Handcuffing a Five Year Old
I have a problem with this on several levels. It isn't so much that I think this was over the top or abusive. Young people today have no fear of authority. They don't take anyone in authority seriously. What is the supposed outcome of this action by teachers and police?
1. Nothing will happen to this child. She is five. She will not suffer any consequences that will teach her that what she did was wrong. On the contrary, with all the outrage, her behavior will be undoubtedly minimized in lieu of focusing on the actions of the teachers and the police.
2. All of this attention is probably reinforcing to her and will serve to maintain her out of control behavior. She had all of the adults jumping hoops and that is what she wanted by having the tantrum in the first place.
3. When you start using the big guns for every incident, the big guns loose their effectiveness. The police should only be called in the severest of incidents. If they are called every time this child acts out, does anyone really think she will grow up understanding that her behavior is wrong? No way, she will grow up with the mindset that police involvement is just another part of a day in her life. I fear the police, but it is a healthy fear, knowing that they can have an effect on my life if I am out of line. This child will grow up without that healthy type of fear. What happens to people who lack fear? They become criminals.
4. While I was not in that classroom and can't attest for the interventions of the teachers, I can tell you, there is NO way a five year old would get the better of me, even if I have to fake it. I mean, really, what can she do to hurt all of the adults involved? You take away anything she can hurt anyone with, take her to another room to have her fit, try to talk to her to calm her down, and make sure her parents understand how serious her behavior is, so that she doesn't get away with it. If necessary, get mental health help if it seems this is a pattern. It may not work as immediately as calling the police, but it's better than breeding a criminal.
1. Nothing will happen to this child. She is five. She will not suffer any consequences that will teach her that what she did was wrong. On the contrary, with all the outrage, her behavior will be undoubtedly minimized in lieu of focusing on the actions of the teachers and the police.
2. All of this attention is probably reinforcing to her and will serve to maintain her out of control behavior. She had all of the adults jumping hoops and that is what she wanted by having the tantrum in the first place.
3. When you start using the big guns for every incident, the big guns loose their effectiveness. The police should only be called in the severest of incidents. If they are called every time this child acts out, does anyone really think she will grow up understanding that her behavior is wrong? No way, she will grow up with the mindset that police involvement is just another part of a day in her life. I fear the police, but it is a healthy fear, knowing that they can have an effect on my life if I am out of line. This child will grow up without that healthy type of fear. What happens to people who lack fear? They become criminals.
4. While I was not in that classroom and can't attest for the interventions of the teachers, I can tell you, there is NO way a five year old would get the better of me, even if I have to fake it. I mean, really, what can she do to hurt all of the adults involved? You take away anything she can hurt anyone with, take her to another room to have her fit, try to talk to her to calm her down, and make sure her parents understand how serious her behavior is, so that she doesn't get away with it. If necessary, get mental health help if it seems this is a pattern. It may not work as immediately as calling the police, but it's better than breeding a criminal.
posted by RantingDiva at
8:43:00 AM
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