Tough love is a tactic some parents use for their children when they are unruly or seem to be taking a path that may lead them to a life of trouble. One mother in Malaysia may have taken this concept too far.
An 8-year-old girl was chained to a lamppost by her 30-year-old mother for skipping school—an attempt to teach the girl a lesson. Strangers passed by the shackled girl, watching as she stood on the street corner just outside the family’s apartment in Kuala Lumpur, sucking her thumb with obvious tears in her eyes.
One bystander thought this might not be the best way to handle the situation. ”There is such a thing as tough love but this is taking it too far,” he said. “The girl was quite clearly upset and didn’t know what to do. She was sucking her thumb and had tears in her eyes. We reported it to police and we hope that they look into the family further to make sure that the girl is not harmed again.”
The girl had been there for more than an hour before police arrived. The mother of the girl, who came back 10 minutes later to release the child from her shackles, was taken to the nearby police station for questioning. Assistant Police Commissioner Mohammad Azlin Sadari said, “It was decided to let the mother go home with her daughter, warning her not to do it again.”
What are your thoughts on “tough love”? Did the mother take the punishment too far? Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member