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Moment of vulnerability here, wondering if anyone has had a similar experience before.
I completely LOST it on another person's kid today when I thought they had intentionally hurt my daughter, but I was wrong and now I feel horrible.
Context: on a road trip with another family. The other child has behavioral issues and has been known to get physical in the past with others at school and daycare. Over the course of the trip he's been pretty poorly behaved and aggressive but not downright violent... but I had it in the back of my mind that it could happen.
My daughter was playing with him in the other room, then suddenly runs out screaming, bleeding from the mouth and saying that he had hit her. I've never experienced anyone intentionally hurt my little girl and I instantly flew into protective dad mode before properly assessing the situation. In my mind he had punched her in the mouth.
I stormed into the room and flew into a rage, screaming at the absolute top of my lungs, pointing my finger in the kid's face saying to NEVER touch her EVER again. His mom was right behind me. He was likely terrified and I was honestly way beyond any level of anger I've ever felt.
In the next minute or two my daughter then clarified that it was an accident and they had been playing rough but had unintentionally slammed into each other.
The boy cried, his mom was in shock, and she also had tears in her eyes. I feel absolutely awful about the whole situation, I should have had more self control, and I'm a little in shock how quickly I became an absolute monster to a young kid.
I apologized in the moment to both of them and sent a message after saying I should have handled the situation better.
Just really upset about the whole thing, unsure how to proceed now. Any girl dads out there ever have this happen to them?
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First off, I totally get how intense that situation must have been. As a dad with two young sons, I know how quickly protective instincts can kick in when we think our kids are in danger. It’s natural to react strongly, especially when you believe someone has hurt your child.
You’re not alone in this—many dads have been there, where emotions take over before fully understanding the situation. What matters is that you recognized your mistake, apologized on the spot, and followed up afterward. That shows a lot of self-awareness and responsibility.
To move forward, consider having a conversation with the other child’s mom to clear the air and reinforce your apology. It might also help to talk to your daughter about why you got upset and how you realized it was a mistake—teaching her that even dads sometimes get it wrong and need to make amends.
Lastly, remember to forgive yourself. We all make mistakes, especially when it comes to protecting our kids. What’s important is how you handle things after, and it sounds like you’re already on the right track.
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