Georgia man slaps stranger's crying kid

*Added video of my appearance below!

As if I needed yet another reason not to set foot in Walmart ever again, I got an email from CNN (thanks to Punditmom) asking me to come on CNN NewsroomAM tomorrow morning at around 10:20am (EST) [come watch! or tivo!] and discuss some dude who slapped another person's two-year-old who wouldn't be quiet.

Seriously, that's taking the Etiquette Bitch thing a little too far.

In fact, I'm surprised the guy had a set of balls left when they arrested him.

I think we can all agree that slapping someone else's kid is never okay, regardless of how loud, obnoxious, or utterly ridiculous they were being.

It's a parenting rite of passage for your kid to have an emotional breakdown at a store. And how we choose to handle it is our own business.

I usually try to leave and then come back if my child has calmed down, especially if I'm in a restaurant or small area where the screaming and wailing would be extremely disturbing to others.

But there are times, particularly when grocery shopping, where it's hard to leave. If my husband is gone, I can't just leave my stuff and come back, particularly if I've packed up all three kids to go there.

So, I'll give them a series of idle threats, offer up the token lollipop, and hope that they'll make it through the shopping without losing it. Again.

I know that I'm probably judged by some onlookers, even moms, who don't appreciate my screaming child. When I see parents struggling with their crying kiddos, I tend to feel more empathetic when judgy. We've all been there, and Lord knows that the situation is often times not as easy as "naughty kid out of control."

I like to give parents, particularly those with tantruming, crying kids, the benefit of the doubt.

The child could be ill, or have a disability, or be um, a child. And chances are the mom is embarrassed, mortified, fed-up, or a combination of all three.

Of course, there are always exceptions, and people will cite times where parents just let their kids run out of control. And yes, I have seen it too.

But even then, that doesn't warrant face slaps. In fact, I'm not sure I would even say anything to the parent at all.

And I can't imagine a screaming kid interfering with my shopping experience at Walmart. The flourescent lights do that on their very own.

So, what's your policy when it comes to your kid's behavior in public? Would you say something to someone else's child if they were bothering your shopping experience? What would warrant that if you did it at all? Are you an Etiquette Bitch?

Comments

[Julie @ The Mom Slant]

You know what I think and I'll be posting about it tomorrow. In the meantime, I need another glass of wine because this sets me boiling every time I think of it.