To think any parent would do the same? Or am I bonkers

[Doritosandsourcream]

On holiday in the buffet eating dinner all I could hear was my son crying walking from the bar with his juice in his hand. I thought oh maybe he fell over so DH went over to him. Turns out that this little girl that has been picking on him for the past 2 days her dad has grabbed DS and twisted arm so tight he broke his skin and dug his nails into him. (German family)

DS has been coming to me about her saying she keeps pushing him and sticking her fingers up since they arrived. DS finally got annoyed and pushed her back earlier on in the day and she told her dad. So dad got his own back on DS.

I ran over to DH as he was shouting at the dad and the dad was just smirking and something just came over me and I punched him in the face.

Never in my life have I punched anyone and I didn’t think about the consequences at the time I just kept looking at my son he was in flood of tears.

It was the weirdest feeling I have never felt adrenaline like it.

aibu? How would you have handled it? The hotel did absolutely nothing.

Aye sure, but he did in fact hurt the ops son. It wasn't a made up excuse for violence. You're projecting.

I also grew up with a violent dad tho, so hugs for you ❤️

I'm not "hard". I probably wouldn't do much damage, but it would be basic instinct to protect my DS. I really do not care about looking attractive or classy to random strangers.

Precisely. Unless they are in kids club, you should be keeping an eye on them and particularly so if they have reported a dispute with another child. Tell them to stay away from the other kid and ignore them or else they won’t be allowed to play and have to stay by the sun loungers.

You’re not protecting though - you are retaliating. Protecting would be pushing someone away who is currently in the process of hurting your child. Not thumping someone who your young child says grabbed them but is currently not posing a threat.

It’s very bizarre who cares about being classy when it comes to protecting your children absolute madness. You think being classy even crosses your mind in a situation like that.

How exactly did you protect your child then?

If an adult assaulted my son I'd punch them too!

OhNoForever · Today 11:25
**
Aye sure, but he did in fact hurt the ops son. It wasn't a made up excuse for violence. You're projecting.
**
I also grew up with a violent dad tho, so hugs for you”

As did I. Taught me that violence is not the way.

Lunabetty · Today 11:28

If an adult assaulted my son I'd punch them too”

Regardless of the consequences for your son?

Good for you op, I hope it hurt him - or at least his pride. He sounds vile, to physically assault a child & then smirk & shh you. What an arsehole. I would have loved to of called the police and seen him be arrested but can totally understand you acting out of impulse in the moment.

We don't actually know that 'he did in fact hurt the OP's son'.

And here we have the evidence of why wars occur

Because people are too quick to resort to violence

You just dont know what you would do if someone hurt your child. Its ok to say oh you were so classy and you shouldnt revert to violence but i think my DH would have hit him before I got to him.

You should have been supervising your 6 year old, not just today but all over the holiday, unless in kids club, then it’s on them.

its not school, you should be supervising nice play, not just leaving a six year old to it. Then you would have encountered these parents/children and have a clearer picture. If unhappy you could have kept a distance? This all could have been prevented. If the police are called you could also have been in trouble, the Dad could have punched you back, he was probably feeling defensive of his daughter, in the way that you were of your DS.

I have no idea why you, as a Scot, would have a chip on your shoulder about Germany. But, you definitely have a chip on your shoulder about something!

What you imagine you would do and what you would actually do are likely 2 different things.

This is a highly unusual fight or flight adrenaline scenario and you were acting in self defence. Don’t overthink it OP.

Needs must. Calling the police would have been a waste of time!

Touch my child - feel the consequences!

So all the time this little girl was bothering your son you did nothing to protect him.
Then he hurt her but you don't know how badly.
Then he got warned off.
Then you punched her dad.
You hero.

Not sure what I'd do if someone did this to my child but I think it would be similar. I would not for one moment be thinking about taking the higher ground in this situation.

No one can really comment unless they're in that position themselves. I'm sure the feeling of rage would be hard to control.

in the buffet eating dinner all I could hear was my son crying walking from the bar with his juice in his hand. I thought oh maybe he fell over so DH went over to him.

This can't be real. You let a 6yr old be out of sight (multiple times if you werent aware of the pushing) in a foreign country despite knowing about Madeleine MacCann and Jamie Bulger?? Fuck me...

I have no time for people who use violence unless it is in self defence, using the word bonkers is a poor attempt to make light of what you have done.

What would you have done if the guy gave you a slap back after being punched in the face? I assume your dp would then have felt obliged to protect you and perhaps he could have been seriously injured in the process. Or perhaps the police get called and they both end up in custody missing flights home.

Watch what chain of events you might trigger, and you would be responsible for, just because you can't control your temper or your fists.

Your ds struck a child, the father was unreasonable in his response, but your behaviour is nothing to be proud of. Actions speak much louder and their impact influences much longer than words and if under pressure your ds will not forget you modelling violence is the answer regardless of what you now say to him.

Wouldn't have been a waste of time for the German gentleman who was physically assaulted.
That's the only violence that there's any proof of here.

I'm surprised we're all still pretending this happened, but all right...

This was not self defence. It was a retaliation to a smirk.

If OP had seen the man go for her son, or indeed her husband, punching him may then have been reasonable. But she didn't.

Meh. I can’t find any sympathy for that dad getting a punch in the face. I’ve checked but since he’s a fucking prick who assaults children I can’t find any. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Just hope it doesn’t have consequences for you now, OP.

Meh... I hope he got a black eye. Something to remember you by. Well done. I probably would do the same.

Shocked at how many people are referring to ‘the poor gentleman’ who got a punch after literally hurting a child??

I also don’t quite know what people would have expected police to do especially with op travelling home soon after.

i like to think I’d not be violent but if I need to stand up for my family I will. I would have struggled to not do the same, and I think my DH would have beaten me to it!