That I didn't say something... ...

[caroline161]

Saw a little girl in Tesco last night looked about 3 or 4 getting shouted at and smacked. She was sat in the trolley moaning and asking to get out. The mother grabbed her out of the trolley and said "god I'm so sick of you" smacked her and put her on the floor. The little girl really cried. She was thin and a bit unkempt.
The store was busy this must have been witnessed by 50 people and no one said anything, including me to my shame. I stood there stared at the mother and thought what can I say to her? What can I do ? She wouldn't have been able to assault an adult like that.
I do feel terrible....but for the next time which there will be. What could I have said ?
I'm not backwards in coming forwards usually. I don't know what happened.

I've seen similar and done nothing. Years ago I saw a woman call her preschooler a c*nt in the middle of a busy high street. I was so shocked it didn't even register for a few minutes. About a month ago in a shopping centre I saw a woman shout and then hit her child around the head in his pushchair, again I was a bit slow to register as I was so shocked. I turned back to say something on the second occasion but the woman was already in the distance at the top of the escalator .

People can be so horrible.

Lots of people will say "it's just a snapshot of their life" and blah blah blah. It's a snapshot of someone physically abusing their child, yes.

i could have written a post like this yesterday too OP. I was waiting for my OH to get some money from the building society and noticed an older lady with a young boy who was sat on one of the seats with a robot type toy that obviously belonged to him. I'm not sure what he'd been doing before we arrived, but whatever it was certainly didn't justify the way she grabbed his head and shook him or the horrible things she said.
I don't shirkmfrom telling my children off when they've been naughty, but she was really rough with him and her face showed pure hatred. Behaviour like that by an adult towards a child is just wrong. To my shame I didn't say anything, but she saw I was watching and she propelled him outside.
We all know that children can be naughty on occasions, but this little boy just looked sad and totally defeated. I heard him say sorry Nanny on the way out and felt so sorry for him. I don't know why he was with his nan or what he'd done but I couldn't help wondering whether his mum/dad were at work content in the knowledge that their son was being well looked after. He certainly wasn't at that moment.