If I hadn’t been subject to an extreme instance of this, I would answer, “It’s not your job to reprimand someone else’s child. If you feel strongly about the incident, you could speak discreetly to one of the child’s parents about the incident, although it sounds like the parents in this case might not be so receptive.”
However…
I was once compelled to take a very direct approach when reprimanding someone else’s child. We were having a party at our house with a bunch of parents and their children in the family room/playroom downstairs. One child crawled up the stairs to the formal living room, taking a toy wooden snake with her.
In one corner of the living room we had an incredible 19th Century French cabinet with amazing inlaid wood. It was not only extremely valuable, but was something we happened to like very much.
I heard a loud rapping noise coming from the living room, and when I entered I saw the child beating the living crap out of the front of the cabinet with the wooden snake. The child’s mom looked on and gently suggested the child put the snake down.
Choosing a more direct approach, I yelled at the child, “Cut that out! What in god’s name is wrong with you? That’s a $5000 cabinet! Are you crazy?”
The child stopped beating the cabinet immediately, and the mom, who seemed fine with just watching while the cabinet was destroyed, finally hustled over to the child to save it from the mean man.
Read other answers by Joel Postman on Quora:
- Is it appropriate to put sonogram pictures on Facebook?
- What would you do if you see a teenager (16) playing with a toddler and the toddler calls her Mommy?
- What are the best ways to help, or resources to use, to motivate a high school student to care more about their grades?
from Quora http://ift.tt/2gN5YAY
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