Takes all sorts

I’ve seen the worst examples of parenting I think I’ve ever been exposed to in the last few days. Admittedly, there is plenty of lovely, positive parenting too, families enjoying the time together, relishing the fun and relaxation, but I guess that’s not the stuff that catches our attention. I’ve seen one dad bring his baby of maybe 8 or 10 months into the pool and insist on swinging her in the water despite her wails and screams. The baby was terrified but on he went. The next morning, sane routine except this time the bawling started before her little feet hit the water.
I’ve heard countless children being threatened with being smacked or hit. And I’ve seen some of those threats being carried out: little taps on the bottom, heavy whacks on the backside, even a pretty forceful kick. 

A couple of evenings ago, we had a drink at the pool bar before showering for dinner. A large group had clearly been there for some time. The tables were covered with empty glasses, the conversation was loud and raucous and there was the odd sway to their step. Their kids were running around, playing, having fun. One of the men told his son to stop running. The boy was probably seven or eight. He ignored his dad and continued playing. The man shouted at him, pointed his finger, increasingly furious. His face was angry, vicious. I didn’t like where this was going.
He told the boy to come over, but he wouldn’t come. He started heading over to the boy, whose bottom lip immediately started trembling. He was terrified. He grabbed the boy by the arm and threw him against a wall. A woman, presumably the boys mother, intervened, skilfully getting her arm between them without spilling a drop of her cocktail.
We left. The kids were silent for some time, as was I. Wasn’t that horrible? I asked later. What were you going to do? they queried. I’m very glad I didn’t have to work out the answer to that one.