A little girl got hit by a play teapot by a 4-year-old boy, while they were playing and had to be rushed to the hospital to get stitches.
When they reached at the hospital desk of Nationwide Children’s hospital in Columbus, Ohios, the man at the registration desk said to the little girl:
“I bet he likes you.”
This terribly upset her parents, and the mother Merritt Smith conveyed her message through facebook, as to what really was wrong in saying that to a young mind.
She posted her daughter’s picture, with a message that reads:
“I bet he likes you.”
Dear man at the registration desk at Nationwide Children’s hospital, l’m positive that you didn’t think that statement through. As soon as I heard it I knew that is where it begins. That statement is where the idea that hurting is flirting begins to set a tone for what is acceptable behavior. My four year old knows “That’s not how we show we like someone. That was not a good choice.”
In that moment, hurt and in a new place, worried about perhaps getting a shot or stitches you were a person we needed to help us and your words of comfort conveyed a message that someone who likes you might hurt you. No. I will not allow that message to be ok. I will not allow it to be louder than “That’s not how we show we like each other.” At that desk you are in a position of influence, whether you realize it or not. You thought you were making the moment lighter. It is time to take responsibility for the messages we as a society give our children. Do Not tell my 4 year old who needs stitches from a boy at school hitting her “I bet he likes you.” NO.
It just breaks everyone’s heart to see a sweet girl being hit by a little boy. A comment was posted under that picture which read:
the little boy is a four year old who is still learning to control his impulses. He comes from a very loving, gentle home and his parents are being very proactive about this, This is more about a kid with sensory overload and how his brain processes information than the environment he comes from. I’m not excusing this but it’s important to keep perspective.
It’s so difficult to deal with certain circumstances, but all you can do is your best to teach your child not to hit a little girl. You may even wonder, that may be the man at the front desk, probably doesn’t even realize that his words have such a profound ability to mold a young mind.
