Man worried pregnant wife traumatized their 6yo by allegedly punching another woman – he did NOT get the sympathy he expected

The internet is a divisive place, but on one post, Reddit largely agreed on their thoughts about Reddit user jHajljs. He took to the relationship_advice subreddit during the COVID pandemic. The post recently made the rounds again after being shared on Instagram. The then-37-year-old wrote about an act of violence from his wife and the possible trauma it might inflict on their 6-year-old child. However, the community largely got stuck on him. 

The husband stated that he and his 8-month-pregnant wife were at a crowded restaurant with their daughter when his wife noticed a woman staring at them. He wrote that he initially dismissed her because “she has a tendency to point out “creepy” people a lot.” Then the stranger purportedly approached the table and asked if she could touch his wife’s belly. 

“My wife said “I’d rather you not”, but the woman did anyway and my wife stood up. The woman looked at our daughter and said “what a beautiful little girl” and tried to pick her up by the armpits. My wife then pushed the woman back, and punched her in the face.” The husband noted that he removed his family from the restaurant, but he later confronted his wife about the necessity of such force. 

This was where Reddit began to have a problem with him

He claimed that their conversation did not go well because she didn’t seem to think she did anything wrong. He wrote, “I asked my wife why she did that, and she said “are you kidding? A complete stranger tried to pick up our daughter”. I told her she overreacted, and that such force was not necessary. I had some reservations about letting her go out in public while pregnant, but I don’t really think I can at all now, not if she’s going to act like this.” 

Many moms have taken to social media and shared that they will freak out when their children are taken somewhere or interacted with without consent. However, the Redditor claimed that “I have never acted like this in public, and neither has she.” Then he asked for advice on what to say to her. However, the feedback from the community was overwhelmingly critical of his perspective.

One user pointedly challenged the one thing everyone kept coming back to – controlling his spouse. They wrote, “I can’t even address the situation because I’m too caught up on ‘I had some reservations about letting her go out in public while pregnant, but I don’t really think I can at all now’ Why do you think you have the power to ‘let’ your wife go outside or not??? And why would being pregnant preclude her from going out in public???”

Other commenters applauded the protective nature of the wife’s actions. One user noted, “Your wife was defending herself against a total stranger who touched her without permission, and after being told NOT to, who then proceeded to try to pick up your kid. Are you embarrassed by your wife’s actions or because you did nothing to protect your family?” 

Another user echoed this sentiment, arguing that once a stranger reaches for a child, the dynamic changes entirely. They wrote, “Dude. This person disregarded your wife’s wishes and tried to pick up her/your child. Who the hell does that? I might have punched the woman, too.”

While the Redditor’s wife was aggressive about it, she was trying to protect her child’s boundaries after hers were violated. It is actually something we need to teach our children. As the Cleveland Clinic points out, the old concept of stranger danger has evolved. Pediatrician Richard So, MD, explains that it is better to focus on identifying tricky people rather than just strangers. 

Tricky people are defined as those who act in ways that make them unsafe. Regardless of whether they are known to the child or not. The Cleveland Clinic emphasizes that children should be taught to recognize red flags like breaking personal boundaries. Specifically, they note that no one should make a child hug, touch, or tickle them without permission.

The advice provided by Dr. So suggests that parents should teach children to prioritize safety over politeness. If an adult does something that makes a child feel scared, confused, or uncomfortable, that person may be a tricky person. 

Dr. So encourages parents to teach children that it is okay to be rude if someone makes them uncomfortable and to trust their gut feelings. This is something adults should pay attention to, too. A TikToker who recently listened to her gut is convinced that her love for true crime saved her life. 

Unfortunately, the original poster has been banned from Reddit. We may not know how things panned out, but the discussion and this post live on.