- Image by heartonastick via Flickr
One of the most difficult things a child can go through is to be physically abused by another parent. It’s an unspeakable act that will leave people outraged and will scar that child for life. It’s something that should never happen and the problem is that it happens far too often in this world. The scary part is when it reaches close to home. It’s not often that a parent hits a kid and that the other parent isn’t aware. There are times when it’s a secret, like in the case of sexual abuse, but in the case of physical abuse it’s usually front and center. The reason is because many parents don’t see anything wrong in their actions. They see it as disciplining a child and don’t feel their behavior is acceptable.
It’s true that many parents will still physically discipline the child these days but there is a line between the physical discipline and child abuse. As a parent who is not the aggressor it is your job to police this matter. This isn’t an easy thing to do considering that there are many ins and outs to it, but at the end of the day if what you are seeing seems off to you at all, or excessive in even the slightest you need to put an end to it immediately.
There is nothing more important for a parent than the safety of their child. If they are not keeping their child safe then they are not doing their job. If your spouse hits the child and you have asked them not to then you need to be prepared to take drastic measures in order to protect the baby. If that means even leaving the house then that is exactly what you must do. Understand that the spouse may not understand just how their actions are affecting the child. That isn’t your concern. Your concern is the protection of your child at all costs.
