To have wanted to punch this woman in the face and stomp on her head?

[TheLadyEvenstar]

I went shopping today and there was a woman with her 2 children a girl of about 7 or 8 and a little boy who looked to be roughly the same age. the woman was unloading her trolley outside the shopping centre and the little boy put his hand on the trolley, his hand touched the bag...the bitch mother then punched him straight in the back of the head!!
Needless to say he started crying so she then grabbed him and smacked him, i was with ds1 and ds2, I got between the woman and little boy I then sent ds1 to find a security guard who came back with him.

The mother started shouting at me to get out the way as she would be disciplining him the same way if she was back home,I told her she was not back home and i refused to move until the security guard came, spoke to me spoke to the mother and took my number, i had to leave as i really didn't trust myself to not return to her what she gave the little boy. I came away in tears almost....and so angry. The security guard called the police (i saw from the bus-stop) i have not heard from them...do you think they have taken action?

evenstar next time, having done the right thing once, see if you can take a step further (not if DC is getting upset though) and call the police yourself (from a small distance so they can't hear you) and see if they actually attend. If it's an assault it should come on as an immediate which would require blues and twos - it would depend on how you described what you thought you were seeing....

Good for you, if nothing else (and I hope soemthign is done buit still) the children will know that this is wrong and other people do not think like this, which to me, at that age, would have meant a HUGE amount.

Wow, LadyEvenstar, that's a very good thing you did. I'm not sure I'd have had the courage. Really impressive.

That poor boy.

Message withdrawn

One, please I am trying not to think of that! Am already so upset by it.

Tattifer, ds2 was oblivious but ds1 is 10 1/2 and regardless of how much of a sod angel he is he is a sensitive lad. and the whole incident upset him, he was scared she would go for me and I would hit her back...sad to say he saw it once when we were on holiday and a complete stranger grabbed him by the collar. BUT i put that down to the pregnancy hormones at the time.

Well done you. My ds is totally used to me intervening in stuff like this, sort of slinks away to not be part of it, but totally understands that it is our duty to intervene when people are being cruel to other people, especially adults towards children. I'd rather he was a bit embarassed now, than learn that I think its ok for children to be abused.

Having said that, I do tend to start with a calming tactic, like, you must be having a rotten day, gain eye contact, and then say cos I know you dont really want to do that. Often that works. If it doesn't, then they get the full fishwife stuff.

We are all responsible for children.

evenstar I understand completely. Things like impact far differently on kids who (hopefully) are used to seeing parents as the good guys. No amount of good samaritan would wee me putting my own children second. You did what you could - you should feel good about that

see!!!!

Well done, OP. I hope she thinks twice (or preferably never thinks) of doing this again.