62 yr old man hits 2 year old at walmart.

[IowaBoy]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmo...y_id=46751
Any thoughts on this??

[Edwardo Piet]

The man obviously was horribly unjust, and my thoughts are that it's not anyone's job to discipline others children, if they're really such a terrible parent(s) then you'd need the police on to them. There could be a few very rare exceptions. But when it comes to just a polite suggestion for instance, I personally feel that even asking politely to be much more rude than what the child does. I hate it when people tell babies to shut up. I mean, especially when it's not theirs! But even if it is, because I think it's retarded when mothers for instance, get angry with a baby for crying when the baby is too young to even remotely understand...I know it must be hard for them sometimes, stressful - but sometimes I'm thinking "Do you actually believe the baby even remotely understands why you're mad at it?!"

So holy shit, I hate it when others interfere with baby's that aren't theirs.

And as for that guy, as I said - that was horribly unjust.

EvF

[fr0d0]

It's plain assault.

Society should take responsibility for it's members, but community has broken down so much it's not practical any more. Especially in big towns and cities.

We have lots of media coverage at the moment on the 70 year anniversary of the 2nd World War starting in 1939. There's a lot of stuff on the Children evacuees and the trauma suffered by them. One point was the acceptance of physical punishment back then. The local police were fully entitled to 'box kids ears' as a quick punishment. No problem with community responsibility there personally but it seems barbaric - you could easily cause a child serious damage.

[Edwardo Piet]

Obviously.

EvF

[IowaBoy]

Here is practicly what I think, if you are in a public place make sure your kid(s) know how to act in public. If not pull them out into the car and disiplen them. If you can not handle having a child in the store then well.... YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT FIRST!

If any of you liston to the Alan Colmes radio talk show then you probly heard some of the smartest ideas on earth. Really though the parent should have calmed the child down. It does not take much to do it, stop worrying about your surroundings and pull the child into an empty spot until the child is calm, if the child does not then well thats why you should bring a friend or family member along and have the child removed from the store by that person.

[fr0d0]

Kids are kids and people must make exceptions for that. Yes it's frustrating that some parents don't know how to control their children, but it's not a crime. No one teaches you that stuff. If you're somewhere like a cinema, where you've paid to watch and hear a film, then you could reasonably ask a parent to remove the kid. Most do without asking. A supermarket it almost a public place, and I don't see what justification anyone has to complain. Kids have a right to be there just as much as you do.

[Edwardo Piet]

A child is crying, a small child (to take the example in the OP), big fucking deal. There are way worse things to worry about; it may annoy you, and it may annoy you more or less than it does or doesn't annoy others...but it's a small child and what do you expect?

I think if you have a great deal of trouble, or can't handle coping with stuff like that, then it's you that has the problem that needs sorting out.

There are exceptions, the cinema example is a good one, but that one isn't even that obvious I think...you can see if from the other point of view too, the mother could have paid to watch a film with her family and her youngest starts crying; and it must suck if that ruins the whole film for the whole family because of the fact they then have to leave - what if you're the only other person in the cinema? You'd be in the minority and it's either the whole family leaves or you alone leave. It's awkward in my mind. I'm not sure if that's exactly the best example, but my point is that I reckon there are some exceptions even in cases like that.

So basically - I generally don't think it's a big deal, and in my mind the bigger issue is the issue of this overreaction to the whole matter, probably due to frustration. And you can see that that guy in the link in the OP is an extreme example of that!

EvF

[dry land fish]

Wow. That's just angering to me. I realize that some kids are brats in Wal Mart and I've wanted to smack peoples kids. I think we all have thought about it but most of us would never actually physically hit someones kid over it. If I were that mom I'd have whipped his ass. No joke....if anyone ever laid their hands on my child I'd beat them until someone physically stopped me. I can't believe that woman didn't whip the shit out of him.

I whip my kid and I've been lucky enough to get a wonderfully behaved child. He is perfect in public. I hardly ever have to hit them. Only twice have they ever acted up in public and I took them somewhere quiet to calm them down. I don't want my child to annoy other people. Once on an air plane I couldn't calm him down and for the whole hour he was screaming. I felt bad for the people in front of me and they were seriously annoyed. They asked me if I had anything to put in his mouth but I took the bottle and the pacifier away after he turned one so we all had to deal.

[IowaBoy]

But is that why you most train the child? We may be called humans but by science we are also part of the animal worlds. When a cub in a pack of dogs starts to piss of the mother dog she nips at him and shuts em up. Now in the newer ways of parenting it is "emoral," to cause pain to a child but what do you think they did way back in the stone age? Just because the world has chagned it does not mean it is wrong to bring a little old fashen ways back. Not saying to spank the kid but hell tell the kid how to act and enforce it.

[fr0d0]

Here in the UK it's socially unacceptable to hit kids. Mental torture is fine, just no hitting!

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We (read 'my wife') trained our kids young. Gentle reinforcement and consistent rules. Our kids are great out and know their boundaries. We have friends who believe kids should grow up naturally without correction, and the kids are a nightmare. Just a big problem for the teachers at school to try and sort out... it's so mucheasier if you start very young.