Bed-wetting is a fairly common problem — even among older children — and how parents handle the situation can vary greatly. One tactic that is ineffective and flat-out harmful is shaming your child after an incident. And yet Florida mom Christie Prado decided to "discipline" her 10-year-old son by forcing him to wear a dress and makeup and run around the yard so he'd be bullied and taunted by onlookers after he wet his bed.
This story is particularly heartbreaking because the very person who should be helping this boy overcome something that's probably already hurting his self-esteem is bullying him herself.
There could be an underlying health issue that's causing the child to have these accidents, and you'd think that's how a mom would start to deal with the problem.
Though Prado was arrested after the incident, she won't be charged with child abuse, according to WKMG-TV. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Though this doesn't seem like a case that called for it, when a child does need to be "disciplined," as parents, we're charged with guiding them, not bullying them. Nor should any parent be encouraging bullying on the part of other children. It sounds like Prado was banking on the mean-spiritedness of kids in the neighborhood to make her son feel even worse. This story is devastating on so many levels.
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And where were the parents of the kids who taunted this boy? You'd expect a mom or dad to have stepped in, and even if they didn't have the courage to tell off Prado, they should have at least have curbed the mocking. We are constantly teaching kids to be "upstanders" rather than "bystanders," perhaps we need to first lead by example.
Fortunately, the boy is in protective custody with relatives. We hope he is able to overcome this horrific act by the one person who should be most willing to protect him.
Do you feel this mom should be charged with child abuse?
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