Woman Beating Teen: Tough Love or Out of Control?

Cell Phone Video Captures Woman Beating Teen at School

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by Fox Charlotte

Story Created: Jun 15, 2011 at 11:07 PM EDT

Story Updated: Jun 16, 2011 at 5:02 PM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Is it tough love or a parent who's lost control?  Cell phone video reportedly taken on campus at a CMS high school last week shows a teen girl getting beaten by a woman believed to be her mother after the woman found out the girl had skipped classes.

No one intervenes.  In fact, another young girl steps in to take the woman's purse so she can use both hands.  We showed the video to a few adults to find out what they would do if they saw it happen.  One man says, "Tough question, tough question.  I don't know what led up to this incident." A woman tells us, "I don't know that I personally would have intervened.  I think that I would have told somebody though."

And another Charlotte resident says, "The older I get, the more outspoken I am, and I may have said something."

"I was surprised that there were all these bystanders and no one said a word," says Southeast Psych Psychologist Sara Marcus.  She says this type of parenting ultimately doesn't work because it instills fear, not respect.

Hundreds of children have told her that being beaten just makes them sneakier and more likely to use their own fists.

Marcus also says cultural and even regional factors play a role parenting styles.  "So for example, children raised in the south are much more likely to be raised with physical discipline than children in the north," she says.

Marcus says you can do three things to diffuse a confrontation with your child:

1) Identify what your child does that triggers your anger (i.e. swearing)
2) Make a plan beforehand on how you'll respond
3) Disengage (walk away)

Marcus says, "Even if it's just for 30 seconds to gather yourself, calm yourself down."

Those are three things that didn't appear to happen in the video FOX obtained.  By the way, it was posted on another student's Facebook page and it got more than 100 comments.  It's also gotten the attention of CMPD.  Police have opened an investigation.

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