whacking him with the other.

Police have wing mirrors and rear view mirrors. If I saw it on the approach to the lights then how could they not see it.

OP posts:
bettyboop1970 · 31/01/2015 19:04

Poor boy. If she does that in public what the hell does she do behind closed doors? Hope the police got involved.

MrsWolowitz · 31/01/2015 19:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
123upthere · 31/01/2015 19:20

Yes that's right MrsWorowitz. I can only hope they turned around further down the road and headed back in her direction, because of this incident.

OP posts:
Original poster
123upthere · 31/01/2015 19:20

Sorry I meant Mrs Wolowitz

OP posts:
Quitelikely · 31/01/2015 19:22

God I hate reading this sort of thing. I hope the police did see it.

MadgeMak · 31/01/2015 19:36

YANBU. I was in the Disney store over Christmas doing some last minute shopping, I was next in the queue to pay and there was a woman in front of me already at her till paying with two toddlers in a double buggy. One toddler reached up to the card holder to grab at her card, as toddlers do, and she slapped her really hard across the face to stop her. Made me feel sick but I didn't dare say anything, so well done to you OP.

I'm no means a perfect mum, and I shout at my kids far more than I feel is acceptable, but the viciousness that this woman displayed was just disgusting.

windchime · 31/01/2015 19:40

I always think that if a parent is prepared to behave like that in public, what the hell are they doing to the kids behind closed doors? I would still call the Police. There may be cctv footage available.

fakenamefornow · 31/01/2015 19:46

I was going to say yabu to shout at anyone. Then I read your post ywnbu well done.

TwoOddSocks · 31/01/2015 19:50

What fakenamefornow said. I assumed you were BU but reading your post YADNBU what an awful woman, I hope for the kids sake it was just a very temporary loss of control that won't be repeated.

CupidStuntSurvivor · 31/01/2015 20:02

I normally try and see these things from the other side and work out an understandable (even if not rational or acceptable) reason for the behaviour. But there really is nothing a child can do while in a pushchair that would explain being hit. That's disgusting behaviour on her part.

usernameiwanted · 31/01/2015 20:33

That is victim blaming. 'Well what did you do to deserve that slap/punch/whatever' Nothing. Noone, especially a child, deserves to be hit no matter what their behaviour.

Original poster
123upthere · 31/01/2015 20:37

I was just gobsmacked she was clearly at end of her tether BUT fgs

Still feel really Hmm Her look said it all, she knew there was nothing I could do but she did stop whacking and fix stuff at back of the buggy so I'm hoping - hoping - that my action somehow made her stop and rethink

But 70% of me doubts she gives a toss

OP posts:
happywanderingwithdog · 31/01/2015 20:38

Jeez, yadefinitelynbu

Original poster
123upthere · 31/01/2015 20:41

Think also I was so shaken up because I was brought up (wrongly) to never raise my voice to anyone, nevermind a stranger on street with her kids. But not today. My kids were in the car with me and before I saw her one of them had said why is that girl hitting the baby

OP posts: