Some people are morons!

[Kim&Chris]

Ok, my DH and I just got back from WalMart. We took our puppy Belle with us because she just LOVES to go for rides in the truck with 'Dad' (and Dad LOVES to take her!).

So, we pull up in front of WalMart, where an Indian family is also getting out of their car (appeared to be grandmother, grandfather, a few women in their 30's and some children).

The little girl (probably around 7 years old) spots Belle, and comes up to my door (the passenger side of the truck, which is only about 3 feet from where the family is standing) and smiles and says how cute she is. I started to hold Belle up so the little girl could pet her, and the grandfather comes up behind the child and swats her hard on the back of the head. Her little head whipped forward. Then one of the women grabs her hand and walks her away from my truck.

Now, I know that it's not a good idea for kids to talk to strangers, so I can understand them being upset that she approached a totally strange vehicle, but to swat the back of her head????

My husband and I looked at each other in shock, then my husband yelled something out the window, directed towards the grandfather. I doubt he understood English, because he never acknowledged my DH.

I felt so bad for the child. I grabbed my cel phone and ran into WalMart, hoping to see the family, but they had dispersed in the store. I was hoping to find them and say something. Do you think I should have called the police??

 

[Jeanny]

they're just mean people!!!

I wouldn't have called the police.. they probably wouldn't have done anything.. I feel bad for the little girl, she was just looking at the puppy, but on the other hand.... how many people use puppies to lure little kids???? maybe that's what the mean family was thinking??? I know you weren't trying to do anything wrong, but maybe that's the way it looked to them??

 

[ChristmasElf]

Another good reason to stay away from Wal Mart!!! This would never happen at a SuperTarget!!
(just kidding folks)

 

[Keli]

I wouldn't have called the police. I don't think that what they did would have been considered serious enough for police intervention. But it would have made me kind of sick to my stomache to have been there and saw it.

 

[browneyes]

I saw a similiar thing happen while I was waiting for one of the buses on my last WDW trip. It kinda makes you want to slap the back of the adult's head, doesn't it?

 

[deirdrefitch]

It really makes you wonder what happens behind closed doors where they can not be seen. I wonder how the grandfather would have felt if someone had smacked him on the head!

 

[rhanditresmom]

Now, I am not saying he was right, but having grown up in an Asian country this type of behavior is pretty typical. I cannot tell you how many times I saw kids being smacked in public. And no one seemed to think anything about it. It used to infuriate my mom to watch these parents hit their kids, but when it is culturally acceptable it's no big deal! She spent a lot of time in her work (she's a nurse) trying to educate parents on better discipline methods. I'm just glad it is NOT the norm here and that it does bother people when it happens. I think people from these other cultures just don't get it that we don't do that here...or that it is not acceptable.

There are MUCH better ways to teach your child than to hit! And discipline should always be followed with an explanation as to WHY the discipline took place. The child has to understand why he got in trouble. Uh, oh...think I'm preaching to the choir here...I'm done.

 

[Microcell]

Interesting, We were walking into Walmart and my DH and DD were ahead of me because I had to put back on DS's shoes and I thought I was being bad, playfully telling him he would be out of the will if he kicked his shoes off in the car again when I heard and older man say, "Just shut up you moron!" coming from a car my DH was standing near. I asked my DH (who had obviously heard the exchange) what that kid did wrong, and he said, "I think it was his mother." I felt so bad for her, she had to be 90 because the guy was at least 70. How awful.

 

[jel0511]

As someone who had an Indian roommate in college and who lives in a community with a few Indian families, this is very typical and basically expected. Their culture is much different than ours, and fear plays a big part in their upbringing. My roommate was so terrified of her parents it was scary. She did have a boyfriend at college (he was a non-Indian), and she said if her parents ever found out, they'd kill her. I never believed her until I saw her with them. They took strict and Indian values to the extreme and then I believed her. She was born here in the US, but still had to have an arranged marriage, one that was for the good of the family. Her sister didn't even meet her husband until she walked down the aisle and met him at the alter. I asked her about the wedding night, and she said that luckily her sister's new husband was patient with her and didn't force himself on her that night. Imagine that one!!! It's just different cultures that are different from ours. We're not the best, and they aren't the best, we're all just different. Somethings they do, we might find offensive, but some things we do, they might find offensive. Believe it or not, I get strange looks from some of my Indian neighbors when I wear shorts!!!! It's these type of differences that divide our world and cause most of the problems. No one is better than someone else, and we have to remember that.