Mum-of-two defends her decision to scold a stranger’s children

A mum has hit out at parents who don’t watch their kids after she told off a stranger’s child because they hurt her daughter.

Laura Mazza, who runs the Mum On The Run blog, admits it was a controversial move - but felt she had to take action when the kids were picking on her two children. She recalled her shock at seeing her three-year-old son “pushed and smacked” and her  one-year-old daughter hit by “mini-drivable cars”. The 31-year-old wrote on Facebook:

"I've never told another child off in my life. "I don't like it. “It's not my responsibility. My responsibility, like I said, is to my child. "If my son snatches, I correct him, if my daughter smacks, I correct her, if my kids are a**holes, I step in. “This behaviour is not okay at any age. "However, today I found myself saying the words 'hey, that's not nice... please stop' to two little kids. "Kids that weren't mine. Why? Because no one else was gonna do it.

"I watched two 5 year olds ram one of those mini drivable cars into my daughter and laugh while she fell over while I was helping my son into the ball pit. (This was at a 4 and under play centre). "I watched a little boy climb on top of a jungle gym where his mum had no idea that he was about to come falling down, and I caught him. "She came over when she saw a stranger carrying her kid and gave me a dirty look while she snatched him off me. "I watched two kids push and smack my son while he was trying to go down a slide... and I actually found myself saying 'that's not nice, stop!' "I've never liked to tell a strangers kid off, but if you're gonna pretend you can't see it because you wanna sit and chat, then I'm gonna tell your child off."

Laura’s plea for for mums to keep an eye on their kids struck a chord with other mums. The post has gotten more than 3,800 likes, 400 shares and 350 comments in the two days since it was posted - with many of them agreeing with the mum-of-two. One mum said:

"Completely acceptable. "I would never discipline another child, or yell, but I've never hesitated in mentioning to an unsupervised child that what they've done isn't nice. "It's a public service, and half the time the parent of that child is busy with another sibling and hadn't noticed, or took their eyes of their bubba to sip their already cold coffee. "We've gotta stick together, including catching a falling child here and there".

Another added:

"Sometimes your eyes can't be everywhere (different to ignoring) but I don't want my kids to think they get away with stuff just cos I can't see them. "Good on you for saying something!"

Someone else commented:

"Yep I’m with u! I’d have done exactly the same. "I’d have also suggested to management that ‘naughty kids/ repeat offenders’ and their parents should be asked to leave. "It’s unfair to all the other kids (and parents)."