r/AITAH • u/HopefullyIntentional • 4d ago

[ Removed by Reddit ] TW Abuse

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

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u/NervousAd7170 4d ago

Are they trying to raise a psychopath? I kinda agree that you shouldn't have slapped him although a good spanking could set him straight. These people nowadays saying "spanking is bad" don't understand that they are raising entitled bullies that will never learn. But you were defending yourself, even a 9 year old can have enough strength to break your nose if he threw a basketball at your face from that distance. IDK maybe he will learn something about not putting his hands on someone else because there are consequences. The parents should just be glad it wasn't a stranger, it could have gone a lot worse.

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u/throwitaway3857 4d ago

100%. I had a patient who was a private school assistant principal. A repeat problem child finally one day hauled off and broke her eye socket. The mother swore he couldn’t have done that and to not press charges. He was 8. My patient is 4’10”. And tiny.

That was after multiple incidents of spitting in her face, pushing her and telling her she can’t do anything. The mother is an asshole just like SIL in this story.

Children need discipline so they don’t become psychos.

NTA OP. Some kids do need a spanking bc “gentle” parenting isn’t working.

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u/Effective-Essay-6343 4d ago

It's not gentle parenting it's permissive parenting on this post. You dont need to hit kids to teach them respect and kindness. In fact all studies have shown that hitting kids is damaging. The SIL is obviously not setting boundaries or disciplining this behavior though.

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u/NervousAd7170 4d ago

I have no damage from getting spanked. I do however have damage from the mental abuse of my grandmother, she didn't believe in spanking but she did believe in calling names and such... I would really have rathered a spanking. It hurt like a bitch but I learned what not to do in the first instance.

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u/Effective-Essay-6343 4d ago

Verbal abuse is still abuse and shouldn't happen. Replacing one form of abuse for another doesn't make either less abusive. I'm sorry if you went through that. Plenty of people come of abusive situations and feel like they're just fine. I didn't realize exactly how much my parents hitting me affected me until I was mid to late 20s and I started noticing things. That was also when I realized that the fact that I thought it was okay to hit kids was a red flag to the fact that what was done to me was not okay. I would never hit my kids.