answer:I heard this being discussed on telly this morning and everyone agrees with the blind eye theory. But I tell you what, if some kid was dragging my dog across the floor while the mother ignored the situation, I would be yelling plenty and I wouldn’t care if it ruined the friendship. I am sure the friendship would be ruined too if my dog nipped the offending child. Parents should teach their children how to behave around dogs because not all dogs are tolerant and the world cannot be childproofed, sometimes the child has to learn some discipline. I did have problems with kids in my shop. Often parents would ignore the kid playing with expensive artefacts. I had no hesitation telling the child to stop and if a parent did not like my doing so I told them to watch the kid or get out. I guess we lost some business that way but probably saved more in damaged goods. This reminds me of the question about whether parents are responsible for their children and many said kids will be kids and parents did not have any responsibility. I think that is ridiculous, parents should be responsible for their children and if they damage anyone or anything, they should be liable for the costs incurred. But no, I wouldn’t smack someone’s kid, mostly because you would probably get sued for doing it!