sinoville@smileykids.co.za

Recently, My 4 year old daughter told me that she does not wish to attend Smiley Kids any longer. I asked her what the reason was and she told me that A teacher at Smiley Kids Wonderboom had pulled her by her shirt aggressively, dragged her into direct eye contact with her and told her to stop playing on the benches.

I am not an unreasonable mother. I understand that children have to be reprimanded when they are wrong. I know that a well disciplined child grows up to become an upstanding member of society. I know my daughter and that she can be a little ball of energy even for me at times. What I don't agree with, is disciplining by invading a child's personal space. Becoming physical with a child, be it hitting, grabbing or pushing is unacceptable.

A care giver with adequate training would know this. I complained to the school but the matter was taken lightly. Abuse of any kind is traumatic to a child. My daughter is 4 years old and still developing and growing. She is yet to know herself. She is yet to understand what is acceptable and what is unacceptable with regards to her personal space. They are teaching our little ones that violence is okay if you were deserving of it. They are teaching our future generation that someone can violate you, push you or drag you if the situation allows. At home, we are teaching our children to value themselves whilst at school, they are being taught that they are nothing more than a number, they hold no value and they can be treated as such.