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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090902/ap_on_re_us/us_stranger_slaps_toddler

I just gotta say - if some old man slapped my kid, I'd curb-stomp his ass into the ground.

I mean, the kid is 2 years old...

hellsguardian316 wrote:I just guessed they were ignoring her to teach her she won't get attention everytime she balls.

Yeah, you can't reward tantrums, or the kid learns that tantrums are a good thing.

corpsesarefun wrote:Slapping/smacking/spanking are one of the more extreme methods of punishment,

I wouldn't say "extreme", I'd say "traditional".

"Extreme" would be something like flogging with a cat-o-nine tails or horsewhipping - something that is designed to do permanent (physical) damage...

I wonder how many posters here have parented 2-year-olds.

They're not entirely rational, and they don't speak very well. Some are still babbling. Their vocabularies are very limited. Playing 20-questions doesn't always work. And they change their minds. A lot.

In many ways, they're like Homer Simpson -- "ooh.. donuts!". Or a dog.

A lot of the expectations that some of the posters have seem to fly in the face of reality as I know it.


That said, per my initial post, if it's me, I'm going to jump to self defense of my kid, to the point that the old man is physically incapable of harming my kid. Ever.

Exactly so, guys - when the kid becomes too noisy, it's time for a walk, either inside or outside. If it's a lot of back-and-forth, that's how it goes.

But seriously, you just can't expect a little kid to sit at a table once the little belly is full, watching everybody else quietly.

Frazzled wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:So in effect, a person in lawful authority has the moral and legal right in particular circumstances to compel obedience by the use of force.

Was the old man in WalMart in a position of lawful authority over the child?

No. In classical parlance the oldman committed felony battery.

Here's the interesting legality
*One can use self defense to defend yourself or others
*One can use lethal self defense if you believe yourself or others are in imminent peril of grievous injury or death.
*A man can kill a child.
*Therefore mom could have blown the old fart away.

Exactly.

A 2-year-old weighs something like 20-30 pounds. A typical full-grown man weighs 150-200 pounds. That means the man weighs 5 to 10 TIMES as much as the kid. A 2 year old stands less than 3 feet tall, most are probably around 2.5' tall, so that adult mal stands easily twice the height of the kid. I would be reasonable, mortal fear for a 2-year-old's life if he is attacked by an adult male.

A 2-year-old has no chance of defending himself (or herself) against such a large attacker. Heck, no pre-teen does.

Thus lethal force against that man is easily justified and his death would be an unfortunate, justifiable case of manslaughter by reason of self-defense on behalf of an endangered innocent.

Wrexasaur wrote:Child abuse is an extremely serious issue

People also do not like to lose their dinner... and denying food is a classic form of child abuse, especially when it becomes a regular approach to a kids behavior.

No dinner, no dessert

The main issue I see in this does involve a weapon of some kind: switches (whips), spoons (clubs), belts (which are used as whipping clubs), and the list goes on and on...

Yes, child abuse is a serious issue.

Starving a child is abusive, yes.

Denying a fed child dessert is hardly going to be classified as "abuse" by any stretch of the imagination. There is no human right to sweets that I am aware of.

Beating a child with something that bruises is probably a bit much, and certainly, anything that breaks the skin is over the top.

But dessert? Heck, I deny myself dessert more nights than not. I don't think refraining from sweets is some masochistic form of self-abuse.

JEB_Stuart wrote:My parents did spank me and are very good and loving parents. I continue to have a great relationship with them today, and I am sure that others here on Dakka might say the same thing.

I dunno, maybe Legoburner can run a Dakka Poll?
- My parents spanked/beat me, and I'm good with them
- My parents spanked/beat me, and I still resent them for it
- My parents spanked/beat me, and I spit on their graves!
- My parents never spanked/beat me, and I'm good with them
- My parents never spanked/beat me, and I'm alright with them
- My parents never spanked/beat me, and I hate them
- pie?

And then he can do one on whether we spank our kids:
- My parents spanked/beat me, and I'm spanking/beating mine
- My parents spanked/beat me, and I'm NOT spanking/beating mine
- My parents never spanked/beat me, and I'm spanking/beating mine
- My parents never spanked/beat me, and I'm NOT spanking/beating mine
- pie!