Screaming dad

[moosmom]

Your Dad was one smart man, Bonny!!!

[Marigold2]

This sounds like a no win. I think you did a great job in the most difficult situation. Mom has a numb nut.

Whatever kind of day that father was having is still no excuse for removing his child from the store the way he did.

I have an example of parental stupidity...I worked at Petco. An idiotic mother stood by while her 3 year old brat (in every sense of the word, I might add) pulled a step stool over to the tanks with the mice and rats and began banging (not tapping, mind you) on the glass of the tanks. I politely went over to him and asked him to please get down (his @$$hat mother just stood there and watched) and he started screaming and spitting at me. I gently lifted him down so as not to huirt him. The biatch starts screaming at me, proceeds to put her kid in a shopping cart and WHEELED HIM BACK OVER TO BANG ON THE GLASS!!!!

She look like the type of parent that would sue should something happen to their kid because of THEIR own stupidity.

She complained to the manager about it. I told him flat out that I was protecting those animals from that kid. He told me I shouldn't have put my hands on him. True, but still, I was SOOOOOO pissed!!!

Another reason why I can't stand kids anymore. Lately the parents just don't own it, allowing their kids to create havoc.

[Marigold2]

Beautifully said. May I ask do you see or speak to your mom now?

To this day, my mother thinks she just spanked my sister and me a bit when it was absolutely necessary.

She used to break wooden spoons over our rear ends. I had bruises from my lower back to the backs of my knees. She was still hitting me when I was in my teens. The psychological damage persists to this day--and I'm in my 50s.

Someone who hauls a kid away by the face in public has to be doing worse in private. If he did that to an adult, it would be considered assault and battery. Why is it acceptable if the victim is a child?

I'm a big fan of teaching one's children to behave. But violence is not an acceptable means.

[Marigold2]

Well Mr. Tough Guy bring it on.

What would you have done, hit me? Pushed me or dragged me by the face and hair as this demented dad did? Got in my face and screamed?

If you think I will just watch a child be mistreated and do nothing you don't understand me or many moms. And 10 seconds.? I only needed two. The kid was screaming bloody hell in pain.

What if you see someone beating a child with a stick or kicking them in say 5 seconds. What would you do? Would you stand by and let some man kick or beat his child? Or would you be decent enough and brave enough to step up and help the child?
Course this is America lets not forget that shall we?

What if it was a dog being kicked? Would you risk you safety to help said dog or just say the hell with it he probably peed on the rug and deserves it?

What about a women? Hell maybe the Bi%%h deserved it. Would you get involved and protect her if she was being dragged by the hair and face or figure it is between the two of them. Yes he is about 100 pounds more but so what, you are late for work and you don't have time to get involved in their BS?

This is how I feel. I step up. I hope that if I ever need help someone will step up for me or my kids or grandkids. We should all be kind and caring to each other and if we see another soul in pain or danger we should step out of our comfort zone and press our fear down and do what needs to be done to keep that soul safe.
Privacy and liberty in the US does NOT give one a right to beat mentally or physically an animal or human.

So if by chance I see you in trouble I will step up to help you and if I see you beating someone such as a child or animal I will stop you. Go ahead and call the police if you can, you might just find yourself having a lot of explaining to do.

Nowhere is beating mentioned in here.

I defy someone to drag a completely unwilling person ANYWHERE by their face, you'd lose your grip.

Given the OP's penchant for needless drama, (veggie salad, anyone) I also have damned good reason to question whether the scene unfolded as portrayed. Somehow I doubt it.

The comment which truly irritate me are the subsequent comment questioning the parenting skills of the person in question (judging someone's life on a 10 second snapshot) and the whole idea that it's completely fine to interfere with someone's actions as a parent in a public place.

Again, want a confrontation? If the OP had taken those actions with me, the police would have been needed.

[Karen]

LH would never beat a child or an animal. Scold a child? Yes, if necessary. Grasp a child by the shoulder and move him or her somewhere away from whatever he was doing wrong? Yes, if needed. But I have never seen him drag anyone or anything by the face, and remember, I have been his older sister his whole life. Just don't make assumptions, okay?

[Marigold2]

Perhaps he will explain his words to me then about needing the police if I ever stepped it with his life. Some saw it as a threat I didn't. I think the police would be arresting him.

LH would never beat a child or an animal. Scold a child? Yes, if necessary. Grasp a child by the shoulder and move him or her somewhere away from whatever he was doing wrong? Yes, if needed. But I have never seen him drag anyone or anything by the face, and remember, I have been his older sister his whole life. Just don't make assumptions, okay?

[Karen]

He meant if you, or anyone else, tried to interfere with his parenting. If he is grasping his son (more likely to misbehave at the moment than his daughter) by the shoulder and scolding him loudly, you should not assume the kids is beaten when no one is looking. You may assume that said child has been misbehaving repeatedly and after several warnings, as young children sometimes do, and has worn away every bit of patience LH had, and frankly, said child needs to recognize the consequences of his own misbehavior.

You, or anyone else, assuming abuse and stepping in at that point will not make anything better, and likely make an angry person angrier. Not the effect you would hope to have, I am sure.

[Marigold2]

Fair enough. And most of us have been there or seen a child in the store yell till our ears are almost bleeding and the parent turns a deaf ear because that is what is best.
But this was different. This was abuse. The chid was screaming in pain.
It was a judgement call. I think most caring parents would have stepped in and said something.
What I did find sad is that many people here remember very abusive childhoods and are still sufffering.
I like to say that I would be sane if it wasn't for my parents and kids. LOL
My dad beat me too. I made sure I DID NOT do that to my kids. They spent a lot of time in the corner thinking about what they did. Probably plotting revenage. LOL
I don't see or speak to my dad. But I am ok with that.
I hope all of you who had a less then a happy childhood peace and happiness. Today is for living. Tomorrow is full of promise.

[wombat2u2004]

Sorry Marigold, but I have to disagree with everything you are saying.
It isn't your place to get involved in family matters other than your own.
If you wish to do that, then the consequences of your actions can take two directions.......firstly, you will be target No.1. Secondly, the child will probably be punished more because you have angered the parent even more.
Think about that.
Sometimes it's best just to walk away.

[pomtzu]

Sorry Marigold, but I have to disagree with everything you are saying.
It isn't your place to get involved in family matters other than your own.
If you wish to do that, then the consequences of your actions can take two directions.......firstly, you will be target No.1. Secondly, the child will probably be punished more because you have angered the parent even more.
Think about that.
Sometimes it's best just to walk away.

I agree with this - somewhat anyway.
Yes - just walk away, but walk to a store employee and let them handle it from there. You are putting yourself in possible harm's way if you get directly involved.

[Lady's Human]

I have completely had it with the attitude that it's fine to interfere with someone's parenting because "I'm doing good".

You don't know. You don't know the kids, you don't know the parents, and you don't know the situation.

I'm tired of the school system calling me or sending notes home with the children that a child in classroom XYZ had pinkeye, strep, chickenpox, the sniffles, or anything else and telling me that if I see symptoms I need to get the child to a doctor. No. Really? You don't say. I never would have guessed that I needed to take a child to the doc with a 102 temp.

I'm tired of hearing absolute BS like "If you drink alcohol openly in the home you're putting your child at risk to be an alcoholic"

I have stepped into other people's parenting. When safety is involved, I will step in in a heartbeat. However, a dad or a kid having a miserable day in the store isn't a safety issue.

I certainly wouldn't (and haven't) post it on the internet to garner an ego stroke from sycophants.

[wombat2u2004]

I certainly wouldn't (and haven't) post it on the internet to garner an ego stroke from sycophants.

I would have.
I love to read what the toadies have to say

[Cataholic]

I'm tired of hearing absolute BS like "If you drink alcohol openly in the home you're putting your child at risk to be an alcoholic"

I mean, really. The only person put at risk is the person doing the drinking! LOL, I am just kidding. Everyone knows that you should HIDE the alcohol from the kiddos....lest you have none when you want some.