To intervene?

[Taytoface]

I am at the splash park. Just ahead of me is a mum on a bench. Her son is repeatedly filling a water bottle and throwing it in her face. She is very meekly telling him no. He is paying no attention and teaching his little sister to do the same. It looks really quite aggressive. I would say he is about 9, but big for his age. Do I intervene? I would never normally intervene is someone's parenting unless I saw a child getting hurt. I offered her a towel which she accepted.

Intervene if you like but the chances are the mother will not take it kindly and neither will her feral child.

You cannot improve weak and ineffectual parenting like that in a short, single interaction.

I am almost hoping he gets some on me so I can bollocks the little shit.

I would say an offer of a towel as you have done, a sympathetic smile and perhaps an “Are you ok? That doesn’t look much fun for you” would be sufficient.

Does she look like she has mh issues or anything and just can't cope with him? Maybe she has just reached the end of what she can cope with and has kind of given up. I would ask her if she wants you to intervene. As above ask her if she is ok.

You're at a splash park but think it's ok to kick off because you get water on you? Why should other children around you have to listen to your little rant?

Oh my God, he just did it with a bottle of muddy water. I did say it didn't look like much fun, she smiled. She is just so incredibly passive

I wouldn’t these days you fell off someone kid you’re the bad guy

Stick your foot out

Nope, no good deed goes unpunished. I do understand your frustration but you've offered her a towel and shown some sympathy, leave it at that. How would you even intervene? Would you wade in and bollock another person's child who isn't even interferring with you? You could end up in a very nasty situation.

This is modern parenting OP. Rules and consequences no longer exist.

They have gone now. He threw his shoe at her head on the way out. It was so fucking shocking and she didn't so much as raise her voice. She just sat there and let him do it over and over. She put up a bit more objection when the bottle was full of mud, but barely more than a whimper. I think the granny was there earlier and stormed off as he drenched her too.

Every instinct told me to grab the bottles off him.

If some toe rag of a kid splashed me with muddy water when I am sitting well away from the splash park, then yes he would have heard about it.

She's probably going through hell and just cant anymore

I think you sound quite nice really, trying to look out for her and not judging her

Poor thing

OP I saw a girl at the train station lash out scratch and punch her mum, she must have been 3 at the most, her face was awful she was in a huge rage as he mum had bent down to put her in a pushchair and I was half expecting dad or mum to give her what for… he mum said “ohhh don’t do that darling, remember we talked about your angry feelings..” while stood there with blood on her arms from the deep scratches? I was unreal.. so I can totally see what you just witnessed.