Overheard at Walmart

Last night on my way home from work I hit the local Walmart for Easter props for my Etsy shop photo's.

As I was meandering through the fake grass and plastic egg aisle (BTW they have a great choice of eggs...spotty, floral, animal print, tie dye etc etc) I overheard a conversation between a little boy, probably no older than 5 or 6 years old and his parents that stopped me in my tracks....it went a little something like this...

Mum:  "Who hit you?"
Boy:  "A boy in my class"
Mum:  "Why did he hit you?"
Boy:  "I don't know"
Mum:  "Did you hit him back?"
Boy:  "No"
Mum:  "Why didn't you hit him back?  Didn't Daddy and I tell you if someone hits you, you hit them back"
Boy:  "But the teacher said we are not allowed to hit, it's not nice"
Mum:  "Well I'm going to have to have a word with your teacher, if someone hit's you, you hit them right back do you understand?  If someone loves you they don't hit you do they?
Boy:  "No"

It was a conversation the poor boy couldn't win.  I have to say I was a little shocked that a parent of such a young boy would advise and encourage her son to get into a fight.  I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the Mother has that conversation with the teacher.

I came home and told my boyfriend the story who wasn't shocked at all.  He said that when he was a child his father told him he had to defend himself and if that meant fighting back then that's what he had to do, you don't just stand there and take getting punched.  Meanwhile I was told if anyone gave me any bother when I was in school I had to tell a teacher.

I wonder what makes parents advise the way they do.  If I had a child I would probably tell them the same as my parents told me, to run and get a teacher, and then I'd have to sign them up for Tae Kwon Do.

That situation did get me wondering though what natural instincts are within a child, and at what age they may or may not change, maybe some children just don't have the desire in them to fight, as much as they may have been instructed to.  I think at 5 years old if someone hit me I'd probably burst into tears and run and tell a teacher but at 11 years old it may have been a different story, I don't think I would have stood there and taken being punched and not retaliated.....after all my brother (who is 2 years younger than me) and I used to fight all the time at home.....which of course always ended in more trouble than was worth.

I'm sure there is a lot more to this topic...probably a whole books worth somewhere but I'll close now and leave you with one saying from my Mother that's ringing in my ears as I write this......
"two wrongs don't make a right"...how true!