A few days ago we celebrated Mother's Day, lauding mothers for the love and protection they provide their children. So many women like myself love children but have none of our own, so we relish being aunts and honorary aunties to our friends' children. This morning it hurt me to have the displeasure of witnessing a young mother physically abusing her son (a four- or five-year-old in preschool uniform) at the Diego Martin maxi taxi stand.
She was beating him quite severely on his head and back while hurling the f-word at him for forgetting his lunch kit in a taxi. "Now I have to buy f-ing lunch for you?" she scolded. The poor child, obviously accustomed to such harsh treatment from his mother, was screaming out of pain and probably shame.
A female passer-by commented out loud that the mother did not have to treat the child that way for forgetting a lunch kit. Well, to her surprise, the mother turned, walked back at least six feet to where the lady was standing and proceeded to curse and physically threaten the woman, shouting, "You giving me any money. Hush yuh mouth!" Mind you, the mother's ears were gleaming gold with two extremely oversized earrings. As I watched in utter disbelief, I wondered to myself: "So you can pay for those huge Phat Farm earrings but you refuse to buy lunch for your child who forgot his lunch kit?" Then I felt angry with myself for not standing up for the child.
I can only imagine the horrors and blows this child faces at home. Today, however, I have made a decision to find ways of becoming personally active in the fight against child abuse. I certainly never want to witness anything like this again. For the sake of that little boy and others like him, we all need to get involved! Who's with me?
Ms Shepherd
via e-mail
