The boy missed a step and fell face first into the unforgiving base of the stairs. Many people around merely gave off a "Ohhhhh" and just turned and enjoyed the "show". The parent of the boy then came running down. (He did not fall). He aggressively pulled up the weeping boy and gave him a tight slap across the face. My first reaction was like (forgive me)......WTH? I listened on only to hear the father scream at his son for being so utterly careless. The more I heard, the more question marks started to form above my head. First, I was completely stunned that the father added a slap to his son's already severe injury. Second, I was wondering, why the hell is his father scolding him for the fall when he is already crying as if he had just his hair pulled off violently? I alighted the bus, pondering over this question. Are parents nowadays using this "spectacular" teaching method? This method, I must say, is quite effective if it is used in a minor accident that occurred, but I feel what this parent has done today is too much. Come on, the child has fell face first onto the cold hard floor. Another slap to his FACE just worsens the injury. Though I must admit that the child can only learn if he has been through a terrible accident like this but I feel that the slap unnecessary.
Thus here, I sincerely feel that the parent is at fault here. Because the child has not done anything wrong. The slap was bloody "extra" What are your thoughts and takes on this matter?
Well, poor child! I have to agree with you Jun Mun that the slap was too much. Though the boy had been careless and was in the wrong, the father of the boy was too harsh towards his son. But we should not blame the father entirely. He has his reasons at heart and he was also worried for his son. I have also seen these events happen before(but of course not as serious). These parents are just worried for their children but they do not know the right way of showing his care and concern.
ReplyDeletei do not really agree with you because it was the carelessness of the child that led to the handprint on his face, and if he had been more careful he would have avoided the slap on his face and the fall would also be prevented. hence i think that the slap on the face was reasonable because it is only when someone committed something wrong then his father would slsp him. here the child did something wrong by being not careful and be it punishment or care, i do not think that the father was at fault. the son had it coming.
ReplyDeletewell, as I said, this topic can go either way as to who was in the wrong. Therefore, I think there is actually no correct answer but you do have a point there Mark. Though if I were the father, I would have substituted the slap with a smack to the butt.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I feel, there is no reason to justify that slap. In fact, I disagree with Mark entirely, especially about the part where "the slap on the face was reasonable because it is only when someone committed something wrong then his father would slsp him. here the child did something wrong by being not careful and be it punishment or care, i do not think that the father was at fault. the son had it coming."
ReplyDeleteSorry for the long quotation, but once again I express my heartfelt disapproval about Mark's view that the boy did wrong by falling down and the 'son had it coming'. Say for example, you have been beaten up by your friends for no reason and your father sees it, and after the entire episode your father comes up to you and says "what have you done, son?" and slaps you. And then you feel that "if only I had been more careful the gang might not have beaten me up and thus I could have avoided that slap." For us, the pain may be more emotional, but to the boy, it is physical. If I was standing in the father's shoes, I would definitely have picked up the boy and start soothing him with words eg "It's all right" or at least caressed him.
After all, the boy is only a child. He will be confused as to why he is being hit, especially after a fall and from his father. He might also probably remember this situation for years to come, depending on his age, like myself holding grudges against my parents when I was young.
The boy's father might have been extremely worried about the boy's safety, and, as I quote Mr Owyong, "has his own reasons at heart". Yet the father is expressing it in a completely negative way from my view and probably the general public, though there may be a few exceptional cases. For one, if I were concerned about an injured person, I definitely would not have gone up to him and slap him, saying "It's your own fault".
Perhaps the boy's father is educating his son not to be careless in the future, but maybe he has ... uhh ... forgotten that there may be other methods of doing so, like using other children's falls as an example. Adding salt to wound is definitely not an ideal way to teach anyone anything.
Wow! Long comment! Though you do share the same sentiments as I do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Many times, when I was a little kid, when I had any minor accidents, I would be scolded by my parents . If I had a major accident, I would be "bashed up".I think that a more effective way for the boy to be less careless is to console him and tell him about the consequences of being careless. The boy had already experienced pain so I do not think he needs another slap
ReplyDelete