What's the best way to de-escalate a situation where another parent is angry with you for correcting their child?

My children and I were visiting an indoor play place, and a kid was throwing balls at other kid's faces, and not in a playful way. I looked at him and said, "Hey! Knock it off." (It was loud in the play place, so I did have to raise my voice, but I wasn't yelling.)His mother, who had been sitting on a bench on the other side of the play place, then came over to me and chewed me out. I explained what her child was doing, but she was still angry that I addressed him about it, rather than addressing her about it.I later told some friends the story, and they suggested that next time I use "teacher language," like "Excuse me, sweetie, but I don't think that little girl likes being whacked in the face with balls. Let's play nicely." And I will keep that in mind for next time.But I have a feeling that some parents will get in a huff regardless, and I'd like to be able to de-escalate the situation.So: Parents, how do you feel about other people correcting your kids when they misbehave?If you feel like they shouldn't do it without your consent, how do you deal with people who disagree and don't seek your consent?On the flip side, if you feel like a person should correct a child (at least for things like hurting another kid) with or without the consent of their parent, how do you deal with parents who disagree and think that you need their consent? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2PphfK2