My poor little daughter!

[Buckeye Princess]

It is so hard when our little ones our first exposed to things like this. I remember the first few times my daughter encountered a "mean kid" (I know this child seemed to have a disability so I'm not saying he was mean...but I hope you get what I am trying to say.) I still remember the looks on her face. She was mostly shocked. Before that every person in the world had shown her nothing but love. Such confusion at this new foreign behavior and emotion. Poor little things. But they learn and adapt and grow stronger as a result.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have a different opinion. While admitedly I probably would have done the same as OP, in hindsight I guess I would have called security to document the incident. Documenting isn't always about trying to get someone in trouble. Not only can it protect you insurance wise if there's an issue, but it could also help the kid get appropriate medical care. Sometimes it is necessary to have documented incidents in order to get help.

Yes. It also gives the store a head's up so they can be aware of what happened and investigate, perhaps train staff (if need be in certain situations), have security review tapes, keep an eye out for further incidents, maybe put a plan in place if they frequent the store, etc. Managers are accountable for what happens in their stores so if the big wigs at Target come looking for answers, the manager needs to be prepared.

It's great to understand why something like this might happen and even have empathy for the boy and his dad (which I sense the OP does as I do myself and I'm sure many others do, too - even those with differing opinions).

BUT the OP's first duty is to her child and to protect said child. That needs to be clear. We have been in an assault situation and had to have this drilled into our heads by doctors and police.

 

[CowboyCO]

I agree. It's extremely unfortunate that happened and I hope your DD is OK

The service dog could have been for the child (my friend has looked into one for her autistic son) and you said the son clearly had a disability so I fail to see how security would have helped or fixed anything. Sounds like the father was remorseful and tried to get an apology but based on the child's disability he wasn't able to utter one.

I was thinking that too. Maybe a seizure dog?

 

[kayrosek]

Now if I had a pet lion and decided to go out for a walk would you be upset if the lion decided to eat your kid? What if I was disabled would that make it alright?

Sorry but if you have a kid that has "issues" and is a danger to himself or others because he doesn't act in a rational way... well sorry but the little monster needs to be kept at home where he isn't a danger to others.

This reminds me of a girl in my high school that was retarded to the point that she might have been the equivalent of a 8 year old. Her parents didn't want her to be any different from other kids, so when she turned 16 they got her a car... And when she tried to park it between two cars in the parking lot where any normal person would have known there wasn't enough space... she simply slammed her car in between as far as it would go scraping both cars in the process... realizing that she didn't get parked as far in as she wanted she backed up and tried again... doing more damage this continued for a total of 3 times before a teacher got her to stop...

This is like the boy with the cart... imagine he's driving and your kid gets in his way, he will just run over the kid and if he has to back up and drive over again until he gets past... and some people want everyone else to just let these people have a pass because they have problems. I say no way. The world would be a better place if we still had institutions for the severely mental and kept them there for their own safety and the safety of others.

My 14 year old daughter just read your post and was seriously disturbed by it.
Your comments show ignorance, a lack of empathy and a serious lack of understanding about disabilities. I would have been offended by your comment even if I wasn't the mother of a special needs child but since I am I must say you are an example of my worst fears, someone who could see my child as a "monster", or an "animal" instead of a person. I'm not saying this situation was handled perfectly but your responses are cruel and ignorant and just as you think the world would be a better place if there were institutions to contain all those you deem "mental" I think the world would be a better place if you diden't expose people to your horrible opinions.

 

[thomas998]

My 14 year old daughter just read your post and was seriously disturbed by it.
Your comments show ignorance, a lack of empathy and a serious lack of understanding about disabilities. I would have been offended by your comment even if I wasn't the mother of a special needs child but since I am I must say you are an example of my worst fears, someone who could see my child as a "monster", or an "animal" instead of a person. I'm not saying this situation was handled perfectly but your responses are cruel and ignorant and just as you think the world would be a better place if there were institutions to contain all those you deem "mental" I think the world would be a better place if you diden't expose people to your horrible opinions.

I'm willing to bet the only reason she was disturbed is because deep down she feels the same way but is afraid to let you know how she feels.

Fact is the world is full of people rational enough to know that an institution is the best place for many. You want people to be tolerant of your belief in mainstreaming well consider that tolerance is a two way street.

 

[mhsjax]

It is so hard when our little ones our first exposed to things like this. I remember the first few times my daughter encountered a "mean kid" (I know this child seemed to have a disability so I'm not saying he was mean...but I hope you get what I am trying to say.) I still remember the looks on her face. She was mostly shocked. Before that every person in the world had shown her nothing but love. Such confusion at this new foreign behavior and emotion. Poor little things. But they learn and adapt and grow stronger as a result.

So let me get this straight, You are saying that this 2year old little girl, should use this experience of getting hit in the head with a basket, by a 12 year old as a learning and growing experience?

 

[connorlevismom]

And like I said, even you admit that you aren't sure you handled it correctly. I think that it's very hypocritical of you to say that you wish you had done something different, but you make no allowance for the possibility that the dad too wishes he'd acted differently (i.e., taken the basket away immediately).

I honestly think that instead of anyone making assumptions, people should realize that even you, who were there, cannot possibly know why any of it happened the way it did. Was it an accident? Was it an "assault?" Nobody here, including you, knows. Just be thankful that she's OK.

I hope, for a lot of people's sake, that your right. I hope he went home and wished he would have taken the basket away, or not given him one in the first place. I hope that he does not just blow it off and give him a bakset the next time he walks into Target because it is easier to just give him one, than deal with the meltdown that might happen if he wants one and does not get it.

As for me, I am extremely grateful that my daughter is OK. In fact, I honestly cannot believe she is OK. That hit was HARD and thankfully she had her face turned so it hit her on the side of the face, rather than the front. It was a full swing hit and had it hit her on the front of her face, we would probably be dealing with a broken nose at least.

Your right, nobody knows why it happened. But what I do know is that we were minding our own business and my daughter was just sitting in her cart. I do know that she did NOTHING to provoke it and was the innocent person in this thing. So yeah, I think I have a little room to be mortified that it happened.

 

[mhsjax]

I hope, for a lot of people's sake, that your right. I hope he went home and wished he would have taken the basket away, or not given him one in the first place. I hope that he does not just blow it off and give him a bakset the next time he walks into Target because it is easier to just give him one, than deal with the meltdown that might happen if he wants one and does not get it.

As for me, I am extremely grateful that my daughter is OK. In fact, I honestly cannot believe she is OK. That hit was HARD and thankfully she had her face turned so it hit her on the side of the face, rather than the front. It was a full swing hit and had it hit her on the front of her face, we would probably be dealing with a broken nose at least.

Your right, nobody knows why it happened. But what I do know is that we were minding our own business and my daughter was just sitting in her cart. I do know that she did NOTHING to provoke it and was the innocent person in this thing. So yeah, I think I have a little room to be mortified that it happened.

YOu have all the room you want or need to be mortified. You were the one with a 2 year old that could have been seriously injured at the hands of an out of control 12 year old. There is no way that this just happened to be the first time he lost control and I get that it does happen. But in those cases, the child shouldn't be taken out especially in a crowded area. That child's need to be mainstreamed doesn't trump an innocent 2 year olds need to not have a head injury.

 

[Jennasis]

And you've shown yourself to be in denial of reality. Every time I see some one using the overly PC term "special needs" child I want to puke. When someone is retarded or has mental problems saying they are "special needs" doesn't magically change reality.

And the hits just keep on coming don't they. It's a shame that you can cavalierly throw around what you really think about the intellectually disabled and call them what you want but I would get many...MANY points if I said what I really think about you.

 

[SaraJayne]

I hope, for a lot of people's sake, that your right. I hope he went home and wished he would have taken the basket away, or not given him one in the first place. I hope that he does not just blow it off and give him a bakset the next time he walks into Target because it is easier to just give him one, than deal with the meltdown that might happen if he wants one and does not get it.

As for me, I am extremely grateful that my daughter is OK. In fact, I honestly cannot believe she is OK. That hit was HARD and thankfully she had her face turned so it hit her on the side of the face, rather than the front. It was a full swing hit and had it hit her on the front of her face, we would probably be dealing with a broken nose at least.

Your right, nobody knows why it happened. But what I do know is that we were minding our own business and my daughter was just sitting in her cart. I do know that she did NOTHING to provoke it and was the innocent person in this thing. So yeah, I think I have a little room to be mortified that it happened.

If that had happened to me, mortified would not be the way I'd be feeling. Pissed off in purple would be more like it. I know you were shocked and unsure of what to do, but I would have called the manager and security.

I don't care if the kid was special needs (and no one knows whether he was or not)...if he has problems not hurting other people, he shouldn't be out in public. Period.

Your poor little girl. I'm glad she wasn't hurt badly.

 

[jrmasm]

I hope, for a lot of people's sake, that your right. I hope he went home and wished he would have taken the basket away, or not given him one in the first place. I hope that he does not just blow it off and give him a bakset the next time he walks into Target because it is easier to just give him one, than deal with the meltdown that might happen if he wants one and does not get it.

As for me, I am extremely grateful that my daughter is OK. In fact, I honestly cannot believe she is OK. That hit was HARD and thankfully she had her face turned so it hit her on the side of the face, rather than the front. It was a full swing hit and had it hit her on the front of her face, we would probably be dealing with a broken nose at least.

Your right, nobody knows why it happened. But what I do know is that we were minding our own business and my daughter was just sitting in her cart. I do know that she did NOTHING to provoke it and was the innocent person in this thing. So yeah, I think I have a little room to be mortified that it happened.

 

[Kelsie]

Enough!