Would you intervene if a child was being hit?

[TonkaTruckduck]

We're on holiday in a holiday camp place.

In the park yesterday a Mum started dragging her daughter, maybe about 7 yo, from the play park. As I watched she was poking, shoving and gitting the child, then an older teenager appeared, maybe older sister, and she started pushing and shoving too. The child was crying and shouting.

They were a level below us with a wall separating, so I couldn't physically get to them. But I hung over the wall, told them to leave the kid alone, and was shouting that they should be ashamed of themselves. They sulked off.

After I finished my rant there were other parents giving me really strange looks, and even dh was a bit 😳.

Would you have done anything/ the same / nothing in this situation. I know physical punishment is legal in England, but this was ongoing bullying rather than a tap on the bum IYSWIM.

Yes, I definitely would have!

Absolutely. Good on you for saying something.

I think it's a really difficult one.

I sadly suspect many parents who are called out just go home and take it out on the child for "embarrassing them in public" or some such

If you asked me a year ago I probably would have said no. But after reading about so many child deaths at the hands of their parents in the last few months I would have definitely intervened. I'd rather be safe than sorry now.

I was at a swimming pool a few weeks ago and a little boy in the cubicle next to us getting changed slipped on the floor and was crying. The man with him kept telling him to "shut the f**k up" and was hitting the wall of the cubicle to scare him.

When we got outside I waited until the were leaving and got his registration number of his car and reported it to the non-emergency police phone number. It was awful and I hate to think if he acts like that in public what on earth he does behind closed doors.

Honestly no. I have witnessed it but no I wouldn’t say/ do anything.

Yes all day long. Couldn’t give a shit who might give me a funny look or disapprove. I’d have probably took pictures or filmed if I could so I could tell police / school / SS (depending on reality of knowing their school etc) I would have told them to stop whatever the consequences.
However bad it might turn out for me it’s always going to be worse for the kid.

While I understand the, ‘it could make things worse for the kid’ arguments, doing nothing definitely won’t make it better so it’s a risk worth taking I’m my view.

Im absolutely sick to the back teeth with abusive parents and the horrific stories of child deaths caused by them and their ilk.

Well done you. I couldn’t not say anything.