Overly Sensitive
Posted on 2007-05-24
I got to work about 10 minutes early and when I walked out to find out where I should begin, I hear about 4 or 5 people yelling at each other.
Listening in on the commotion, I determined that a lady spanked her toddler because he was throwing things around. A lady and her husband (I think he was her husband) saw this and began throwing a hissy fit. They were screaming that they were going to call the cops because of a spanking. The cops did come (4 cop cars-overkill, if you ask me). I don't know if the parents were arrested, but the cops were talking to them for awhile.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with spanking your toddler if it is for the right reasons. If you're ticked off and spank your children for poops and giggles, then it's child abuse. If your child is misbehaving and just won't listen, a light spank on the bottom is perfectly acceptable. The parents did nothing wrong, in my opinion. It was the couple that called the cops who were in the wrong. They butted in and, according to a couple other employees, chased the parents around the store. Honestly, if I were the mom, I would have told the cops that the couple was harassing my family.
And now the other side:
That couple was looking out for the child, and they could have handled the situation differently, but they meant well. Who's to say if the spank was really justified? What if it's a regular occurance, or maybe they spanked the child too hard. I didn't witness the even myself, so I can't say. Even if I did see it I doubt I could answer those questions.
Sometimes it's best if people just mind their own business, but this brings up another issue. What about the kids who are being abused and the strangers who help them because they saw something suspious in public? A phone call to child services can ruin a family if they are innocent, but that phone call could save a child.
I guess it's a Catch-22. I see both sides of this story and these situations don't have a checklist to follow.
