Man scolding young girl in public is a shock

Dear Abby: I was at the zoo with my daughter enjoying an ice cream cone. At the next table over, aman was berating his daughter, yelling at her for saying no to his girlfriend. He said things like, “I’m going to bust your butt so hard you won’t sit for a week,” and he kept glaring at her like she was the worst creature on the planet. It was hard to sit there watching a dad verbally and emotionally abuse an innocent 4-yearold. Is there anything I could have done?— Helpless in Utah

Dear Helpless: You might have attempted to distract the father by saying something to him to the effect that parenting can be frustrating at times, which might have interrupted his rant. But beyond that there was nothing you could do to intervene. What a shame.

Berating and threatening his little girl won’t cause her to like or accept the girlfriend. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Dear Abby: I recently married a wonderful lady who has three adult children. Her kids are great, but they have one habit that bothers me. They address their mother by her first name, never as Mom or Mother. I feel it shows a lack of respect. I have thought about saying something to them about it, but I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. What do you think? — Mr. Traditional in Missouri

Dear Mr. T.: I’m glad you have resisted the urge to render a judgment upon the way your wife’s children address her — and probably have since they were quite young. People show respect for each other in the way they treat each other. What they call each other is their own business. If your wife is happy and has a good relationship with her children, keep your opinion to yourself.