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2006-03-17 - 10:22 p.m.

Ok, so I've been asked to update. I have a lot I could write about tonight, actually.

One incident that happened earlier this evening really affected me. To describe it exactly as it happened would take far too much of your time not to mention Diaryland space, but here's the gist of it.

Basically, I was at Super Target in the "printer-and-accessories-for-printers" aisle. In the next aisle, I suddenly heard this woman yelling at her child and then next, I could audibly hear her hand connecting with the child's skin. Not once. Not twice. Not even three times. Rather, 5 or 6 times. And hard. All the while yelling and asking him rhetorically, "What's the matter with you?"

My eyes welled up with tears as I stood there paralyzed in my adjacent aisle. Suddenly, a wave of some unknown, indescribable feeling washed over me as if *I* were the child who was being beaten.

I could take no more.

I decided that perhaps if I strolled my cart around the corner and down her aisle that would diffuse the situation. As I did so, she still proceeded to hit her child as she then told this screaming little boy, "Calm down!"

I said to her as monotone as can be, "I think you need to calm down." She stops hitting her kid and, with her hand still gripping firmly on the little boy's arm, she proceeds to tell me that I have no business telling her how to discipline her child.

Now, before any of you leave me nasty comments, keep in mind that she wasn't merely s p a n k i n g her child, but she was H I T T I N G him IN anger. She had obviously lost control. And while I don't agree with spanking as a form of discipline (that's an entirely different entry!) I certainly wouldn't intervene if I saw some smack their kid's bottom a time or two to get their attention. However, when someone is PHYSICALLY being VIOLENT towards an innocent child, I cannot nor will not stand by and do nothing!

She proceeded to ask me if I had children and in a split second, I decided that had I told her that indeed, I didn�t have any kids that I would instantly lose all credibility with her. It doesn�t take being a parent to know when someone else is abusing their child and when they are spanking him.

So, I fibbed and told her that I did. She then tried to justify her behavior by asking, �Do they act like this at the store?� (I wanted to say: �NO, because I don�t beat my children� but opted not to.) Instead I simply and calmly said no. And instead replied, �But you�re beating him.� I couldn�t get my mouth to say the intelligent words that I wanted to say� I wanted to express to her that she was no longer in a discipline mode but rather, she was taking her personal frustrations out on her son�s fragile little body (he was all of about 4 or 5 years old) and that she was out of control.
Then she tried to bully me by saying, �Then call the cops!� Of course, even if I had called them right there in the store (what number would I call? 911?), do you think she would have stuck around to hear what the police officer would have to say? I don�t think so.

And finally, when she kept insisting that I was wrong to tell her how or how not to discipline her child----and as my heart was beating furiously through my chest, pounding on my flesh as though it wanted to escape from my body---I finally uttered some words that I deeply regret. It was one of those �in the moment� I was so panicked (I had no idea if she was going to hit ME) and so I ignorantly said, �I hope someone beats the crap outta ya so you know how it feels.� And with that, she turned on her heel and left.

Meanwhile, a little crowd had gathered at the end of the aisle to watch this entire transaction including a Target employee. I had hoped that someone else would have intervened but alas, no one did.

And while I regret that I became as uneducated as she apparently was by my final comments to her, I do feel proud of myself for standing up to her and giving that little boy a voice that he clearly didn�t have.

To reiterate� if I ever come across one of you at this store or that and see you quickly, swiftly and nearly gently swat your kid on the rump, I might roll my eyes and walk away but I won�t confront you and tell you that you shouldn�t s p a n k your child. But if that swat becomes repetitive, and I can hear your hand connecting with his/her skin, and you don�t stop, then I most certainly will intervene at any cost.

Until next time, PEACE, LOVE and health�









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