Strangers in supermarkets smacking children and public outbursts of strangers yelling at kids leave us united that a stranger has no right to discipline a child. But what if the person doing the reprimanding is a friend and what if you were standing right there?
At a friend’s birthday party recently; two little boys were in the sand pit playing when one boy tipped a bucket of sand onto the head of the other little boy. Yes, it was only a bucket of sand and no real harm was done. But no one said anything to the little boy who tipped the bucket of sand. His parents said nothing and then it seemed that set the tone for everyone else to say nothing. I kept my boys out of the sandpit and made sure they kept their distance from the little boy tearing his way through the party. Even among friends, I was left wondering when is it right to step in and discipline someone else’s child?
This article first appeared in Essential Kids, to read the rest, click here
