many years ago I worked in a grocery store. One day I was standing in an aisle, when a mother with a boy about 5-6 came by. He had a cowboy outfit on, with a cap gun in a holster. He looked up at me and said, "I'm gonna shoot you!"...I looked down and replied, "Oh, you are?"...."Yeah!" he said,.....and hauled off and kicked me in the shin!

His mother IMMEDIATELY took in the situation and told him....."Now, Jeffrey, don't do that..."...in the weakest little voice I can imagine. I moved away...


Later, I was in a checkstand, when who should show up in my line but Cowboy Jeffery & Mom....she started unloading groceries on the belt, and Jeffrey, bless his little heart, climbed UP...onto the moving belt..and began pushing the various items past me...faster than I could check them..(this was way before scanners). Mother, once again on the alert, admonished the little brat her little darling, "Now, Jeffrey, please behave..".
   Something came over me, and I stepped around the end, picked him up under the arms and set him firmly on the floor, saying, "you can't do that...stay down here!"
He stared up at me with BIG eyes and his mouth open...I think NO one had ever told him "NO!" firmly before. I went back to checking, thinking.."Now, I've done it...Mom is gonna get me fired...", but she never raised an eyebrow. She seemed glad to let someone else...anyone...deal with it all.

Obviously, I don't recommend taking action with other folks kids as a rule...but I have seen similar cases where the kids simply had learned..(and kids learn fast)..that they could push the limits.
......I have often wished I could have said what I wanted to Jeffrey's mom, as SHE was the source of the problem. It's a good thing all that happened when I was about 22...at 3 times that, I might have said what I thought....