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.

@INeedAnotherName "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..."

Oh don't be ridiculous. She let her child go to the buffet in a busy hotel dining room at lunchtime. May I remind you how many children abducted in such circumstances? The number you are looking for is none.

No, I'm absolutely sure you wouldn't.

Just as I wouldn't be focusing on whether some onlooker had "respect" for me.
I'd be focused on my child and prepared to do what was best for them, regardless of what angry urges I had.

At 6, my DDs would have been terrified by me losing control to the point where I punched someone in the face.
I certainly wouldn't have ignored the incident and I would have fought their corner to the best of my ability.
But I wouldn't have got involved in a brawl just to make myself feel better.

Yes. It’s certainly brought the ‘rough’ types out of the woodwork!

Exactly. They seem so proud of the thugs they are married to. I find this behaviour so hideously unattractive and an instant turn-off. I imagine they have sexiest and archaic ideas of what a ‘real man’ does too.

From your OP, I’m getting the sense that this was a highly inappropriate stress response. I don’t think you need to beat yourself up about it if you didn’t make a conscious decision to be violent. Just make sure that instead of justifying bad behaviour you unpick it so that if you’re ever in another highly stressful situation you can better govern your response.

Nope, you decided to pursue that slant. You should maybe focus more on the op'sblanket conclusion about a whole nationality.

Hasn't it just

I would 100% have punched him in the face. And his little brat of a daughter too 😂

Shocked by how many are assuming he definitely did it!

I can't imagine me doing this, I'd still be aware of where I was and the consequences of it escalating more. A brawl could have started, you could have been arrested and spent time I'm jail in presumably a foreign country. I think if I hit someone I'd really frighten my DD too. She's never seen me like that.

The guy deserved it though.

You didn’t protect your child at all. He allegedly got assaulted. You just punched the man after the act. Nothing to be proud of.

Do you know what… good for you. Maybe a little bit more of this we need in life. So much of this softly softly approach that does nothing!

He assaulted your six year old. I can empathise with the rage. He deserved it!

Also a 6 year old is allowed to go up to the buffet without fear of being attacked!!

Also she mentioned he was German to exemplify the entitled rude attitude. We all know what she meant! God forbid anyone ever says ot!

Rough types who pick rows with anyone

I would've done the same, well done!

Noone has any sympathy for the guy who got the punch. If that guy was on here looking for some he would be verbally annihilated for his actions.

But that does not excuse the OPs violence and anyone with an ounce of sense or awareness will know there are already consequences for the OP, or at least her son.

@Moomilk

Also she mentioned he was German to exemplify the entitled rude attitude. We all know what she meant! God forbid anyone ever says ot!

Why would him being German exemplify anything exactly?

Good for you OP. My mum was a proper Mumsnet mum who was so concerned with appearing classy (as if anyone really gives random mums a moment’s thought!) that she never protected me like this! I bet your son will remember this for years. Mothers should always protect their children. I pity the children of Mumsnet mums! Every child deserves a mum who would punch someone for them! I’m sure you’ll be telling this story and laughing about it one day. In a good way!

Sorry someone puts their hands on my child you're lucky all you're getting is a punch.

Good for you.

Never in my life would you be walking away from twisting my child's arm and breaking the skin are you mad?!

Has she confirmed yet that the German adult actually is responsible for the injury? Did she witness this?

I wish more of us could punch a man in the face and not have any repercussions afterwards.

I don't think I would have punched him but I would have torn him a new arsehole verbally, and I would then have started on his wife for letting her husband be a complete twat. I would have shouted the hotel down that he had assaulted my son and I wanted the police called. I would kick up so much shit if someone touched my kid.

When it comes to my family, I also tend to see red. I probably would have done exactly the same to the asshole.

She could have protected him by parenting him properly earlier.

🤣