A five-year-old boy got severely injured recently when he got kicked off a slide by another child. Worse still, the other boy’s mum fled the scene without even bothering to apologise to the boy or his mother.
Boy Kicked Off Slide Fractures Arm
The incident happened on 7 July 2018 in Henan province, China. Surveillance camera footage shows five-year-old Yueyue climbing up the 3.5 ft slide. He is seen holding on to the handle near the top, when the other boy kicks him on the chest.
We see Yueyue falling off the slide, and on to the ground. His anxious mummy quickly rushes to help him. Meanwhile, the other boy’s mother is seen hurridly carrying the child away from the playground.
Photo: screengrab Weibo video
Yueyue was then taken to hospital, where he was found to have fractured his upper arm and dislocated his elbow.
Mummy Ms Wang, is really upset that neither the other boy nor his mum made any effort to apologise, and instead, fled the scene.
She has now made a heartfelt appeal on TV, asking the other child’s mother to step forward and make an apology.
She says, “If you treat your children dearly, I would do the same because no parents would like to see their children getting injured.
“In this incident, I think you should come out and bear the responsibility.”
Photo: screengrab Weibo video
Apparently, Ms Wang has also reported the matter to the police, but they have been unable to find the boy or his mother.
Here is the video of the incident:
www.weibo.com/tv/v/Gpf4h6pT4?fid=1034:4260160869454046
Teaching Accountability to Kids
Running away from the scene was probably a mum’s way of protecting her child. But what does the child learn from it? That it is okay to do wrong, as long as you don’t get caught?
Personal accountability is one of the most important character traits that we can teach our children. It means being responsible for your own actions and choices. And knowing that actions and choices carry consequences.
It is not an easy concept for kids to grasp. And it starts from modelling the behaviour yourself. Children watch what you do and how you handle your own responsibilities. And yes, apologising as adults is part of teaching accountability to our kids.
Here are some simple ways to teach accountability to kids:
- Set consequences
If your child doesn’t follow the rules, or live up to his responsibilities, he should know that there will be consequences. Set these consequences beforehand, and make sure you stick to them.
- Be consistent
Children are great at bargaining and emotional manipulation, so make sure that you are stern when it comes to enforcing the consequences.
- Avoid the blame game
Kids will often try to justify their actions, and put the blame on someone else. Remind them that regardless of how others act, they are responsible for how they respond, and ultimately for their own behaviour.
- Constant reminders
And because learning accountability takes time, be patient and keep reminding your children. For example, if you see your child about to dump out all his toys on the floor, remind him that he will have to pick everything back up when he is done.
It helps to tell children what to do, rather than what not to do. Discuss about how they can deal with their feelings in a more positive manner.
- Praise responsibility
Don’t forget to praise your child for good behaviour. “Thank you for telling the truth. I am so proud of you,” will encourage and reinforce the child’s attempt at responsibility.
Source: Shangaiist, Weibo
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