It's no secret that young children don't yet know what it's like to be safe and care for younger ones. Sometimes in their games they push or pull on the little ones because they get in their way.
When children fight, it can be scary.
More than once I've witnessed a 4-5 year old push my son who was a year and a half - two years old and I've seen him fall on his butt and start crying like the world had ended. Why? Because "the older kids were playing and he decided to go and spoil their game". I understand them, he's little, he doesn't talk, and he's definitely not interested in them - they go to kindergarten anyway and he's a baby.
As a parent, I'm of the opinion that there's no point in trying to get my kid not to fight with the other kids. I'm not raising a bully or someone who doesn't understand and respect the rules, but someone who is willing to defend themselves when necessary.
Children get angry and dissolve quickly, they also get over it quickly, but we don't know what the reaction of an angry parent might be... When children don't speak yet they express themselves by crying, pushing, screaming even sometimes biting other children. This is normal, but we still need to find the reason for this and work towards this. It's part of growing up and being a person.
But when the fighting gets out of hand... then we have to intervene.
The first step is to recognize that something is going on. If I suspect that a child may be hurt by another child, even if it's not my child, I take immediate action.
I start talking to the child who is more aggressive. If he/she is old enough he/she understands me, if not I turn to his/her parent and have him/her take the steps that are needed.
So far I haven't been in many severe situations of aggression on playgrounds, but we also visit playgrounds with familiar children and parents.
Unfortunately more and more videos are ending up on Youtube and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter where 10-12-16 year old kids are publicly punishing others. Some videos show 3-4 kids beating another. All of this was also broadcast on TV. I feel sad for the kids who were hurt and even sadder for the other kids - the aggressors because to be that way they lacked something when they were younger. It could have been love from one of their parents, attention or I have no idea what. The sad thing is that these kids in another year or so will become adults, build families and have children themselves. How are they going to raise them when they themselves have not been raised in any way.
I am afraid!
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