So I was reading my hometown newspaper today and came across a letter to the editor. The writer had been out to dinner with her family. I have posted some of the letter below. It was written by Kara Mullen of Wichita, Kansas...

I had a horrible experience in a family diningestablishment. My 2-year-old had been well-behaved the whole meal, but was getting tired as we waited for our two younger children to finish. He grabbed some silverware and began to bang it, so we gently took it from him and told him no. He began to cry. He had been crying for just seconds when a woman approached him from behind, grabbed his shoulder, got directly in his face and shouted, "No, you can't do that!"

Okay. As a parent reading this letter really got under my skin. We have been to many restaurants with Emily. If she starts to get really unruly, we remove her from the restaurant. A couple of times I have had to leave Wal-Mart because she's been screaming at the top of her lungs. I know that the public did not pay good money to listen to my kid cry.

However, the part that bugged me was not that the kid was crying. It was the fact that some woman thought she had the right to touch someone else's kid. I don't care how noisy the kid is, you DO NOT put your hands on someone else's kid. Bottom line.

I guess if I had been the diner, I would have gently spoken to the parents and let them know that their child was disturbing my dinner. I'm sure they would have been more than cooperative at that point. But when someone touches their kid, don't they have a right to get upset?

Loyal readers, what would you have done in this situation? Do you have any words of wisdom for me next time my kid starts crying?