Saw two kids with their mom in the park today. Didn’t know their exact ages, the boy was probably 5 or 6, and the girl was like two years younger. The mother seemed to be criticizing his son for some misbehavior when I first noticed them, but it didn’t impress me until the mother started talking even more impatiently to the girl. I tried not to pay much attention, although I was a little shocked by both her words and her tone and I am generally interested in how other parents communicate with their kids. Now in retrospect I realize it’s just me expecting that everyone else is a more loving understanding patient parent. Then at the next crossroad that mother caught my attention again by yelling at her daughter, who immediately started to cry. One thing led to another. The mother became more irritated and reached out to her daughter, not sure what she actually did, but just heard her saying to her son “I’m not gonna hurt her.” The next moment, when I turned to look at them again, the girl was already in her mum’s arms, crying more furiously and stuggling to get down. Apparently it was not a loving grab. Read more…