Jeff & Kate Kerr

> ****<<<> How exactly do you approach a situation like this? I have the hardest time
> > in public when I witness other parents being hurtful to their children (not
> > just through spanking but through belittling, saying hurtful things, etc).
> > I'm always hesitant to, as you say, scold the parents because I'm afraid
> > the kid will just get it even more once they get home for "embarassing"
> > their mother, or making her "look bad." Do you think that's possible?
> > That the mother will feel insulted and embarrassed and take it out on her
> > child even more later? It seems I've often heard that caution when it
> > comes to defending children that way.
> > Still, I want to come up with something to say.
>
>
> Thanks, Patti, for asking the question I was about to. :) I feel like such a
> useless LUMP when I see this stuff going on, I wouldn't mind some advice on
> how to and when to say things, too.
>
> If the advice is, "just grow a backbone and do it" I'm okay with that.
>
> Pam>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>
>
>
> A friend and I were shopping at the local Wal-mart in the clothing isles. We looked over, saw an (approx.) 2 y/o standing
> in the seat part of the cart. So very unsafe. The mother was turned the other direction, looking at a rack of something
> or other. We rushed over and said, "oh sweetie, please sit down so you don't fall!" The mother looked at us with almost
> an evil look and said, "I had her standing there to hold these shirts up to her. She is fine." Whoa! We thought we were
> being completely helpful. Being an x-ray tech, I have seen too many needless fractures in children because the parents
> were inattentive. Not to mention sometimes, just plain stupid. We saw her again later, the child continuing to be a
> monkey on the cart, balancing precariously, surely to fall any minute. I don't know if she ever did injure herself, but
> it made me very nervous.
>
> What to do then? She wasn't 'abusing' the child. Just neglectful or maybe irresponsible.
>
> Kimber****
>

I've stopped people on a few occasions from harming children, including
one woman who was hitting her child yelling at him "hitting it not ok!"
I was flabbergasted and in a split second I realized that I was probably
never going to see these people again (I was living in San Francisco at
the time - lots of people) so I screwed up my courage and asked her if
there was a problem and was there anything I could do to help. It must
have been enough because she calmed down and stopped.

I think the best thing is to be honest to yourself and "grow and
backbone and do it."

Kate,
who spanked her youngest once and will probably never forgive herself
for it but has never done it again because I've learned that being with
her and listening to her is much more effective.



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