Should you intervene if you feel a parent is abusing their child?

When a Southwest Airlines flight attendant removed a child from a mother who supposedly slapped her 13 month old on a recent fight, it made me wonder if there's ever a time it's okay to remove a child from their parent. According to what I read, the parents were arguing and the mother kept hitting the child in the face. Other parents complained and the flight attendant, depending on which report you read, removed the child from the parents. The airline claims the flight attendant just offered to bounce the baby around on her lap. The aviation police were called and interviewed the mother and father. After determining the mom's behavior appeared to be an isolated case, the police returned the baby to the parents, who were allowed to continue to their final destination.

I don't slap my toddler but I have witnessed parents discipline their children in ways that are not appropriate in my household. I live in New York City and it's nothing to see a parent tell their child they're a greedy pain in the ass, refer to their son as "my little n*gga" or see a young (and sometimes older) parent spank their child and yes, slap their child on the face. I've witnessed it all but never in a million years would I say something. Why? It's not my child. If  I truly believed a child was in danger, I would call the police or CPS not confront the parent which would never end well!

Can you imagine what would occur if I went up to one of these parents and grabbed their child because I believed the mother or father was behaving badly or even criminally? I'd likely get my ass kicked and rightfully so. Is it the job of citizens, even flight attendants to remove a child from their parent?

I don't think so. If the flight attendant truly thought the child was being abused, it was the job of the aviation police to remove the child from the care of the parents not the person who serves pretzels and soda! If some stranger, flight attendant or otherwise tried to physically remove my daughter from the care of myself or her father you'd need a SWAT team to physically remove my foot from his/her ass.

Personally, my husband and I prefer a gentle approach when it comes to disciplining our daughter but what works in our household may not work in another. I don't spank my child. I don't have an issue with parents who spank their children. I think there's a difference between spanking and abuse. It's all subjective depending on the household you live in and how you were raised.

If citizens of this country think it's okay to remove a parent from the child, what's next? If a parent speaks to a child sternly and let's say, uses a couple of curse words, is it okay for the flight attendant to remove the child because they believe the child is frightened? Appropriate ways of disciplining a child are subjective and how I choose to discipline my child, gentle or not is no one else's business especially the person who hands out blankets and headphones.