I HAVE just returned from buying shoes for my five year old son in the Outlet Village where we had the unfortunate experience of meeting a very rude, ignorant couple. My son was half sat/lying back on one stool with his arm a little on to the next one, and when I saw a woman approaching I went to move him. However before I could do so she took it upon herself to push his arm and his shoe away. Caught unaware my son, who was trying to sit up, fell back further on to the stool and had the unfortunate experience of her fat bottom sitting on him. Again muttering something I couldn't hear but I'm guessing offensive, she again pushed his arm and shoe away quite forcefully. To which I said 'excuse me there's no need for that he's trying to move'. The husband then decided to add his twopennies worth saying that his wife 'had every right'. Can your readers please tell every right to what? To touch my son in the first place? To push his arms away? Does she not know how to say excuse me?

Anyway the husband then started with the good old - 'in my day', telling me that kids were not naughty and did not run round shops. Now let’s get this clear Mr Righteous - my son was not running around the shop, and he was certainly not being naughty! He has a number of disabilities which explain why he was sat as he was and slow in moving and he does not deserve ignorant people like you calling him naughty! He has very low muscle tone and hypermobile joints, (also known as floppy baby syndrome), this causes extreme tiredness and poor co-ordination - that's why he fell backwards again when that woman had the audacity to push his arm. He also has social and emotional difficulties and delayed development, (he is possibly autistic but as yet not formally diagnosed), so he takes a lot longer than other children to process instructions and act upon them which is why he was slow in moving away. I'm sure Mr Righteous will call this an excuse but my son's difficulties are very real and well documented by medical professionals.

I do hope the couple concerned are reading this letter and that they feel ashamed of themselves and possibly a little guilty for their actions. However, I doubt that they'd feel anything, people like them are not just thick skinned they're insensitive and even after reading this probably still think they're justified in their actions. But let's face it, they wouldn't act the same way to an adult would they? So why did they think it acceptable to do it to my son and when approached on it have the cheek to call him naughty? Well I know who deserves to be sat on the naughty step and it certainly isn't my son!

PAULA RUTHERFORD Colchester Close Swindon