Warning*** This post might cause some backlash. I apologize
if that happens, but what I have to say needs to be said.
Last night, there was a set of parents that did something I
wholeheartedly disagree with. We were in a public place where there were a
hundred + adults and probably 20ish kiddos. There was a LOT of stimulation
going on. There was a little boy who was about 1 ½ years old. The little guy
was clearly suffering from sensory overload. He was crying his little heart
out, to the point of almost vomiting.
All the parents needed to do was to pick him up and reassure him, love
him. Instead what I saw was the mom laughing at him while he was crying, saying
he was just a “cry baby.” Then, she decided it was a better plan to spank this
little 1 ½ year old for having sensory overload. She spanked him several times.
Not hard, mind you, but still, it was WRONG to spank him. I was so mad, but I
didn’t say anything to her because obviously I am not the parent of said child.
She then alternated between spanking and sitting the child in timeout for 5+
minutes at a time! HE IS 1 ½ FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!!!!! Following the normal protocol
for timeout (assuming the child is old enough to know what is being done!), the
most he should have been in timeout is 1 ½ to 2 minutes. If she would have put
down her damn phone for two minutes and focused on him, he would have calmed
down fairly quickly. He just needed held and reassured. In a public place, it
is so easy for kiddos to get sensory overload, especially with loud noises and
a lot of people. Heck, my 12 yo gets sensory overload, so I can only imagine
how bad it is for the little guy.
What are your thoughts? How would you have handled the situation?
