No wonder our kids are so miserable to be around when they’re teething – those suckers are sharp. And no one knows it better than us – their parents. Because they like to bite US.
But if you’ve ever considered sinking your teeth into a chubby little hand to show them just what it feels like, listen up: A 28-year-old mom in England was sentenced to five months in jail this week. Her crime? She bit her 5-year-old.
The mom, whose name has not been released to the British press, said the little boy hurt his 8-month-old sister, and she sank her teeth into his arm. Although the bites did not break the skin, she did leave bruises. When the boy appeared at school with mouth-sized welts on his arms, staff called police.
Judge Mark Horton took issue with the fact that the mother acted in a “vengeful” manner toward her child, enacting revenge for what she thought the little boy had done to his sister. “There can be few offences (sic) more likely to cause anger and desire for retribution from the public than a case of a parent who maliciously and without cause assaults her own child. The fact you did so by biting, not simply striking this child, only inflames the circumstances of this offence.
“It can only be seen as a desire to cause the child pain by way of revenge which caused the bite,” he continued.
What I have trouble with is his assertion that biting a child is somehow worse than striking them. I’ve never been a big fan of corporal punishment, in part because I know my own limits. When I see red, I walk away so I don’t step over that line out of pure rage. But I don’t fault a parent who decides it’s worth a smack on the hand when a child gets near a hot oven, or a tap on the tush when a child continuously puts him or herself in danger.
But is biting crossing the line? Is using your mouth and not breaking the skin worse than taking a hairbrush or wooden spoon to a child’s hind end? I find it hard to believe that a mom or dad who spanks a child with a switch doesn’t “intend to cause the child pain.”
By the way, if you’ve ever considered biting after seeing stars when your 2-year-old took yet another chunk out of your hand, have heart. It’s a pretty normal reaction. And sometimes, kids need to know that what they’re doing hurts someone else. Which is why I don’t have a lot of sympathy when another kid bites my daughter on the playground. Now you know what it feels like, honey.
Source: The Evening Standard
Image: LabGP & SigOther
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