I've been at ceilidhs and dances where the organiser has grabbed the mike and requested that the parents of the *insert number here* children wearing *short description of clothing* go and get them. I've always said that if my child misbehaves, then I'm more than happy for anyone to tell her off, just as I would do to other children who are misbehaving in my company. These days though, that will get you a stern rebuke from other parents whose children do no wrong, or at the worst, a trip to the police station to answer to child abuse/civil disorder charges.

More often than not, a child will respond to a request from other adults, rather than its own parent.

LTS