You’ve seen the video of Baltimore mom, Toya Graham hitting her 16-year-old son during the Baltimore riots. Many are calling her mom of the year for her actions. But some say they’re disturbed by how she dealt with the situation.
Graham’s son joined rioters in response to the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died as a result of severe spinal injuries while in police custody. The tragedy has spawned violent protests in cities like Baltimore and New York City. Injured in Tampa, FL? The personal injury lawyers from Kogan & DiSalvo law firm can help.
The mom of six told CBS News that she didn’t want her son to end up like Gray. So when she caught wind that he attended the protest, she did what she had to do to protect him.
I can understand that beating your child publicly may come as a shock to some folks. But in the black community, it’s the norm. I should preface by saying, not every black parent would respond this way, but there are many who will. As hard as it may seem, that’s how many parents show their love.
As I mentioned in my BabyCenter post, “To understand Toya Graham is to understand her struggles. To understand her struggles one would have to know what it’s like to live in an area where there aren’t community centers to keep youths off the street.”
My family couldn’t afford a lot. There weren’t many options for us growing up in the city. Back in the day, there weren’t many community programs to keep kids of the streets in Brooklyn. Attending a free summer camp did little to keep us out of trouble. I often reminisce about those days and realize how lucky I was to not end up in serious hot water.
While I’ve never been involved in a riot, I can relate to how this mother disciplined her son. I have black brothers, cousins, and uncles, and the black women in my family would have probably done the same thing. I’m also a mom of a biracial boy, who many will consider black because of the “one drop rule.” I would do anything to keep him out of harms way even if it means physically removing him from a dangerous situation.
In fact, I’ll never forget the time when my mother beat my butt outside of the grocery store. I must have been about eight-years-old, and like many kids my age I LOVED the Jacksons. I spotted Janet Jackson on the cover of Blacktress magazine and I had to have it!
I knew my mom wouldn’t buy it, so I took it. She began unloading the shopping cart outside of the supermarket when she realized I walked out of the store with the magazine. Needless to say, she wasn’t too happy.
I knew I was wrong for taking it. I understand why she whooped my butt for all to see. Stealing that magazine brought shame to my family. She didn’t raise me to be a thief and as the saying goes, “The way your children behave is a reflection on you, the parent.”
My mother worked hard to bring us up right, and there was no way she would ever tolerate anything less than great from my siblings and me.
Seeing the viral video of Graham hitting her son brought me back to moments like that day outside the grocery store. Do I resent her for disciplining me the way she did that day? Absolutely not! Even though I don’t spank my kids, all bets are off when it comes down to their safety.
I’m not sure if I’d call Graham mom of the year. But, I will call her a protective mom who only wants what’s the best for her son, even if it means slapping him around to get him out of a dangerous situation.
What do you think of Grahams actions? Would you call her mom of the year?