Recently there was an incident at a apartment complex where our friends stay ( and where we ourselves stayed for over 2 years) regarding a security guard misbehaving with 2 kids, a girl and a boy.
The girl (8 year old) was playing with her friends, and when her friends ran towards one direction, a guard who was on duty started asking her questions about which apartment she stays in and so on. Once her friends were out of sight, he tried to pick her up and carry her towards the basement car park.She started to scream and asked to be put down, on hearing which her friends came running back. The guard put her down and walked off. The girl went and told her parents, the guards were rounded up, and the culprit was identified by not only the girl, but her friends too. He was given a thrashing by the dad and handed over to the police and an FIR filed.
The boy (6 year old) was playing near the visitors parking, where he was trying to climb onto a parked motorcycle. The guard on duty, scolded him and not to repeat it. The boy repeated it, and the guard asked him to go and stand facing the main door of an empty apartment on the ground floor of a block. The boy went to his mother and told her that the guard took him into the empty apartment on the ground floor and he felt like he was being kidnapped. The father was promptly called back from work and he came and quizzed the boy more about how the guard got the key and what was he doing when the guard took him into the apartment etc. When the boy felt cornered, he told them the truth.
Now, there are folks questioning whether what the girl told them is true, and what if that is also a fabricated story?
I thought that was really sad... I agree kids might lie or more like twist the truth a bit, but then a girl who came home crying and scared should not be questioned whether she what she is saying is true.
But, I also feel maybe what the father did was also not right. Why did he beat up the guard? As B says... there is always that chance that his intention was not to hurt her, there might be a different explanation... right?
The girl (8 year old) was playing with her friends, and when her friends ran towards one direction, a guard who was on duty started asking her questions about which apartment she stays in and so on. Once her friends were out of sight, he tried to pick her up and carry her towards the basement car park.She started to scream and asked to be put down, on hearing which her friends came running back. The guard put her down and walked off. The girl went and told her parents, the guards were rounded up, and the culprit was identified by not only the girl, but her friends too. He was given a thrashing by the dad and handed over to the police and an FIR filed.
The boy (6 year old) was playing near the visitors parking, where he was trying to climb onto a parked motorcycle. The guard on duty, scolded him and not to repeat it. The boy repeated it, and the guard asked him to go and stand facing the main door of an empty apartment on the ground floor of a block. The boy went to his mother and told her that the guard took him into the empty apartment on the ground floor and he felt like he was being kidnapped. The father was promptly called back from work and he came and quizzed the boy more about how the guard got the key and what was he doing when the guard took him into the apartment etc. When the boy felt cornered, he told them the truth.
Now, there are folks questioning whether what the girl told them is true, and what if that is also a fabricated story?
I thought that was really sad... I agree kids might lie or more like twist the truth a bit, but then a girl who came home crying and scared should not be questioned whether she what she is saying is true.
But, I also feel maybe what the father did was also not right. Why did he beat up the guard? As B says... there is always that chance that his intention was not to hurt her, there might be a different explanation... right?
In this time and environment, there is always a view of overdoing it.
ReplyDeleteThese matter are very very subjective.
It is very difficult to know when its being overdone. Protection for a girl is something so engrained in someone's head that at times we even tend to see good touch as bad.
DeleteWe live in a scary world...unlike the times we grew up in...we can't trust anyone these days...We just try and hope to be the best parents we can and protect our children...
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the dad for over reacting...though it's probably not the right way to handle the situation. We have to just trust our kids and what they tell us.
I saw a girl about 6 years old crying telling her dad she didn't want to go to school. Her dad obviously who was getting late for work lost his temper and told her to behave. I wanted to ask the kid as to why she didn't want to go to school, as usually kids that age like going to school... maybe there was a real reason she didn't want to go...or maybe she was being fussy...
It's tough being a parent this day and age, and we can only hope and pray we do half as well as our parents did!
Totally agree... the world is so different and the dangers so many...
DeleteBut, thinking of it... I guess even our parents would have felt the same.
No .. its better to be safe then cry later..
ReplyDeletethe GUARD has no right to touch the girl even if he meant nothing wrong.. and taking the boy to a room why
My kids come and tell me this , No second thoughts guard or no guard he will get what is coming to them ..
Open letter to all Indians-Bikram's
I know... Bikram.. but then there are many folks in the said society who just seem to feel there is law and order for exactly this purpose... hence it should not be taken into our hands..
DeleteSince when did guards have the authority to touch our kids? What the guard did was way out of line. I would have done the same thing that the dad did.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have too..
DeleteI agree that the guard has no right touching the kids but I think we also dont have the right to beat up anybody...its better to talk to supervisor and police than taking matters in your own hand.
ReplyDelete