Some parents are on the receiving
end of their children's temper
Posted on 09/13/2007 10:43:16 AM PDT by yankeedame
Last Updated: Thursday, 13 September 2007, 16:05 GMT 17:05 UK
By Sue Mitchell
BBC Radio 4
Parents are increasingly becoming the victims of their own children, with evidence from Sheffield's juvenile courts that teenagers charged with common assault involving either their own mother or father now account for up to 7% of cases.
Some parents are on the receiving
end of their children's temper
...A Sheffield mother-of-three has been attacked by her 15-year-old son. In the past, he has also attacked her partner, smashed the front door and shattered the windows.
All this, she says, is because she refuses to give him money for alcohol.
"This isn't the first time he's attacked us but this is the first time I've been frightened of him", says the mother.
"I thought he would be taken away to be assessed, but all that's happened is he was put in temporary foster care for five days and then brought back home.
"Social services say I must deal with it, but I can't. I'm terrified of being in the house with him because I don't know what will happen next."
...The next day there is a call out to another case on the other side of the city involving a single mother, whose son is in custody following another attack.
On an earlier occasion, he smashed the front door and struck her. The court imposed a £100 fine, but as he was only 15, she had to pay the money herself.
..."Then any time after that he just said to me: 'Call the police - get another fine', and it made him even worse.
==(snip)==
In Sheffield, there have been two cases in the past year where fathers have died from their injuries following attacks by teenage sons.
Stuart Right is a victim support worker in the city. He carries out mediation between parents and children following attacks, and in his experience the problems are not just limited to teenage boys.
"I'm seeing more girls who have been involved in attacks on a parent," he said. ....
"I have a 13-year-old at the moment who carried out a serious assault on her mother because she objected to the company her daughter was keeping and questioned whether drugs or alcohol were being used."
...called to the home of another 13-year-old girl, Claire...Furious at being woken up early one morning, she has attacked her mother.
"She lashed out at her mum, going into a blind rage and pushing her back against a table," said Ms Bush.
"She then started punching and kicking her, and at some point during this attack, the sewing machine fell off the table onto the mother's leg, breaking a bone and causing other injuries.
"The girl then went into the kitchen and picked up a knife. She came back into the room and stood over her mum saying she was going to kill her. At this point, she's finally come to her senses and thrown the knife down."
Underlying causes
The mother and daughter are now receiving support aimed at tackling the problems between them.
It emerges that in part these stem from Claire's frustration about not knowing her father. The mother works long hours and the two spend little time doing nice things together.
==(snip)==
The charity Parentline Plus...says slightly more cases (56%) involve boys and fewer (44%) involve girls.
London area co-ordinator, Valerie Outram...says parents should accept that their children being angry or upset is natural.
"That acknowledgement of feelings goes a long way to calming a child down," she said.
==(snip)==
...She also advises parents to look for the underlying causes which could be problems at school, or change for instance caused by bereavement or divorce.
"Work hard when the child is calm and look at why the child is behaving like that, and address the problems that are causing it, to recognise that behaviour doesn't just come from nowhere, doesn't just happen."
Mom, Dad, and nanny state consequences ping all in one.
The incidents occured in Sheffield . Hmmmm .
The families mentioned probably live either in Upper Manor or Langley . Both of these districts consist of once - nice public housing , but now occupied by the usual tracksuit wearing Benefit Bints (US:Welfare Mommas) who cannot control their brats . Kids living here are often binge - drinking , chain - smoking , and parents by the time they are fifteen .
ping
But, but, I thought the church only taught hatred and intolerance, while liberal secularism was all about love? /sarc
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