I just HAD to say something ...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

This is not exactly On Topic, but what the heck. Last week, while I was gone, I saw three things involving children that made me very uneasy.

1. A boy throws sand at his father while both were about waist-deep in the ocean. He does it over and over again. His father asks him to stop, over and over again. The boy appeared to be around 12-14 years old. Eventually the father turned beet red with rage, walked over to his son and pushed his face down into the ocean water. My first thought was, haha, the punk deserves it. But then he held it there. And held it there. By now I'm thinking ok dude, let him go. Eventually he did.. the boy comes out, gasps for air, walks away. Two minutes later, another ball of sand hits father in the back and the boy laughs.

2. A nearby pier, it's evening. A boy is running around in diapers. I'm bad with age so I won't guess how old he was. Old enough to walk, not old enough to talk. Still wears diapers, I'll let the parents (I am not one) figure out what age he might have been. He comes to his mother, whines a little. Mommy takes pizza off the floor... the pier floor... and feeds it to her kid. The floor is filthy.

3. This last one is a little different. Newark airport, a mother with two children. The mother and the older child are in the air-train and the younger child is wandering around on the platform. Mother rushes out to get him, older child still in the train. Mother rushes back with younger son, air train door starts closing. For a few seconds, it seemed like I would actually see the door crush the mother and her older daughter (younger son was safely inside by now). The door wouldnt stop closing, the mother and her daughter were trying very hard to keep it open. Eventually it moved back to its open position. The elder daughter, she couldn't have been anymore than 8, starts crying. While she was helping her mother keep the door open she didn't cry. After it was all done, then she cried.

[Jenn! 918]

This is not exactly On Topic, but what the heck. Last week, while I was gone, I saw three things involving children that made me very uneasy.

1. A boy throws sand at his father while both were about waist-deep in the ocean. He does it over and over again. His father asks him to stop, over and over again. The boy appeared to be around 12-14 years old. Eventually the father turned beet red with rage, walked over to his son and pushed his face down into the ocean water. My first thought was, haha, the punk deserves it. But then he held it there. And held it there. By now I'm thinking ok dude, let him go. Eventually he did.. the boy comes out, gasps for air, walks away. Two minutes later, another ball of sand hits father in the back and the boy laughs.

2. A nearby pier, it's evening. A boy is running around in diapers. I'm bad with age so I won't guess how old he was. Old enough to walk, not old enough to talk. Still wears diapers, I'll let the parents (I am not one) figure out what age he might have been. He comes to his mother, whines a little. Mommy takes pizza off the floor... the pier floor... and feeds it to her kid. The floor is filthy.

3. This last one is a little different. Newark airport, a mother with two children. The mother and the older child are in the air-train and the younger child is wandering around on the platform. Mother rushes out to get him, older child still in the train. Mother rushes back with younger son, air train door starts closing. For a few seconds, it seemed like I would actually see the door crush the mother and her older daughter (younger son was safely inside by now). The door wouldnt stop closing, the mother and her daughter were trying very hard to keep it open. Eventually it moved back to its open position. The elder daughter, she couldn't have been anymore than 8, starts crying. While she was helping her mother keep the door open she didn't cry. After it was all done, then she cried.

I thought number 1 was the most interesting here (ie. the other ones sucked ). Different families do things differently. I think alot of people here would label that as abuse and may have possibly said something to the Dad. Me, no way. As you can see, the boy was fine.

I dunno. I realize some people think that type of "horseplay" is not ok (and yes, I realize many of you will think it's more than horseplay). But all families do things differently. I think it's presumptuous to judge a situation like that when taken out of the context of that family's interactions and viewed by an outsider. Sometimes people just get the worng idea.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I think it's presumptuous to judge a situation like that when taken out of the context of that family's interactions and viewed by an outsider. Sometimes people just get the worng idea.

I agree.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Because, it's much easier to blame the child than to encourage parental responsibility. I personally believe this didn't have a whole lot to do with the child's behavior, but I'm entertaining that theory anyway to suggest there were still better ways of handling it.

I wasn't directing that question at you specifically... but yeah, I get ya...

[hockeygal 1]

I still wonder why there is an assumption that it had to be a bratty child that brought this all on?

Is that really the assumption, or is it just an alternative theory thrown out there to show we can't know what went on all day... taking things out of context etc. Personally I think if it upset Gimy that much, it couldn't have been pretty. But this topic, though interesting, is a lot like the working mother/stay at home mother debate. There will never be an agreement, and everyone has different and valid views.

Mommy takes pizza off the floor... the pier floor... and feeds it to her kid. The floor is filthy.

[keltic 1]

this kid could have been pulling stuff all day and the mom just snapped. It's like Chris Rock says: "I didn't say it was right.....but I understand".

so, by this logic... if you pull out in front of someone while driving, cutting them off... you are the 3rd person that day... so, they snap and ram your car... then... hey... you would understand, right?

[Sister Fracas 5]

I think it's presumptuous to judge a situation like that when taken out of the context of that family's interactions and viewed by an outsider. Sometimes people just get the worng idea.

I agree.

Maybe, but it also says to me that the father obviously hasn't impressed adequately on his child that throwing sand at him is unacceptable. AND obviously, his pushing-face-in-the-water technique is ineffective and the kid will likely do it again. So who is really at fault? I see it as the parent's fault for not being better at communicating what's not acceptible. Yes, the boy was alright THIS time....but holding a child's head under water is NOT the proper way to discipline...I don't care WHAT experience you have in your own upbringing, that's just not right.

In number two...that's just disgusting...I wouldn't call it abuse, but ewww...I guess if you want to teach your child to be a pig, then that's what you do....just don't be surprised then when they are still acting like that and worse at older ages.

[pax 1]

Maybe, but it also says to me that the father obviously hasn't impressed adequately on his child that throwing sand at him is unacceptable. AND obviously, his pushing-face-in-the-water technique is ineffective and the kid will likely do it again. So who is really at fault? I see it as the parent's fault for not being better at communicating what's not acceptible. Yes, the boy was alright THIS time....but holding a child's head under water is NOT the proper way to discipline...I don't care WHAT experience you have in your own upbringing, that's just not right.

Agreed. Again, if I had done this as a babysitter, I would have found myself out of work, and probably under arrest.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Maybe, but it also says to me that the father obviously hasn't impressed adequately on his child that throwing sand at him is unacceptable. AND obviously, his pushing-face-in-the-water technique is ineffective and the kid will likely do it again. So who is really at fault? I see it as the parent's fault for not being better at communicating what's not acceptible. Yes, the boy was alright THIS time....but holding a child's head under water is NOT the proper way to discipline...I don't care WHAT experience you have in your own upbringing, that's just not right.

In number two...that's just disgusting...I wouldn't call it abuse, but ewww...I guess if you want to teach your child to be a pig, then that's what you do....just don't be surprised then when they are still acting like that and worse at older ages.

See, I disagree. I think the second is worse. A child that young, dirty food... could make him quite ill depending on what he ends up ingesting with the food.

[mercuryroad 0]

this kid could have been pulling stuff all day and the mom just snapped. It's like Chris Rock says: "I didn't say it was right.....but I understand".

so, by this logic... if you pull out in front of someone while driving, cutting them off... you are the 3rd person that day... so, they snap and ram your car... then... hey... you would understand, right?

That's hilarious. Are you trying to say that deliberately slamming your car into another car is the same thing?

[Traviesa 0]

Maybe, but it also says to me that the father obviously hasn't impressed adequately on his child that throwing sand at him is unacceptable. AND obviously, his pushing-face-in-the-water technique is ineffective and the kid will likely do it again. So who is really at fault? I see it as the parent's fault for not being better at communicating what's not acceptible. Yes, the boy was alright THIS time....but holding a child's head under water is NOT the proper way to discipline...I don't care WHAT experience you have in your own upbringing, that's just not right.

In number two...that's just disgusting...I wouldn't call it abuse, but ewww...I guess if you want to teach your child to be a pig, then that's what you do....just don't be surprised then when they are still acting like that and worse at older ages.

See, I disagree. I think the second is worse. A child that young, dirty food... could make him quite ill depending on what he ends up ingesting with the food.

On the same note, are all parents abusive who take their children through fast food places where they run the risk of many diseases-obesity, heart disease, diabetes, not to mention things like hepatitis from unwashed hands.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Maybe, but it also says to me that the father obviously hasn't impressed adequately on his child that throwing sand at him is unacceptable. AND obviously, his pushing-face-in-the-water technique is ineffective and the kid will likely do it again. So who is really at fault? I see it as the parent's fault for not being better at communicating what's not acceptible. Yes, the boy was alright THIS time....but holding a child's head under water is NOT the proper way to discipline...I don't care WHAT experience you have in your own upbringing, that's just not right.

In number two...that's just disgusting...I wouldn't call it abuse, but ewww...I guess if you want to teach your child to be a pig, then that's what you do....just don't be surprised then when they are still acting like that and worse at older ages.

See, I disagree. I think the second is worse. A child that young, dirty food... could make him quite ill depending on what he ends up ingesting with the food.

Yeah, I thought of that..I was giving her the benefit of the doubt that it was within the 3 second rule...LOL Bacteria wise, I'm not sure there is all that more to ingest than isn't found around the average home, especially if you have pets and we know how kids have their hands all over everything and then into their mouths... hahahahahahaa...helps build the immune system.

[Traviesa 0]

That is so true. I recently babysat and to watch how kids eat, particularly the two year old, was slightly appalling. I mean his hands are on his feet, then eating the popcorn, then he's digging it out of the corners of the couch, and grabbing it off the floor-into his mouth it goes! Bleh! But I mean we all did that, and somehow survived!

[Jenn! 918]

I've read Americans in general are actually doing a disservice to their children with an environment that is too sterile.

[Traviesa 0]

I've read Americans in general are actually doing a disservice to their children with an environment that is too sterile.

I've heard that too-something about if your child gets an infection in the first year of life, they will be less likely to have certain conditions...I think allergies was one of them.