'She purposely dumped coffee on a kid': Wife teaches friend's kid a hard lesson when parents refuse to intervene, parents freak out

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Aug 30, 2023 6:00 PM EDT

Some people simply refuse to maintain any control over their children in public, though the real problem comes from the fact that these same parents usually haven't bothered to teach their children how to behave in public either. Sure, if you want to do gentle parenting and all that newfangled jazz, be my guest, but just be sure you aren't just mistaking the word "gentle" for the word "lazy" and are actually putting in the hard yards to make sure you're kids learn the lessons they ought to and aren't going to be total terrors on society every time they step out the door. In general, make sure you actually want to put in the work of being a parent… and don't just want kids as a prop for your mom-influencer dreams.

Life is already too short and too exhausting to go around dealing with other people's children for them. But if you refuse to discipline your children, don't be surprised when people stop inviting you and your spawn around.

It might sound harsh, but unmanageable and unruly children are a perfectly logical reason to end a relationship with friends—and sometimes even family—especially and specifically when the children are that way because of sheer neglect of parental duties. The responsibilities of parenthood and your friend's complete unwillingness to meet them can make red flags that you should have spotted years ago suddenly and readily apparent.

This couple shared their experience of dealing with their friend's kids with a popular online community, wondering whether they were in the wrong for standing their ground and retaliating after being repeatedly—well… assaulted by their friend's child at a BBQ they were hosting.

Are they in the wrong here? Should they have simply asked their friends to take their kids and leave? You decide and let us know in the comments.