Chances are that if you have a baby or small child, at some point you’ve been approached by a well-meaning stranger who either just wants a chat, or feels the need to impart some well-meaning but unsolicited parenting advice. It can be annoying, but you figure it comes with the territory. You either smile politely until they’ve moved on, or you make an excuse and skiddadle out of there pronto. But what would you do if the stranger touched your child, or worse, reached into their stroller and picked them up without your permission? It’s not an exaggeration to say most of us would lose our ever-loving shit, right?

One woman recently experienced this exact horrifying scenario…

Yesterday, I was at the park with my six-month-old daughter, Emily. It was a nice day, and I was just enjoying some time outside with her. I had her in a stroller, and we were sitting on a bench when this normal crazy looking Karen came up to us.

She started making small talk, which was fine at first. But then she started asking all these personal questions about Emily…how old she was, if she was breastfed or bottle fed, stuff like that. It was getting uncomfortable, so I tried to politely end the convo.

Suddenly, she reached into the stroller and picked up Emily without asking. I freaked out and told her to put my baby down. She ignored me and started cooing and making faces at Emily. I was panicking and yelling at her to give my daughter back, but she just wouldn’t listen.

In that moment, my protective instincts kicked in. I grabbed Emily out of her arms and pushed her away. She stumbled back, and I slapped her and I think I might have hit her with something because she started bleeding from her nose. She started screaming that I assaulted her and was going to call the police. A crowd started gathering, and some people were telling her she was out of line, while others were looking at me like I was the crazy one.

I got out of there as fast as I could and went straight home. I was shaking and just couldn’t believe what had happened. Now I’m worried about what might come next. Did I overreact? Should I have handled it differently?

AITAH for hitting a Karen after she grabbed my baby?

Shocked commenters thought that in OP’s position they probably would have done the same thing, and the woman deserved to be hit for what she’d done.

NTA – Touch the kid without permission, I’ll touch you without permission, with a fist to the face. You should call the police. (TheNamelessSlave)

N.T.A. I love little babies. I would cuddle with every infant if I could. If I see a baby on the street, I’ll smile and say hi. On occasion, I’ll compliment the parent on how adorable their child is and sometimes even ask how old it is. I would never, ever touch that baby, and I most definitely wouldn’t take it! She should have been punched. (Klutzy_Broccoli_5244)

People felt like it was more of a natural instinct for the mother to protect her baby rather than a willful act of violence towards the strange woman.

Slapping her was a normal reflex for any mother who is trying to protect her children. But you mainly just pushed her away. You were very right to defend your baby. She was wrong.

You are NTA. (Bebe_Bleau)

Other people were afraid that the woman may have had more sinister motives for asking so many questions and reaching for the child.

God no. That sounds like attempted kidnapping. I’m guessing the cops will think so too. She could have run away with your baby. She did snatch [her] out of the stroller. (Proof_Leadership_370)

For peace of mind, I would report this to police. If it’s ‘innocent’ then she needs to learn her actions were not okay. In the worst case, she could be trying to kidnap a child & police in the local area need to be aware. (Procrastinator_Mum)

Seconding this. Get it on record in case she tries to go to the cops too. NTA. You don’t grab a child from a parent while they scream at you to put it down and not expect to get your shit rocked. (SyntheticDreams)

NTA. The woman’s actions were aggressive and threatening. You were well within your rights to defend your child and yourself from her intrusive behavior. (Canadianafella)

You should go to the police. This woman needs to be arrested or at least strongly put in her place by the police. (2LostFlamingos)

Other people counselled the mum to get legal advice in case anything further came of the situation.

It’s unfortunate that the situation escalated to violence, but the Karen’s actions were incredibly disrespectful and crossed a clear boundary. Your instinct to protect your child is commendable, though seeking legal advice might be wise to navigate any potential consequences. (godlovinglinda)

What do you think? How would you have reacted in this situation?