Who says slap, says whip, slap, slap ... What would you do if you witness an adult hitting a baby? Recent news has made me think about this issue. A flight attendant did not hesitate to snatch her baby from the arms of the woman who slapped her in the middle of the flight.
It must be said that the woman was very nervous, the father wanted her to release the baby and calm down and the baby had a bruised eye, which could have encouraged the assistant to intervene in a situation that could have gotten out of hand, and that flight personnel also have legal permission to do so.
However, is that the usual attitude in a society in which to see how a child is stuck is often normalized? I get the impression that we live in a world of "live and let live" and in the fear of getting where they don't call us, of facing other adults, we close our eyes and turn a deaf ear to situations like those described.
I do not mean beatings, because these may be much more difficult to witness (even detect) and are usually done in private settings, I mean those cadets or slapped that are more frequent in view of all and that, although in many countries they are not prohibited, and in those that are unknown or frequently ignored, they should be eradicated from "normality" in our collective consciousness.
Why hitting a child has serious consequences, both emotional and physical, and cannot be tolerated in any case. Spanking is useless, it only hurts.
I remember seeing, as an adult, how they hit a child, a stretch of hair, ears, a cheek in the ass or slapped in the hand. I don't know if any slap. This has happened in the park, or in different situations, such as in a store where the child did not stop running and broke something.
I didn't know those women and men, and I never said anything. My heart shrinks when I see those scenes, and I don't know if I look at you with a face of indignation or pity, but I think they don't seem to notice my look. Neither of the words of disapproval and anger that I can say to my companion. Because I don't tell them, they are angry now. Maybe I should do it, be brave, not shut up and act.
Would it be different if I witnessed a beating? I could assure you that yes, I think I would get in some way, I would shout for help and call the police immediately, because my guts are stirred to think about that damage and if it were impassive I would not forgive myself.
But we enter the fine line that separates (or not) a slap or a slap of abuse, where do I put the limit to act if I witness it? Do these ineffable headline reflections like this news propitiate through which I learned about the case of the flight attendant who separated the baby from the mother who beat him?
No, you can't pay a baby. If I am sure that hitting is not a good way to educate, it is a resource that cancels us as protective and responsible parents. But what if we witness how they hit another child? How should we intervene if we witness a slap? Doesn't our silence help perpetuate this behavior?
