Verbal child abuse?

[greensinestro]

I was a Wal-Mart earlier to get some socks for my boy when I heard exchange between a mother and daughter (who looked about 13 or 14 years old).

Mother: Well, what is this one here?

Daughter: It's burgundy, Mom.

Mother: I know what burgundy is, dipshit!

This caused my head to turn, but I was wise enough to keep my mouth shut.

I don't think I'd say this or call my kid a name like this.

[Tee]

It does one good thing though, let's you know who shouldn't be parents. -_-

Family friend referred to her fostered niece as "slut" and "bitch" several times, within hearing. Drove me nuts.

[Teskeria]

Lol. my dad called us dipshit all the time. We knew we were in trouble if he used our name. In some cases, it isn't WHAT you say, it's how you say it. Dipshit with love sounds a heck of a lot better than NAME with hate or disdain or scorn, ect...

My Mom had a friend once who thought my dad liked here because he always used her name. Like everyone else who knew her, he couldn't stand 'mary'. She was the only person he never called by an 'insulting' nickname.

It was his way. damn i miss Dad.....

[Dytchdoctir]

Mother: Well, what is this one here?

Daughter: It's burgundy, Mom.

Mother: I know what burgundy is, dipshit!

Well, if you knew, why did you ask?

Dumbass.

[AccountingDrone]

Rob and I will call each other butthead or riff off it with enlisted/officer jokes [major butthead - nope, leading first petty officer butthead, I enlisted sort of jokes] and occasionally my various goddaughters and I will joke about stuff and call each other butthead but you can *tell* it is joking, and we rarely do it outside the house - it started when they caught me calling Rob Major Butthead and the whole riff. Got to love Navy brats, they understand rank and rate jokes =)

[MoonCat]

I remember hearing a woman call her little daughter a mother-f@@Ker once. It's one of the reasons I hate that word and never use it.

[Monterey Jack]

Hearing an actual mother use that word against her child is especially disturbing.

[April]

I call my kids dipshits all the time. Generally joking and with love. And usually after they say something completely obvious. They also answer to baby, honey, buddy, stinky and hey you, in addition to their given names.

[notalwaysright]

I don't think I'd say this or call my kid a name like this.

My parents wouldn't have, either... I was always told that words do matter, and that exchange wouldn't have been okay for our family. If I had kids I wouldn't say stuff like that, either. I'm sorry to those who said they call their kids names and that it's not mean. I'm sure it's fine, it must work in your lives, please don't think I'm being judgy, that's just an opinion, not fact or anything.

I wouldn't count that as verbal child abuse, though. A long time ago there was a woman at the pattern table apparently saying horrible things to her child. Basically saying that if he/she was bad she would burn him when then got home. That's verbal child abuse, IMO. Other customers heard and called it in, the woman was met at the door by the police. Don't know what happened after.

[April]

My parents wouldn't have, either... I was always told that words do matter, and that exchange wouldn't have been okay for our family. If I had kids I wouldn't say stuff like that, either. I'm sorry to those who said they call their kids names and that it's not mean. I'm sure it's fine, it must work in your lives, please don't think I'm being judgy, that's just an opinion, not fact or anything.

.

I didn't take it as judgy. We are a dark family.. A lot of dark humor, sarcasm and the like. It works for us. If my kids EVER thought I was being serious or mean about it, I would stop immediately. They usually respond with "I got it from you" lol

things work for us that wouldn't fly in a lot of families. And that's ok

[MoonCat]

Hearing an actual mother use that word against her child is especially disturbing.

Yep. And this was a little kid, maybe 3 or 4 years old.