Last Friday when we went to pick up our Indians tickets for the Monday afternoon game, we walked down to the 9th Street pier after eating our lunch from Subway at the Ralph J. Perk Park. It was very hot but the view was so worth the walk! Not too many people were around when we went.
There was a girl reading a book and a black family--two parents with three small children who were sitting nearby watching the boats. They were enjoying it until all of a sudden, I hear the mother yelling for the kids to get over to her right now! When I turned around, the kids were climbing up some steps. When they came over, the mother got up and smacked each one on the side of the head! She hit the two bigger kids first and they sat down on the wall where they had all been sitting before but the little one was so afraid, she was screaming before she even got hit and was afraid to go any closer. I didn't blame her. Then the big father got up and swatted her and she fell down. It was heart wrenching! All I could think of was if they treat their children like that in public, what must they do at home? I didn't know what to do but I felt if I kept watching, the parents may not be as aggressive. No cops were anywhere in sight. It was very upsetting to me.
As we left, I prayed for that family, asking God to protect those children and that the parents would wake up and get some help to stop abusing their children. Do you think I should I have budded in and said something to the parents? Should I have called 9-1-1 (which I did consider doing, but thought by the time anyone came, they may be gone)? What do you think we should have done, if anything?
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3 comments:
That is a tough one. I think it was probably good you did not intervene on your own because people are very unpredictable and if these parents were already agitated you and Gerard probably would have ended up in a confrontation also. I probably would have just hung around a bit and tried to make sure that the kids were okay by just being on the fringe. With no police around it is a very difficult call-----but you definitely did the correct thing by praying. I will add this family to my prayers, too, because the obviously have a lot going on.
Beth gave some very good advice. You don't need to put yourselves in jeopardy trying to help the kids. What a shame. I know how these kids feel. I was raised in this kind of home.
I got the book yesterday. I put the BCID number in as you requested too. Thank you so very much.
Have a terrific day. ☺
Beth Ann was right--do not intervene. People rarely appreciate you getting involved in their business and this is a tricky one. They might have smacked YOU in the head! (half-joking)
I think all you can do is pray for this family. Protective services is overwhelmed and god knows where they would put those kids if removed from their home. They just end up back there anyway. It makes me sad to think that children are hit like that. So sad.
I'm sure this is bothering you...still. I'm just sorry that you saw that.
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