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Mom Shuts Down Man Who Thinks He Had 'The Right' To Tell Off Her Daughter In A Store

Every generation of parents approaches how to raise their children differently. This became alarmingly clear when author and mom Hayley Webster had a recent encounter with a man at a grocery store who felt it was appropriate to tell off Hayley's daughter.

Hayley shared her story to Twitter where it sparked an interesting discussion on when it is appropriate to discipline another person's child.

It all started when Hayley asked her daughter to pick up an ingredient at the grocery store.

As her daughter was getting the ingredient, an unknown man began yelling at her.

The man reportedly said that the little girl was going to "ruin it" for another shopper.

For Hayley, or any parent, really, the situation brought back memories of when things like this had happened to her as a kid.

For many parents in this situation, their response would have been to apologize to the man, but Hayley wasn't about to do that.

Unsplash | Franki Chamaki

Hayley said there is a "code" between adults to apologize on behalf of their children even when they're just acting like a normal kid.

Hayley knew she had to stand up for her daughter.

Instead of apologizing to the man, Hayley told him that he had "no right" to talk to her daughter like that.

The man was so taken back and angered by Hayley's response, that he called over an employee from the store.

The man continued to yell about the situation and grew increasingly hostile.

Hayley apologized to the employee for the man's behavior and calmly explained what happened.

She then quickly left the situation without apologizing for her actions or her daughter's.

Hayley then explained why she handled the situation the way she did.

Hayley said that she wanted to show her daughter that she believed her and that she would support her, even when an adult believed she was wrong.

She wanted to set an example and show her daughter that you don't have to let strangers "berate" you.

Unsplash | David Veksler

Even though her daughter is young, Hayley believed it was important to begin teaching her this lesson now.

Hayley also said she didn't share her story to earn praise as a mom.

Unsplash | Kelly Sikkema

Rather, she wanted to reduce the "shame and powerlessness" parents sometimes feel when strangers interact in negative ways with their children.

Confronting a stranger over how they treated your child can be stressful.

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Hayley said that's because we've been taught to be polite and not make strangers feel uncomfortable. However, her story proves that sometimes it's necessary.

Some users on Twitter even expressed their own fears about being put in a situation similar to Hayley's.

It's definitely uncomfortable and not something that's usually discussed in relation to parenting.

Since sharing her story on Twitter, Hayley has sparked an interesting discussion about disciplining other people's children.

One Twitter user commended Hayley for giving her daughter a good example and standing up for her.

Many Twitter users believed this man's outburst stemmed from generational differences.

It used to be that any adult could scold any child, whether they knew them or not. The times have changed, though, and it's now considered improper to discipline a child you're not related to.

Hayley's story also prompted parents to share their own experiences of standing up for their kids.

This mom said she was taught as a child to always listen and respect adults even when they were in the wrong. This lesson didn't stop her from standing up for her son at his summer camp, though.

Other users on Twitter shared their more positive stories on how they teach their children independence in the grocery store.

This mom says strangers usually commend her for letting her children help with the shopping. It goes to show that not all strangers are ready to tell off unsuspecting parents in public with their kids.

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