Having children can be the best experience in a persons life. However it can also be one of the most difficult tasks a person can accomplish. Parenting is a very challenging task and one of the biggest challenges of parenting is keeping your cool, even when your child or children are pushing your buttons. Occasionally we all lose it however, trying to effectively deal with losing it can be a challenge.
With this in mind, I recently read about a woman who was having problems with a screaming 2 year old while at a local car wash. The little girl wouldn't stop, so the mother took the water spray nozzle and checked the pressure on the back of her hand. After determining it was okay, she proceeded to spray the screaming child down, head to tow. The incident was caught on videotape.
When the car wash owner saw this action on tape, she was turned in and arrested for child abuse. She was in jail for a few days, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and then was given parenting classes and one year probation. Some people thought that this wasn't enough.
When questioned about this, the woman still stands by the fact that it may have been an error in judgment but was not child abuse. The child was not injured by the hosing down that she received. The woman admitted that there probably were better ways for her to deal with this issue, and I think that we would all agree with that.
When there is a threat or claim of child abuse, it must always be taken seriously and investigated. Hosing down a 2 year old may not have been the best choice in this instance. But some oldtimes continue to wonder about the alternatives. Corporal punishment of children considered to be an outdated method of child rearing, but the children of that former era often seem to be less of a problem than today's children. Are the new parenting styles apt to cause more problems long term than the old styles of yesterday? Or are the differences in the children of today a product of outside factors such as community and media?
With this in mind, I recently read about a woman who was having problems with a screaming 2 year old while at a local car wash. The little girl wouldn't stop, so the mother took the water spray nozzle and checked the pressure on the back of her hand. After determining it was okay, she proceeded to spray the screaming child down, head to tow. The incident was caught on videotape.
When the car wash owner saw this action on tape, she was turned in and arrested for child abuse. She was in jail for a few days, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and then was given parenting classes and one year probation. Some people thought that this wasn't enough.
When questioned about this, the woman still stands by the fact that it may have been an error in judgment but was not child abuse. The child was not injured by the hosing down that she received. The woman admitted that there probably were better ways for her to deal with this issue, and I think that we would all agree with that.
When there is a threat or claim of child abuse, it must always be taken seriously and investigated. Hosing down a 2 year old may not have been the best choice in this instance. But some oldtimes continue to wonder about the alternatives. Corporal punishment of children considered to be an outdated method of child rearing, but the children of that former era often seem to be less of a problem than today's children. Are the new parenting styles apt to cause more problems long term than the old styles of yesterday? Or are the differences in the children of today a product of outside factors such as community and media?
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If you are looking for a child psychologist, the internet's biggest repository of resources regarding parenting advice can be found at www.ParentingInformed.com. There you will find answers to your tough questions.
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