Friday

Rosa at Ancient Playground in NYC

Received Friday, August 3, 2007
Babysitter named Rosa. In Central Park/Ancient Playground this morning, (8/3) tugging at the child in her care. This older child, he should be able to tell this story to his parents. He was perhaps 5. She grabbed him, pulled him by his wrists and left the playground with him. My initial thought was she was taking a child against his will. Closer examination proved that she was in fact his sitter but she was responding angrily and out of control. Regardless of what this child did, you don't put your hands on a child like that, not so roughly. Boy had short, buzzed hair cut, spikey on top, brownish, tan skin, Caucasian wearing long denim jeans and a white t-shirt with abstract black and grey shapes on it. The child said "You're hurting me Rosa.". I asked the sitter in passing if she was okay and she said "we're fine, we're fine" and left. (Asking her if she was okay was my passive away of intervening.)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

OP...you don't know this situation from the beginning. Maybe this child was being unruly and she was using the much loved (based on other posts) Go Home method. A child that doesn't want to be dragged to the car to go home when they are naughty and throwing a fit is likely to say the grip on his hand is hurting.

What do you do when your children act up in public? Let them just go on and play with no consequences?

Maybe we should start a isawyourunrulybrat.com!

Anonymous said...

JD----I thought posts in all caps got deleted.

Anonymous said...

I'd love a sight called isawyourunrulybrat.com I've seen many childern act up in public places and the parents do absolutely nothing about it.

Anonymous said...

There have been times where I have had to literally pull my child by her arms while she's been kicking and screaming to get her to start walking. It's not abuse, it's doing what needs to be done.

Sometimes when she's cranky she'll yell and scream "ow" when I'm holding her hand or brushing her hair when I know darn well it's not hurting. Kids like to make scenes sometimes.

Anonymous said...

1:22...aside from being in all caps (yelling), you don't make any sense.

Anonymous said...

isawyourunrulybrat?

yeah, let's pick on children we know nothing about. don't forget these caregivers are acting out in public. lord knows what they do in private. as often is the case, neglected children do act out when around other people because they are so angry about the abuse and neglect they suffer in private.

read a book.
we don't pick on children.

the actions we call in to question are those of the adult.

Anonymous said...

6:53... Do you even have children or have you ever spent anytime around preschoolers or toddlers?This post and the one following it pick on nannies we know nothing about and whose situation with the child we are completely unaware of. Also, of which the consensus seems to be that neither is abuse.

Anonymous said...

6:53 Your "logic" is absurd.

Anonymous said...

6:53
Sometimes children behave atrociously. There can be a lot of different reasons, and sometimes it is understandable, but stating the fact that they are behaving badly is not picking on them, anymore than describing bad nanny or mom behavior is picking on them.

It is hard to judge if this is a bad nanny. If she was truly angry and out of control, bad, if she was simply annoyed, and pulling him along, well, what do you do if a five year old refuses to leave the park?.... Answers only from those who have stubborn five year old boys please!

Anonymous said...

Does a 3-year-old going on 25 daughter count??? LOL!

Anonymous said...

Hands are for hugging, not hurting! Have you hugged the people you love yet today?