My nine year old nephew acted up in a restaurant when his grandparents took him on a trip with them to the beach. His grandfather grabbed his arm at one point and swatted him hard on the buttocks, telling him to sit down, behave, and be quiet.
Some woman from a nearby table arose, approached the table and said, “I’m a social worker with the State of ———, and I’m going to call the police. You’re abusing that child!”
My nephew (a real anarchist at heart!) was delighted. His grandparents left the restaurant without dinner that night, just to avoid the cops.
THAT OUGHT TO TELL EVERYONE A DISGUSTING MESSAGE!!
That may well be true, however I still see parents who actually discipline their children in public and have never seen anything like that, and in fact have never heard one personal account (except for yours) of this happening.