Snap!

[Gemini Cricket]

Here I am in sunny Hawai'i and all is well with the world. Right? Wrong.

One of the downfalls of dealing with depression is that even if things are peachy keen everywhere, a depressed person can always find a sad thing to focus on.

My parents live next door to what is no doubt the meanest person alive. I don't know her story and I don't know anything about her, but this morning I woke up suddenly to the sound of this lady beating and swearing at her 8 year old child.

"You put your shirt on backwards you stupid sh!t..." Slap slap and so on.

Brad sat and listened to it for a second and after the shock of the situation wore off, I decided that I would be more Boston (in your face) in this situation than Hawaiian (no make waves, okay brah?).

I went right up to the fence that separated the property from my parents and said the following. If you can imagine a pidgin accent, you'll get the gist of it:

"Eh, lady! You too loud. Enuff already. You wakin' up the entire neighborhood. Stop yellin' already." I said.

"Shut your ass." She said.

"If you don't stop hittin' that kid, I goin' call child services on your ass and you goin' to jail. Eh, it's supposed to be Christmas time, no? What you never heard of being nice or what? My parents are too nice to say anything to you, but I ain't nice. Aunty, you no like go jail..."

No response. The kid stopped crying and all is silent in that house and has been that way for 2 hours.



I don't know if I did the right thing, but I just snapped. Plain and simple. If there's anything that I abhor it's bullying, abusive parents and ignorance.

I told her that as long as I'm in the house if I hear that again, I will turn her ass in.



Yes, it opened a can of worms for my parents, but one's a former cop and the other is a childrens' welfare counselor... I feel like something should have been done already by them... (This abuse apparently has been going on for months...)

One good thing came out of my depression today. This morning the beating stopped for this little girl. If it lasts for only today, I feel alright about what I did.

[BarTopDancer]

Good job. I think you should call and report what you heard anyways. Don't wait for the "next time" because the police may not make it there in time.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Dude, I think you totally did the right thing! :snap:

[mousepod]

That's awesome. Just remember, a threat is only as good as your follow-through. If it happens again, don't hesitate to call the authorities.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

GC, good for you! I'm so glad you stepped up to the plate in this situation and I bet the child appreciates it as well. So sad that anyone would treat a little kid that way. You did the right thing.

Having said that, I wouldn't hesitate to call the authorities if you hear anything similar in the future.

[Disneyphile]

You're amazing, GC! :) The world needs more people like you.

[Strangler Lewis]

Brave and good. You did the right thing.

[~MS~]

And once again you proved why Missy loved you from the moment she laid eye on you...you have a good soul and aren't afraid to put it out there for a defenseless child...I'm proud to call you friend.

[Brigitte]

Good job Brad! I would still call in a report for this incident. The system could be burdened with an abundance of cases and if there's a previous report, maybe that will get action sooner if there's a next time.

[katiesue]

Good job! And I'm with the call the authorities anyway crowd. The more reports they have the more likely they are to do anything.

[Mrs. Nesbitt]

I would call the authorities now. You already witnessed one incident and you say it has been going on before. This kid has no defense and I am sure there are abuses going on that you do not see. I would not even threaten, I would just call now. Give that kid a Christmas gift he wil never forget. New parents.

[RStar]

You did good! That's more guts than I'd have!

[JWBear]

I agree with all the others. Call child protected services.

[tracilicious]

Ugh! What a fvckhead. I would have seriously had to restrain myself from beating her with her own severed arm.

I'm glad you said something GC. I don't think snapping in that situation is the result of depression, I think it's just what decent people do.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Good job, GC.

[blueerica]

Ditto, ditto, ditto.

It might not be wrong to call CPS sooner rather than later - however, I would hope for a little counseling and breaking of the pattern as opposed to "getting a new parent." It's terribly traumatic as a child, no matter what that child has gone through, to 'lose' a parent. Often it takes years to find a new home if a suitable family member is unavailable. I'm sure your mom might understand how things operate within the CPS in Hawai'i better than any of us could.

You did the right thing.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Good going GC.!

[wendybeth]

Good job, GC- but I agree that you should probably follow through with a report. You never know- they could be doing drugs, etc, and the best thing that could happen would be for them to get caught and the kiddo placed in a safer environment. At the very least, they will know they have neighbors who are watching them and that might make them think twice before they do this again.

[innerSpaceman]

Jebus, GC, mind your own damn business, will ya!
















(ok, I agree with everyone else ... but I feel you've had enough validation for today. If you're going to be battling depression, you'll need validation on a time-release basis.)

[MouseWife]

Wow, GC. Awesome.

Have you asked your parents if this has been going on for a while? How long those people have lived next door? Are there other kids?

I wonder also if there are priors? I wonder if your threats might straighten her out?

I love you recap of what happened. ;)

[Jughead P. Jones]

I applaud your efforts, GC! I'm glad you were there for that kid!

I'd still keep an eye on this "animal" though. Nobody has the right to abuse their children. NOBODY.

[Gemini Cricket]

Thank you for the advice, y'all. I appreciate it. I will be contacting Hawai'i's Child Welfare Service today.

It's been really quiet next door... ;)

Sometimes when you open a can of worms, you find glow worms inside. I spoke to my parents about what had happened and both of them were quite supportive. They usually would have been worried about living next to an upset dinglecheese from now on but this time was different.

My mom thrives on conflict so she is excited about the new battles ahead. :D My dad said he is upset at himself for not saying anything sooner. For him, that's huge to say something like that. He's such a good guy and like me has such a hard time with confrontation.


I hope my original post didn't come off as bragging. My older sister (see "Thither Thychic" thread) said I was when I recounted the story to her and boyfriend. Oh well. My little sister wants to beat the lady up... oy. :D

Family fun, y'all.


Sidebar:

My mom told me that the abusive lady works with children as a social worker for the state... Isn't that interesting? :rolleyes:

[Prudence]

My mom told me that the abusive lady works with children as a social worker for the state... Isn't that interesting? :rolleyes:

Zoiks! Then it's doubly important that you report her! Let us know what happens, of course...