Wow - I can't believe either acted this way!

Last night I decided to go to the library so I could check out some books to read while driving to CA this weekend. While in the middle of the non-fiction section scoping out books on pregnancy I encountered a little boy who's mouth shocked me. His mother had given him a piece of paper and his scribble on it said "get out" and he proceeded to tell me this over and over. At first I smiled and walked past him, but then I got annoyed at both him (for screaming it over and over) and the mother who kept saying, "that's not nice," only. So I decided that I was going to talk to him. I said, "That's not nice to say that to someone you don't know. You need to be nice to strangers. You wouldn't want someone to say that to you." Then as he proceeded to say "get out" again, I said, "you need to share space and be polite. You wouldn't like it if someone wouldn't share with you." Finally I must have hit a nerve, because he stopped telling me to get out and then his mother started asking a bunch of really personal questions (if I had kids, how many, did they act this way, how do you make it stop). I had about a five minute conversation and basically flat out told her, does your son go to preschool, day care or have play groups? She replied no and I suggested in a very friendly way, that by electing to do so that might teach him to interact better. She said, "thanks and I'll look into it," and I went back to looking for my books. Then they started to walk out the aisle and it all became clear. He starts screaming, then telling her "can you pull me out" (he was wearing a back pack w/ a leash for the library) and I hear her say, "stop it, you are realling pissing me off!" Who says that to a 3 year old?? What is wrong with some parents??? I mean, come on...I believe that during this episode they were asked to leave, but still. The whole thing was crazy and weird.

My husband sat shocked about my story and was like, why did you say anything. My answer was, "She needs to stop that kind of behavior now before it's too late." and then my "besides I don't let my kids talk that way to me or strangers, I'm certainly not going to be on the receiving end." What do you think, should I have ignored it, or basically called the parent out on the behavior in the way I did? I was hoping by saying something, I'd embarrass her to get him to act right.

"It's not to late to become who you've always wanted to be..."