While the riots in Baltimore escalated last Monday, one mother was caught on camera castigating her son. He had been in the violent protest and her mother did not want him to have anything to do with it.
The video of Toya Graham, the mother who was seen hitting and cursing at her 16-year-old son, became viral on the Internet. It showed Graham so peeved and frustrated as she grabbed the boy and slapped him on the head quite a few times. She then dragged the boy home, while shouting and cursing at him.
According Yahoo Parenting, Graham spotted her son on television as he was throwing rocks at the police. The riot happened after Freddie Gray's burial. Gray, 25, was arrested by the police on April 12 but he suffered a spine injury while at the hands of the authorities and died in their custody. This was what sparked the riots.
"I wish I had more parents that took charge of their kids out there tonight. Take control of your kids. This is our city. Let's make a difference," said Anthony Batts, the commissioner of the Baltimore Police, during a press conference with several news outlets. Batts commended Graham for what she did.
Similarly, the mother received various thumbs up on social media for taking action on her son. On YouTube, where the video has been getting thousands of hits, netizens called her the "Mother of the Year." However, some were not too pleased by what they've seen.
One commenter said that Graham's behavior is actually how violence starts. "Don't [confuse] punching in the face and public humiliation [with] proper discipline," said another anonymous voice in the YouTube link.
Yahoo Parenting got in touch with experts for their opinion on the matter and psychologist, Amy Morin, said that hitting may be acceptable in desperate situations like this. "While hitting and swearing at a child aren't the preferred parenting practices, best practices don't apply in the midst of a crisis," said Morin.
Another parenting expert, Sharon Silver, acknowledges the irony in Graham's act but said, "We don't have to agree with how she did it, but have to applaud the fact that she did it."
Graham, meanwhile, spoke to the media about the incident and said, "That's my only son and at the end of the day I don't want him to be a Freddie Gray," as reported on Mediate.
What do you think parents? Was Toya Graham being a good parent or a bad parent? Take our poll!
