A mum has received overwhelming support after sharing why she had no hesitation stepping in when another child repeatedly hit her two-year-old at a playground while no parent appeared to be watching.

TikTok creator @kimmy.outbackboymum took to the platform to vent about what she described as parents failing to properly supervise their children in public, recounting an encounter that has since resonated with thousands of mums and dads.

Kimmy explained that while at the park she noticed her two-year-old holding up their hands and repeatedly saying “stop” as an older child hit them in the face.

She said she immediately looked around to find the other child’s parent, but couldn’t see anyone nearby.

Rather than allowing the behaviour to continue, Kimmy stepped in herself, firmly telling the child, “We do not hit.”

@kimmy.outbackboymum Can everyone just watch their child while out in public. Because this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. #mumsoftiktok #fypage #mumlife #parentsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Kimmy | 🌻

According to Kimmy, the behaviour stopped immediately.

However, a short time later, another woman approached her and asked which child she had been speaking to. When it became clear it was her three-year-old son, Kimmy said the woman took issue with her correcting him, saying he was “only three.”

Kimmy responded that her own child was only two.

She said the woman told her she should have looked for the parent instead of speaking directly to the child, but Kimmy wasn’t having it.

“You want me to stand and wait for you to get over here while your kid is hitting my kid in the face? Absolutely not! I’m pulling up that behaviour straight away!”

When the other mum explained that her son had behavioural issues, Kimmy questioned whether that made supervision even more important.

She ended the video with a blunt message to fellow parents.

“Watch your kids at the park,” she said. “It’s not free childcare.”

Her story quickly struck a nerve, with the vast majority of commenters applauding her for stepping in to protect her child.

“Fully support you – I was the same when my kids were that age,” one parent wrote.

“This makes me feel better about being a helicopter parent on the playground,” another said.

One mum shared that when her own son went through a pushing phase as a toddler, she learned to stay close at all times.

“My son went through a pushing phase… around 2-2.5 and as a first-time mum learnt very quickly to watch him like a hawk. He was never a metre away from me.”

Others said they would welcome another parent correcting their child if it meant preventing someone from getting hurt.

“I encourage other parents to call out behaviours that I don’t see from my children,” one commenter wrote. “Sometimes kids don’t listen to their parents. Sometimes it takes a stranger saying, ‘Hey, we don’t do that!’ for them to stop.”

Another added, “I get so anxious going to the park with my child. It’s a nightmare out there.”

While a handful of commenters felt Kimmy could have handled the situation more gently, they still agreed that parents should be actively supervising young children, particularly if they know they can lash out.

The overwhelming response suggests many parents believe there’s a simple rule when it comes to playgrounds: if your child is hurting another child and you’re nowhere to be seen, don’t be surprised if another adult steps in.

What would you have done in this mum’s position?