In another thread,
At what point does the child become more important than your anonymity? Isn't it more important, ESPECIALLY if you are witnessing it first hand, to step up and say something? And the library workers are either state or city workers, so don't they have an obligation to step up and say something - especially if it's on camera?! This just really makes me sooooo mad. Thanks for saying something anonymously, but wouldn't there be more of a case if they had statements and real people to talk to? Wouldn't that be better for the children?

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I can understand a desire to be anonymous. Who wants someone who will abuse a child, to know they were the ones that called and reported them??? This person obviously has issues, and who knows what they would do to the person that reported them. Although, even reporting "anonymously" doesn't seem to be so anonymous. Seems the person always figures out who it was.

As far as the workers being reported, and still working there, you have to remember, it is their word against the people that reported them. Also, maybe in that state, spanking is allowed??? I know there are some states where it is perfectly legal to spank a child in public school. I know this isn't public school, but, I was using that as an example.

This is a very touchy subject, and one not to be taken lightly, that's for sure.


ETA: which thread was this from??? I don't remember reading it......off to search for it.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I speak up all the time, working in classy stores like Walmart as a mercdhandiser has exposed me to all levels of society...If someone yells the f bomb at a little kid, I tuck my "vendor" id tag inside my shirt and tell her what I think of her potty mouth and treating her kids this abhorrent way (I also speak up when people are calling thier children stupid, names or even beating them for touching something). One of these days they are going to throw me out and fire me...but I dont care. If I saw something like what was described, I would report it to everyone I could think of, because I am a meddling sort.

editing to add...
I only speak up if the children are truly mistreated. Lots of people yell at their kids (I dont agree with it, but its not abuse to yell"behave", or "stop that" etc....I cant stand it when a grown up slob calls her kid a name, like stupid. Then the kid grows up thinking he is stupid, and that a heck of a way to raise a new generation of Americans.

Surely you see this somewhere other than Wal-Mart??? What's the point in even naming the store??

Anonymous reports are difficult to f/u on---there's no way to determine if it's an ex spouse trying to cause trouble, former employee, etc. Unless a person fears for their safety/well being, or employment they should be more than happy to give their name.

As a dispatcher we'd get calls all the time about reckless drivers. We'd always ask the caller "are you willing to testify in court?" 80% said "NO, I just want the police to do something"---trouble is, the police (in this instance) couldn't do anything because they had no proof the most they could do is try to find the reckless driver and get their own Probable Cause to stop them.....sad state of affairs.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I am sorry you had a problem with me mentioning WM, but now I cant take it out as an edit because it offended you because you quoted it.
And yes, I do see it more often there than for example Target. Dont know why this is. I am in maybe 12 different stores 5 days a week for many hours, so I do have some experience in different stores, and am in them longer than average folk.
I also see more dirty people, people that are underclothed etc. in these stores. I have worked everywhere from Princeton NJ, to central PA, and its the same everywhere I have seen.
Someday I will have to tell you about the Naked Family.

I can understand not feeling safe speaking up, and in some cases, not wanting to give the person a chance to cover their tracks. I tend to be shy speaking to strangers even when I'm not criticizing them, like if I tell a mom I don't mind her taking her young son in the women's bathroom.

It didn't offend me--I just wondered if you had a point in mentioning the store name. It just seems that it wouldn't matter what store you were in or where you witnessed these "lovely" parents. Maybe I'm over analyzing the whole thing---it was a long week at work and I don't think I've shut my "work" brain down yet!

And I would love to hear the Naked Family story (regardless of where they were)! LOL

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

That's different, to me at least. If you saw a child being hit in public by someone, you wouldn't speak up? Or if you saw what was happening at that day care?

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I wouldn't .When it comes down to it,my own familys safety comes first.I know far too well how many loonies are out there .I've ran into them all my life and have been thru he!!! .

Unfortunately, I think I were in the situation, I would do the same as Dollydeal. Kind of like "saying" something to someone that cuts you off, or rides your bumper. Too many nut jobs out there. Now, if I see a child or animal in a car alone, that is a different story. People think they can just run inside quickly and grab a few things......well, not with kids or animals in the car, and the car is not running with windows up, in the dead of Summer.

Has anyone actually called in abuse??? Just wondering.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I have twice.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

Good for you Nicole...I think that takes some ballz , and I give you credit for defending a child that is in fact defenseless. I hate the way some people treat their kids....I am not talking about a bad day, more like a bad life. I wish my own kids were littler. I cant imagine abusing one so small and dependent and unable to get away. I think thats why I freak out on the verbal abusers I see almost daily.
I see these idiots with children and think of all the people that try so hard to have a baby, and am reminded so many people just dont deserve children..

We have reported abuse as soon as we witnessed it. We seen a parent get out of their vehicle and go to the back seat and start punching with a closed fist to a kid that was in their carseat. We followed them got their plate number and went to the police. I was so scared at the time because we had our kids with us and my husband was ticked off, I had to talk him down and to do the "sensible" thing by reporting it to the police. I had to stop and think about my kids and their safety. Trust me getting a hold of that man and teaching him a lesson seemed really sweet justice at the time. I have never been so disappointed in my life.

I take it nothing happened to the man??

I had to report a neighbor once. They had two kids, and their oldest was 3 at the time, and very overweight (think mini sumoo wrestler). They would let him ride a 2 wheel bike w/training wheels that was WAY too big for him and he constantly fell off. We lived just past the curve in the road, and he was always riding down to the curve, in the street. People would fly thru there, and I just knew one day he would get hit. I tried to stay out of it, knowing it would not be pretty for them. Well, then one day, he came down to my house and peed on the corner. That was it. I made the call (anonymously). Sure enough, the Dad would walk past my house and say nasty stuff, but, over time, he got over it. I don't regret it one bit. They were ordered to parenting classes. I don't think they were bad/abusive, just needed to learn HOW to parent.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I'm not sure what confronting someone could achieve, other than making them angrier, and either likely to snap at me (which I can handle), or take their frustration out on their kid. In a situation where actual abuse was occurring, I'd call it in to the police if at all possible. In any case where a child carer is showing unacceptable behavior, that would definitely warrant a call to their employer.

I think if I actually saw it happen I would have to say something. Children are defenseless, and innocent. If I didn't I think I would drive myself crazy wondering if I could have prevented them from being seriously hurt. I would've loved to have had a piece of that brilliant daycare worker.

Forgot to add. Many years ago, in a Wal Mart parking lot, I was leaving in my car , and saw this man beating the crap out of a woman, right in the front seat of the car! I flipped! For some ridiculous reason the only thing I could think to do was lay on my horn. It made alot of people look, and he stopped, but who knows what else happened after that episode. I was more or less trying to say, hey, what the heck are you thinking? People are morons these days.

They did send someone out to the guy's house and they happened to know who he was. They sent an officer that hated abusers. After all of that I really don't know what happened I hope whoever the kid was that he got help that he needed. I was just disappointed because I had never seen a grown adult do anything like that to a kid before and I never want to see it again, I will never get that image out of my head. There were other adults in the car who could have stopped it but didn't, that really upset us too.