SINGAPORE: A Singaporean mother was praised online after a video of her disciplining her son for hitting a community cat went viral on social media.

The video, shared by a netizen in the Facebook group ‘Complaint Singapore’ on Monday (July 8), was captioned, “The consequence of hitting a cat is to be hit back by the mother.”

In the short clip, the community cat can be seen peacefully perched next to a store’s window when the son suddenly appeared and struck it with a piece of paper.

Walking behind him, the mother witnessed the incident and disciplined him by giving him a swift hit on his back in return.

Netizens couldn’t help but be impressed by the mother’s actions. Many praised her as “a good mother” and “the best mom” for disciplining her child in public and teaching him the importance of treating animals with respect.

Some mothers also chimed in and expressed agreement, stating that they would similarly react if they saw their child mistreating cats. Others, however, said that they would do more than just whack their child.

One netizen said, “If my kid like that sure kena kick from me..the cat never disturb you why must you hit the cat.”

Meanwhile, others criticized the son for being abusive towards animals. One netizen remarked, “Sick boy. To show violence against helpless animals. Wish the mum slapped him harder.”

Another commented, “Omg must watch that boy. If he can do this. He will do it anywhere to another cat when his parents are not with him.”

Several netizens also stressed that other parents who are overly lenient with their children should take cues from the exemplary actions of this mother.

One netizen stated, “That’s the type of mother that deserves to be praised, unlike some parents who just see and do nothing. Congrats madam, may your son grow up to be a useful and successful person.”

But should you hit a child for hitting an animal?

According to multiple studies, physical punishment does not help children learn responsibility, develop a sense of right and wrong, or improve self-control.

Dr Elizabeth Gershoff, one of the researchers on the effects of physical punishment on children, explains that although spanking may get their immediate attention, it fails to instil a deeper understanding of why making better choices is important in the long run.

Experts, therefore, recommend that when you see your child being abusive towards an animal in any way, whether they may have hit them, thrown an object at them, or yanked their ears, it’s best to remove the child away from the pet and take them to a quiet spot where the child can reflect on their actions.

This location must have no distractions of any kind—no cell phone, tablet, TV, or any gadget, toys, or even their friends must not be present. This is so the child can focus solely on reflecting.

After 5 minutes, you can approach your child again and converse with them without expressing anger.

Ask them why they did it and how they can make things right. If they did it out of fear, you can teach them some basic commands that can make an animal back down.

If they did it for fun, explain how their actions hurt the animal.

Additionally, encourage your child to apologize to your pet. If you notice positive changes in your child’s behaviour over time, praise them.

Use encouraging words like “Hey, you did well!” or “Keep up the good work!” Positive reinforcement can have a lasting impact on children’s behaviour.

Moreover, resorting to physical punishment against your child for harming an animal mirrors the very behaviour you are trying to discourage in your child while confusing them.

It also perpetuates a cycle of violence and fails to set a positive example to encourage change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naBu80uGAa0&t=308s

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