Nicole Gertken, Rice
As a mother, I was disgusted by Dennis Dalman’s Sept. 18 column “Cookie-aisle screechers need spanking.” I was really angry when I finished reading this column, really angry, and not for the reason you are probably thinking. I don’t think it’s criminal to spank your child, but what I think is distasteful are the inappropriate comments and harsh judgments made on a woman for not smacking her kid in a public place. I feel sorry for her, for two reasons.
First, because like many others my child is not perfect. I understand. I have been there. Even my mild-tempered daughter can throw a fit in a public place, causing me great embarrassment. The second reason I feel sorry for the verbally brutalized woman in the column is, she was stuck in a no-win situation. She was criticized by Dalman for not disciplining her future “delinquent,” but if she had spanked him in the store she would have received the same criticism or worse.
Maybe next time instead of asking if she needed an exorcist, a simple “hang in there, mom, we’ve all been there” could have been offered. It probably would have made her more comfortable in an embarrassing situation than the cold stares and nasty words from the stranger that was unfairly judging her.
I may not be speaking for all moms but in my opinion we put enough pressure on ourselves to be good parents and raise our kids right. We do not need the “advice” of a stranger who witnessed a single situation when we were not at our best.