I am not one to discipline my children in public. What happens behind closed doors is our business, but I’ll never be the one to make a scene or humiliate my kids if they step out of line at the grocery store, the library, or wherever we happen to be. I know some moms like to lay down the law right then and there, but that’s simply not my style.
With that being said, I don’t think I’m the kind of person who would intervene if I saw another parent disciplining their child out in the open, either. I’m not a fan of obnoxious screaming kids, but it’s not my place to get involved. Sure, I might have a running dialogue of what I would say to the parent in my head, but I’d never share my criticism out loud.
But obviously there are others out there who don’t share my position. Case in point: an anonymous person recently called the cops on Charlize Theron while her son Jackson was throwing a tantrum at a Los Angeles-area park. According to TMZ, the 2-year-old was screaming so much that it prompted a hiker to see what the heck was going on. Feeling pretty disturbed by what she saw, she called the cops on Theron and her boyfriend Sean Penn, who was with her at the time.
The cops determined that nothing had happened and that Theron did what any mother would do with their unruly child: she put Jackson in a timeout. Since there was allegedly no physical contact between Charlize and her son, the police left the scene without doing anything.
I’m not going to take sides here, because we don’t know what really happened. This could be a case of a neurotic passerby being a little too nosy, or the LAPD being starstruck over a Hollywood actress. Either way, it prompts the question: would YOU call the cops on another mother if you felt she was putting her child in danger?
It’s a tough call, isn’t it?
I don’t think I would be able to report another parent unless my gut instinct told me that I need to step in order to save that child’s life. If a child was being physically abused or grossly neglected, then yes, there’s a good chance I would pick up my phone and dial 911.
But then again, I haven’t always had the guts to do it, either. Last year, I was eating in a restaurant when I noticed a mother leave her toddler (who looked to be about 18 months old) by herself in her high chair while she took her older child to the bathroom. I couldn’t help but intently watch that child for the entire four minutes she was gone to make sure nothing would happen. Thankfully, nothing did happen. But was this child abuse? I won’t go as far as to say that, but you can be the judge. Should I have said something to the parent? Probably, but it would have created a situation that would have embarrassed both of us and possibly angered at least one parent.
Going back to Charlize, it’s not up to us to decide if she was being an awful parent. Kids cry, they scream, and they throw epic tantrums but it’s not up to the public to police a mother or father’s particular disciplinary methods. In other words – if the kid isn’t hurt, BUTT OUT, move on, and let parents be parents.
We’ve got enough to worry about without the cops knocking on our doors.