I am a regular poster who has changed their name for this post (not really sure why). I was out shopping at the weekend with my Mum and both my children. My youngest, aged 3 ran off (in a big department store). I was panicking big time, shouting all over the place when someone thankfully pointed him out to me by this time I was shaking from head to toe as I thought he was gone, he was sitting there laughing at me. I took a hold of his hand and I smacked him on the thigh twice (I generally try not to smack), told him sternly that what he had done was very naughty and he was not to run away from Mummy again. Then I heard a voice in my ear saying "You shouldn't smack him either and you know that", turned round to see this older woman looking at me. I just walked away from her but when I found my Mum and other child again I told my Mum what had happened and she was afronted and started asking me where this woman was. The woman came up to us and said "is it me you are looking for" to which my Mum said "yes" and the woman started to explain that she was a "Social Worker and that I should not have smacked my child". My Mum pointed out to the woman that I was a good Mum and generally did not smack, said that "we all make mistakes including Social Workers".
Without sparking a smacking debate I really feel this Social Worker (if that's what she was) was well out of order. I cannot believe that she couldn't have looked at the situation and seen that I was a Mum who had had a terrible fright rather than one who was being abusive. I really felt she was acting out of her jurisdiction so to speak.