Amanda Montgomery

My story was found on cnn.com. http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/02/georgia.tot.slapped/index.html



A stranger was arrested after he allegedly slapped a 2-year-old in a wal-mart store. Roger Stephens a 61-year-old man from Stone Mountain, Georgia was arrested Monday after he allegedly slapped a 2-year-old. Stephens had told the mother, "If you don't shut the baby up I will shut her up for you." Stephens is now being held in the Gwinnett County sheriffs department on charges of first-degree cruelty to a child. Police say he hit the child four to five times. Police are also saying that the child's face was slightly red when they arrived. Stephens told the mother after the incident, "See I told you I would shut her up." Then before he was arrested, Stephens apologized to the mother.

When I first read this story, I was horrified that a total stranger would have the nerve to walk up to someone else's child and slap them. This is just so shocking, it is hard to even explain an accurate reaction. Just the thought of this man walking up to this mom and saying anything to her at all about her child is insane. What planet is this man from? My feelings will never change on this. This is ridiculous that a stranger could do such a thing.

I know that it can be hard to listen to a child cry and scream in a store but GET OVER IT!! You should never slap a child in the face let alone a child you do not know. How could this man have the nerve to walk up to this mother, whose child is throwing a fit, and tell her "If you don't shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you." I would probably have slapped that man if he had walked up to me and said that about one of my kids. Then to actually try and apologize before he gets arrested, that is some nerve. I don't even know how else to explain my feelings on this matter. It is just so repulsing to hear of a stranger hitting someone else's child. All because shes crying in a store. It seems like he thinks this never happens with kids. WHATEVER!!

I just hope that this man learns to control his anger issues, because he obviously has them. He needs to take anger mangement classes, along with jail time for laying his hands on a child. As for this mom and child may GOD bless you both. I hope that you both can move forward in your lives and never have to deal with the violence of any strangers ever again. I think that anyone who has children knows how hard it can be to take kids to the store and then have them throw a fit in the middle of the store. But most people just try and ignore it and go about our own shopping.