If someone else’s child is cracking it at the shops, should you step in? It’s a dilemma Em Rusciano has been struggling with this week.

I mean he was losing his mind in the worst possible way. No tears, or laying on the floor in DEFCON 5 tantrum mode, just attitude times infinity.

Here are some of the highlights:

“I am not getting those shoes. They are girl’s shoes. I’ll look gay, mum. Why won’t you buy me what I want? I am not wearing those. They are only $20. I HATE them and I HATE YOU. You never buy me what I want. I want the other ones, you always get me crap shoes and they break as soon I wear them. I am getting the ones I want. You can’t stop me. SHUT UP.”

He then proceeded to throw the offending shoes at his mother and stalk off into another aisle.

It wasn’t so much what he said that was most offensive but more the tone in which he was saying it. Think: “I want an Oompa Loompa now daddy” Veruka Salt action with some Jordan Belfort, aka the Wolf of Wall St, revving-up-the-troops thrown in.

As I type this, I deeply regret what I did after hearing this kid’s performance.

I did nothing.

I wanted to. I went to.

I rehearsed what I was going to say to him. I also momentarily considered putting him into a headlock.

But I didn’t.

I didn’t want to embarrass the mother; I didn’t want the kid to turn on me. I didn’t know if I would be helping or hurting if I were to step in, put my hand in a stop position and calmly say: “Chill the heck out little dude, mum’s had enough. All of Kmart have had enough, mate.”

So instead I just stood there, opened mouthed, exchanging shocked looks with my kid, paralysed with not knowing what the right thing to do was. Which is what brings me here today. I have a two pronged question for you:

1. What would you have done?

2. If it was your child abusing you, would you have wanted another parent to intervene in solidarity?

What do you do if someone else’s kid is cracking it at the shops?Source:News Corp Australia

Make no mistake, he was being a petulant little turd and as I peeked in ­between the Frozen-themed slippers to see how mum was doing I saw an exhausted woman with not much fight left in her. It seemed as though she had resigned herself to her child’s tirade and was waiting it out. I was waiting for her to serve him some swift mum-style justice. I was waiting for the low, quiet snarl that we all use when in public to let our kids know it’s about to get very real if they don’t stop being little dickheads.

Sadly, it never came and he continued on with his rant, he was really warming to it now, he even turned on his three-year-old sister in the trolley calling her a “spoilt princess” among other things.

Still I did nothing and I regret that now.

Perhaps I should’ve just gone over and squeezed her arm? Given her a hug? A hi­gh five? I thought about what I would have wanted should I have found myself in that situation. (In all honestly I probably won’t as my children just aren’t the storming-around-throwing-things type. I know I’m as shocked as you are!)

I think I would like a stranger to step in to defend me should my child be out of control. I think the shock of an unknown person calling them out on their poor behaviour would put a stop to that behaviour pretty quickly.

Or would I feel embarrassed and a little defensive? Do I want someone I don’t know having a crack at my kid in public?!

See! See why I was totally paralysed in the slipper section?!

This has been troubling me, the fact that I let it happen to another parent. At any rate I hope that she’s had a good night’s sleep and that old Yelly McYellerson has calmed his tits right down.

Em Rusciano is a comedian, writer, singer and regular news.com.au columnist. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.