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.

Im poor as hell and live in a rough area but would never let my daughter unsupervised, allow any bullying, I wouldn't punch anyone or be proud of my 'hard partner'. The OP describes herself as shy and quiet, I find it hard to believe

You must be very new around here.

And please stop with the ridiculous ‘classy’ comments. It has no place on this or any other thread and makes you sound intellectually challenged. Class does not automatically equal passivity! Thank you

I can't help but see why some many holiday resorts don't want Brits there.🙄

"So, Johnnie, you missed some school days. Did you at least have an enriching cultural experience and mingle with some people from other countries?"

"Why, yes, sir - my mother was in particularly close contact with a German family".

Why are you omitting the odious German creature that assaulted a child?!

Any grown man assaults my kid - I assault that grown man back!

good for you for sticking up for your kid!

You contact the authorities and say your child was assaulted. You don't assault someone yourself

Term time holidays... what has that got to do with the 'picture' you are building?

Are you shaming somebody for not being able to afford to go on holiday during the summer holidays? That's not very classy of you..

You might need A&E to remove that stick from up your arse, it's well and truly stuck. What an insufferably snobbish thing to say.

Edit to add:

Also, what does having tension with the DH have to do with term time holidays? How does that even contribute to forming the same picture? I despair at some of the people on here 😂😂

This sort of argument works if you name specific countries. With 195 in the world, you might find there is variety.

Perfect 😃

I'm wondering about three issues.

First, it is possible the alleged assailant, with the smug/smirking countenance, was simply amused at the version of events relayed to the parents of the 6yo?

Second, did OP apologise to other diners (particularly their children) for them having to witness her violent outburst/actions?

Third, why are so many posters conflating revenge with defence?

The only assault that anyone knows definitely happened according to the OP, is the one the OP herself committed.

Not every woman is concerned if they look 'classy' when sticking up for their children but good for you I guess.

@Kitcaterpillar

*Love when Mumsnet turns into fight club. Course you'd have all knocked him out, of course you would.

But to the boxers in the group, does it not occur to you that watching your mum lose control and punch a man in the face is likely to be every bit as traumatic as the initial German dad incident. I know in your heads you'd be wreathed in righteous flames and everyone would gaze in awe. But in reality, you'd be a sunburnt woman at a breakfast buffet in a subpar resort swinging a feeble arm at a man carrying a plate of varied breakfast meats*

lolz!

If certain incidents didn't call for retaliation then self defence wouldn't be a defence. Who is more deserving of defence than a small child

You have confused retaliation and defense @Velen . if OP had intervened by punching to protect her son during an act of aggression towards the child, that could be deemed 'defense'.

But punching in retaliation after the event is an act of punishment not an act of defense. You may deem it justified, but you can't claim it to be self-defence

If this ever gets made into a film they have to get Christoph Waltz as the Smug German. He’d knock it out of the park.

Of course the police would care that an adult assaulted a child.

Obviously the child wasn’t in immediate danger and so it wouldn’t have been a top priority.

I would still like to see the photo of this injury.

Curious to know who'd be cast as OP.