is this child abuse?

[afcjan]

I got really angry today when I was shopping, in the next queue at the checkout a little boy was crying and playing his mum and dad up. anyway this little boy sat on the floor still crying and his father (if u can call him that) kicked him to be quiet.

my mouth fell open and I looked at the other people who were queuing. they all looked away including one couple who had children of their own.

I shouldnt have said anything but I did and he told me to mind my own business.

do you think I should have minded my own business or butted in. whats wrong with people today, surely little children should not be kicked. I would never have dreamt of doing anything like that when mine were little.

whats yr opinion?

[B00]

When you say "kicked", was it a full on kick or more like a push with the toe?

I know i've been seriously tempted to do the latter when my little "darling" does the same in public!!

If it was a full on kick, good on you for saying something, I know i'd have done exactly the same faced with the same situation.

As for whether it was child abuse- I honestly dont know. Maybe the child had pushed his parents to the limit today, still doesn't escuse the action of the man i know, but I can sort of see how it came about if it was a one off.

[sqad617]

afcjan....that IS child abuse.......the child abusing his parents.

Another kick should do the trick.

[brenda]

I think what you did was absolutely right , but please be careful out there , there are some very aggressive people who all seem to be on a short fuse, and you could get hurt.

[legendis.god]

Yeah i remember the recent case of a man punched to death in a sainsburys by the bf of some stupid woman who thought he was the guy whod queue jumped her !!


after they left the guy dying on the floor of the shop she ran offf to find the guy who it was that jumped the queue .

so her bf could attack him too.

they both got sent down


idiots



be evry careful now

it could mean your life

[hc4361]

Good for you.
Too many people are prepared to turn a blind eye and that is why so many people think it is fine to behave the way they do.

[paraffin]

Difficult one, this:

If you take the adult's side you're accused of condoning alleged child cruelty.
If you take the child's side you're accused of an alleged lack of parental control.

It's easy for us to sit here and say this or that - truth is none of us would really know how we would have reacted unless we'd witnessed it, as you unfortunately did, afcjan. Bet you wish you hadn't, eh?

Anyway, this is Mr Fence Sitter, News-at-5.45, Cloud Cuckoo Land !!

[sqad617]

paraffin.....LOL LOL

[gossipgirl]

when you say kicked do you mean with full force or was it more of a shove?

[Red-Dwarf]

You saying something is comendable BUT Iwould mind my own business. People carry all sorts of weapons these day. Getting involved ins something which, ultimately and unfortunately, has nothing to do with you, could mean trouble.

This is why most people, just dont get involved in public peuds, fights etc.

Think of yourself and no one else m8

[NoMercy]

Maybe Baby P would still be alive now if someone had actually intervened.

[ummmm]

How old was the child?

[terambulan]

an elderly asian man Q jumped me for the lift. I jammed the trolley to stop doors shutting and pinned him to rear of lift - and yelled at him. He quivered with temper & swore at me. Out of lift he brushed past me so I pushed trolley into him. He followed to car-park & reversed car fast near me and hit piller -denting his boot ;) he he he he

dont mess with me

[afcjan]

hi all good to get your reactions.

it was a really hard kick, and must have hurt. The little boy was about 5 or 6 years old.

maybe I shouldnt have got involved and do you know what I will seriously think before I say anything again.

[devil99]

afcjan you did the right thing, i once did exactly the same on a day out in blackpool, dad kicked his little boy bout 5yrs old i almost ended up coming to blows with him i have never been as angry, he was embarressed that someone had made a show of him and he ended up saying sorry, he said the boy had played him up all day and was at the end of his tether, there was a big crowd of people and not one of them backed me up, a 5 foot tall woman!!! like you say we havw all been pushed to the edge but i would never of dreamt of it either.

[pinktwink]

yes you should have intervened. A kick is totally unacceptable for a young child. If you did not feel safe enough to interfene yourself call the Gardai/police. If this man did this in public what might he do at home???
Too often the public turn a blind eye to events like this yet when there is a media report of abuse we all wonder why social services did not act earlier. It is precisely as too often behaviour like this goes unreported

[ummmm]

At home he'd probably send him to his room....!!!!