You ever have something happen and think, what the heck is wrong with people?
This past weekend we were at Walmart, yet again, picking up some groceries. On our way to the van we noticed some strange lady start running up to our 8 year old son. My mind instantly flashed back to the incident where a child was slapped at Walmart and my guard went up. I’m not a violent person by any means but I sure as heck wouldn’t sit back twiddling my thumbs if some stranger hit my child. They’d be leaving the store in an ambulance!
My husband and I hit this lady with that protective parent glare as she starts to raise her leg up to kick my son in the back of his legs. 
The second she sees us her leg retreats and she says, “haha oh sorry, I thought he was my nephew, DJ”.
Uh huh…that’s great and everything but
a) clearly you need to verify the person you are about to kick before you do so and
b) why in the world would you kick someone for fun?
I’m really curious to know, if you found yourself in a situation where a stranger struck your child for misbehavior, how do you think you’d react?
It really boggles me and leaves me wondering at what point does ANYONE feel like they have a right to discipline another parent’s child. Maybe it doesn’t go as far has hitting your child, but what about reprimands? I was reading the experience another mom blogger had with her child and parenting skills being critisized in public. I have to tell you, the comments really surprised me. Some seem to feel this entitlement to guide reprimand children just because they are an elder. Maybe this kind of attitude would fly 30 years ago, but not today. Unless someone is physically or emotionally abusing their child, your only job is to keep quiet. Most of us try to do our best at being parents and we all have a different ideal of what a “good” parent should be like. In the end, most of our kids turn out to be decent human beings with no criminal record. Interference just isn’t appropriate or needed.
A few months ago, a guy in our town walked up to a kid in WalMart and smacked her across the face because she was crying. All I can say is God help me should anyone I don’t know ever lay a hand on Ethan. They have absolutely no right to touch my child, nonetheless hit him.
I’m not sure what I would have done in your situation. I have a mouth that can run and I’m sure that would have been the case. I don’t understand what’s wrong with people these days.
I am actually writing a post about the experience I watched on my plane ride home from California, it had me all upset and it wasn’t even my child.
And if anyone struck my child they would be in the back of a police car, I do not take lightly to that at all.
Oh heck no she didn’t!!! I am not one to shove or get violent with people, but the moment your hand or foot in this case touches my kid, I’ll be in your face and the police will be on the way. I can’t imagine that happening!
Touch my kid my fist touches your face.
haha MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY! I think I could handle someone hitting ME with much more class/tact than I could someone hitting my kid. I can protect myself. My kid can’t. I’d have to kick butt and repent later
somebody hits one of my children or grandchildren,lets just say this,somebodies gonna need a ambulance!An it aint gonna be me!
I would never strike another person’s child, and would never allow anyone to strike my child. However, I have asked other children to be careful or to stop engaging in dangerous behavior on the playground. One day, I had to physically put myself between my daughter’s swing and the swing next to her because the child in the swing next to her was unmonitored by any adult and began swinging sideways into her. I could not stop her in time, so I took the brunt of the hit from the other swing and asked the child to please use the swings correctly. I had to step in for the safety of my child. Likewise, an incident occurred with unmonitored children at a slide in the same park. They were pushing and shoving each other at the mouth of the slide, and my daughter was caught in the middle, just trying to find a way to use the slide, or to get back down. I asked them politely to be careful around smaller children and to please share the playground equipment.
In both cases, I waited for a parent to appear, looked for a parent to signal, and there was no parent in the immediate vicinity. I would never presume to reprimand or discipline another’s child, but I will make a verbal request for others to behave in a situation that puts my child in danger.
Oh wow that would send me into crazy mom gone wild in Walmart mode! Geeez! I can’t believe the nerve of people these days. I’m not a violent person, but if anyone touched my kids I would lay them out flat!
Wow I guess the world has it’s crazies and the crazies are coming out more and more! No one should be allowed to hit ANYONES child. It is up to the parent to discipline the child….I wonder if “It Takes a Village To Raise a Child” quote has gone too far?
I personally ran into a lot of this when our children were young with husbands family and friends. Yes I do believe a grandmother should be able sit their grandchild on time out but they would go beyond the point of time out often turning violent. Sad to say that I just would not take my children around very often and keep them at home with me.
I’d hate to be her “nephew”.
Geesh
Oh man, if someone did something to my child I believe I would go all psycho on them!
Crazy things are happening all around!
I agree with everyone else. Though it would have been extremely hard for me not to go completely psycho on the crazy lady. I think you handled yourself well!
My three year old was apparently picking her nose while we were in line at a store. The lady next to me looked down at her and told her how nasty that was. My daughter almost got teary eyed from a stranger telling her what to do and how nasty she was. I gave the lady a glare for that.
OMGoodness, if I found myself in a situation that a stranger struck my child, I would probably be in jail for kicking the living sh*t out of them first and foremost. Then I would have some explaining to do to my child, knowing that when they become a parent, they would then understand what I did and why I did it.
I know that when my cousins and myself were growing up and we were around my mom’s family, the kids were community property. Who ever was the closest adult took care of the problem at hand. And boy we always hoped it was not my uncle “J”. There was none of this “I’m going to tell you parents” crap going on and we knew it. We could not get away with anything and just when we thought we could one of my many aunts or uncles somehow were usually there to bust us. Darned adults.
Cat why didn’t you drop kick her? Ok seriously. We have a saying in our family. Its “Not the Mama”. THis covers all sitations when you see others reprimanding their children. Unless ofcourse its a dangerous, bone breaking action the parent is taking you zip your mouth. In other cases, call the authorities.
IF someone attacked one of my children it goes to say they’d definately be drawing back a STUMP where their arm used to be. I’d claim the 5th or temporary moment of insanity because when it comes to My children or other children close to me there is no room for misconduct or abuse from another.
i would have freaked if this happened to me. a hug is way better than a kick any time.
Anyone who anticipates hitting one of my children or grandchildren for that matter had better look at me first. I’m sure there won’t be anyway for them to look when I’m finished with them. I’ve always said there are three things in my life people do not mess with. The first is my children/grandchildren, second is my car and third is my personal life.
My girls are grown and I would still stand in their defense if a stranger were to attack them for any reason.
haha This makes me flash back to when I was barely 14. I was in a pool hall {I had a pretty *odd* adolescence} and a girl came up and punched me – I mean PUNCHED me – in the back of the head. When I turned around, she was startled and said, “I’m SO sorry – I thought you were SOMEBODY ELSE!” Um, yeah… that didn’t fly then, either. LOL I ended up in boot camp for that one, go figure. And to be quite honest… while I have MUCH more restraint now {and ability to forgive misunderstandings} I can’t really say that I would be calm and collected if someone kicked my kid for kicks {pun fully intended
} My first question would be – DO YOU KNOW US? Why the heck would your NEPHEW be with us?? Do his parents typically let him peruse around town with perfect STRANGERS?
Anyway… lol I blogged about how I do believe my reaction would have been to the WalMart incident a few weeks ago
http://colloquymoms.com/2009/09/the-walmart-enforcer/
As for people reprimanding my kids… we were in Ryan’s a while back and my 9 year old was trying to get out of the door (we were leaving) … I was a few yards behind her because I was slowed down by the baby while gathering up our things from the table and my husband had already walked out the door with the other three children. Some lady got VERY ugly with Briyana because she was standing there waiting on the lady and her mother to move. They were coming IN, so naturally Briyana assumed they were waiting to get in line on the OTHER side where everyone else goes. Apparently this woman was trying for some reason to go in the way people go out. So she got this TERRIBLE tone of voice with my daughter and I walked up just in time to inform her that MY DAUGHTER was trying to get out of the door and had been waiting very patiently for them to get out of the way and had they simply acted like any NORMAL ADULT should and just said EXCUSE ME or expressed to her in some ACCEPTABLE manner that they were trying to get past her, she would gladly have moved. She had NO CLUE that she was in their way. The woman responded by saying something about my daughter being rude. I probably should have handled it better but I gave her my worst I-hope-you-burn-yourself-on-one-of-the-buffet-tables glare and then very RUDELY said MOVE! And I took up as much room as POSSIBLE allowing my daughter to go through the door.
Problem solved… I guess parents have to be childish sometimes too, just to prove a point. haha
OMG! So she thought it was her nephew? So if it had been she was just going to run up and kick him? She’s lucky she’s not my kids’ aunt! Dear Lord! I would have LOST it on her if she had touched my child. Yes, a parents job is the parents job. Not the job of other parents unless there is abuse or neglect going on. People are weird!!!
If a man slapped my two year old across the face like what happened to the little child on the news, I would be in jail until proven innocent and that person would be in pain after I socked him in the nose. That’s assault plain and simple and I would defend my child. You can’t go and butt into others business. You have no idea about that situation. The only way I’d ever butt in is if a child one obviously being abused in front of me. Then it would be my duty to report it to the authorities.
What kind of aunt would kick her nephew anyway?!? What a weirdo! I would have went off!
Oh man-I hadn’t heard about that incident at Walmart. I would have been all over that woman when she all but stepped near my kid.
I can handle a lot of things, but the mistreatment of children is not one of them. Before I require a soapbox, I’ll answer your question
It is my job to protect my daughter. And I would do whatever it takes to do so.
I am still trying to figure out why she would kick her nephew. Did you son have any interactions with her before you saw her walking up to him? It is a scary world.
I’m sorry, but they would be praying the police got there really fast. I would beat the beJesus out of them.
All I will say is I wish someone would! I would go to jail!
I also believe everyone needs to mind their own business when it comes to child-rearing! That’s why our jails are full! people putting their noses where they don’t belong!
I would come unglued!!!! There are no words – I would also press charges!
Was she an older lady? I see kids running around being silly – but adults. If I see someone I know I wave, hug, say Hi. Not run up and get ready to throw a good karate kick. Ridiculous!!! What a nut case…
But when it comes to child rearing – I think it’s my business only. Unless I am abusing him (bruises, broken bones etc).
This is complete craziness. I agree with you all. Don;t mess with the kiddos.
I have a problem with people touching others period. The aww cute baby and touching her face drives me crazy. I’ve actually told people if they touch my child I will touch them back. So if they smacked my child I’d be in jail.
I would never ever lay a hand on another child. BUT, I will say that I will verbally chastise another person’s kid IF they are doing something that could hurt my kid. Especially if I know them. Our neighborhood has a park and a lot of times kids are over there playing without other adult situation. Sometimes they will push my daughter or run into her, and I politely tell them that they need to be careful, she’s smaller than they are, etc. I don’t have a problem with that. As long as it is done in a respectful manner.
I think I would also take the touch my kid I will hurt you badly with much harm tactic lol I keep my hands off of other’s children no matter what enless they were in the way of harm from something. Otherwise I just shoot dirty looks at the parents for not parenting