> -----Original Message----- > From: Dana [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 10:34 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: You know it's been a tough day at kindergarten when ... > > oh come on though this child is 5. And she refused to play a game with > jelly beans. You best believe I'd be upset too if my child were put in > handcuffs over something like that. Throwing stuff in a trash can ok, > we are talking behavior problems sure! What happened to timeout and > the principal's office! The lunatics are running the asylum.
I didn't read why she was in trouble in the first place. But I do think you're being a bit disingenuous - she not only "threw stuff trash can". She hit, repeatedly, several people, threw things and had (reportedly) nearly an hour to calm down. This was also not the first time that the police were required to calm the child. The child WAS in a timeout in the assistant principles office - then she began hitting and kicking the assistant principle after throwing things from her desk. Although she was five I also remember that she was over 4' tall - that's a sizable five-year old. She could very well do some damage (ask a five year old to punch or kick your hand as hard as they can sometime - kids can be amazingly strong). Impulse control and violent rage are only slightly less dangerous in children than they are in adults. If the police officers felt they could be injured (a very real possibility even with so young a child) or that the child could injure herself then I feel they were well within their rights to restrain her. Also let's be clear: restraining a child is not an easy thing - even one that young. Professionals generally use a wrap-technique: from behind hold the child's opposite wrists and wrap their arms across their body. Then sit down (so they can't kick you) and lean back (so it's more difficult to head-butt you). This pretty much impossible to do safely in a car (it was in the car that the child's legs were restrained after she refused to stop kicking). Even in this position the child can still squirm and either break free (which usually leads to a punch) or potentially injure themselves or you. (Also, as an aside: it's always taught to restrain the child until they're calm for more than 60 seconds. Many parents go into a fit when a caregiver refuses to release their child upon demand - but a good caregiver will wait and ensure that the child is calm enough to release.) Without more facts I won't say anybody is at fault, but I can definitely see how the situation could have escalated to the point it did with nobody BEING at fault. I've been in similar situations. In both cases that I was injured by children (one girl punch me in the face and one 10 year-old slashed my arm with a bread knife) the kids were still enrolled in public school - on the cusp to be sure, but still in school. Many schools are actually much better than people give them credit for and will put up with disruptive kids longer than most private schools would. No parent likes to think that their child can be dangerous and I've yet to see a parent pleased when they hear that their child has been restrained. However sometimes its required to keep the child from hurting themselves or others. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:150981 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
