What would you do?

if you were working in a retail shop and saw a woman back hand a toddler so hard the kid fell and hit his/her head on a store fixture, would you intervene? If so how? would you call police, call security, approach the woman? Or feel that it is her child and none of your business?

Wow...that is a tough one. I would hope that if I was in such a setting, I would have a manager that I could tell and let him/her make the call. But I would like to think that if I saw a child backhanded so hard he fell and hit his head, I would be a person who would call the police myself. But, maybe I would fear what the backlash would be.

If they hit them so hard they're falling down, that is abuse, which is a matter for the police.

This happened when i was working for JCPenney. When I yelled at the woman, she told me it was her kid and she could do what she wanted and said "watch this" and raised her hand to hit the kid again. I grabbed her arm and said, "try that with me". Security had seen it on the camera and called the police. She started screaming that she wanted me arrested for assault. i laughed... if i was going to jail for assault, that witch was going down! I responded, "Good, we'll be in the same cell and I'll beat your ass all night!" I didnt have to testify at her trial because they had the video tape.

wants2laugh wrote:This happened when i was working for JCPenney. When I yelled at the woman, she told me it was her kid and she could do what she wanted and said "watch this" and raised her hand to hit the kid again. I grabbed her arm and said, "try that with me". Security had seen it on the camera and called the police. She started screaming that she wanted me arrested for assault. i laughed... if i was going to jail for assault, that witch was going down! I responded, "Good, we'll be in the same cell and I'll beat your ass all night!" I didnt have to testify at her trial because they had the video tape.

Wow. Glad it was on tape so it was all there for authorities to see.

yeah she was adamant that she wanted me charged, but the tape showed me stopping her from hitting the kid, so it was a no go.

wants2laugh wrote:yeah she was adamant that she wanted me charged, but the tape showed me stopping her from hitting the kid, so it was a no go.

That is very good on you. I hope everyone in your position would do the same. I had a bad experience with reporting something when I worked at a pediatric dental clinic, so that has made me gun shy about the whole thing. If I ever was in such a situation, I hope I would do the right thing.

i dont know if it was the right thing.. i think beating her ass for real instead of just threatening it would have been better.

Atleast it would have been more fun!

I guess J.C. Penny lost a valued customer from yout actions? Seriously, good for you! I'm glad this wasn't a case of "no good deed goes unpunished". Many times we think of security cameras as an invasion of our privacy but sometimes they're good to have. Again, well done!

Edit: I answered this over in the Game Chamber.

wants2laugh wrote:This happened when i was working for JCPenney. When I yelled at the woman, she told me it was her kid and she could do what she wanted and said "watch this" and raised her hand to hit the kid again. I grabbed her arm and said, "try that with me". Security had seen it on the camera and called the police. She started screaming that she wanted me arrested for assault. i laughed... if i was going to jail for assault, that witch was going down! I responded, "Good, we'll be in the same cell and I'll beat your ass all night!" I didnt have to testify at her trial because they had the video tape.

I'm speechless that someone publicly abused their child in an attempt to be confrontational with a stranger. Normally I don't get involved with other parents methods for raising their children, but that was definitely a matter for the police.

As to the question: if I worked in retail and saw an adult (presumably a parent) carrying on like that with a child, I would let them know that this wasn't the place they can get away with creating such a scene.

I would definitely say something to her. I got no prob. with disciplining your child, but to almost give him/her a serious injury in front of strangers is a cause for alarm. If you can do that in public, I don't want to imagine what you'd do at home.

I would call 911 right away and make sure she didn't get away. Calling security in a store is probably a waste of time, they probably would not want to get involved.

Tony Marino wrote:I would call 911 right away and make sure she didn't get away. Calling security in a store is probably a waste of time, they probably would not want to get involved.

if she would do that in public just imagine what she does when no one is around. You might be saving that kid's life.