Would you call out a bad mother?

Telling other moms how to parent is usually a big no-no. No mom wants to be told her way of doing things is wrong, and no one likes a know-it-all. But there might be a fine line in the act of other-mothering—maybe. At least, that’s the debate going on ever since actress Liv Tyler felt the need to intervene when she saw a mother yelling at and hitting a young child in a stroller. It’s unclear what Liv said to the woman, but it was obviously not well-received. So I’m wondering what’s to debate? If I saw a woman lose her temper with an innocent, helpless child, I’d probably say something to cool her down. After all, I don’t know how far she’ll go if I don’t say anything and just walk away. But I think every woman—not even necessarily moms—has her own opinion on the matter.

What do you think? Would you say something? Could you? Or do you think it’s none of your business?

Comments

[Gig]

I would definitely intervene if there was hitting or violence being threatened. I've done it in the past, as a matter of fact. I would much rather risk that I get yelled at or even hit than a child. The risk is always worth it. Furthermore, hitting is, generally, illegal, so you have an obligation to stop a crime, right?

[romi]

We talk about this very topic of "to butt in or not butt in" and if it's every ok to give another mom parenting advice on truumomconfessions.com and on our abcnewsnow.com show, Moms Get Real. Love your thoughts!

[Joseph Williams]

It depends. I believe in spankings as a form of discipline, but some people don't, I would not like it if those people interfered with my parenting style. So if I smacked my son on the hand because he was acting out in public, then I would not want someone walking up to me and telling me it's wrong.