Post #1144817

2026-04-14 06:33 UTC

My four-year-old and I stopped to check on someone who was getting arrested today. She had made it clear that she did want help, and I checked on with my kid as well before approaching. The police officer tried to tell me off. "Do you think this is the kind of thing you want your kid to see? Do you think this is good parenting?" Yeah, actually! If we see something happening that seems wrong, I want my kid to see me doing something about it!

Replies (15)

@scroeser@kolektiva.social 2026-04-14 08:00

Actually I think it's agonisingly embarrassing that there are so many small moments when it's difficult to do the right thing in front of kids. "Sorry, we don't have time to stop and pick up that litter someone else dropped." "That person is sleeping there because they don't have a home, and there's not much we can do to help"

Open ##1706964
@gusseting@mastodon.social 2026-04-14 07:51

@scroeser fyi you might like this - he's based in Australia, but much o/s info too: https://www.anticop.com.au

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@herouelibre@masto.bike 2026-04-14 09:09

@scroeser Hello I do so very much agree with your choice, especially on the education side and parents' duty 🤟

Open ##1706981
@alicemcalicepants@ohai.social 2026-04-14 09:16

@scroeser > "Do you think this is the kind of thing you want your kid to see? Do you think this is good parenting?" I bet they don't wait for kids to be out of the house/vicinity when they arrest someone who happens to be a parent 🤔

Open ##1706984
@Su_G@aus.social 2026-04-14 09:18

@scroeser Gobsmacked at the idea of cops handing out unasked for parenting advice… 😐 You and kidlet did the right thing & the best you could. Sometimes just being seen is a lot to ask. 🥰

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@xinit@mastodon.coffee 2026-04-14 10:14

@scroeser The real question should be "do you think this is good POLICING"

Open ##1706986
@andy@friendica.hubup.pro 2026-04-14 11:27

"Do you think this is the kind of thing you want your kid to see?" I don't think the officer was actually concerned about your child. Ii sounds more they were trying to undermine your attempt of normalising the situation: That people in a community can support each other, even when interacting with state authority. I presume your child didn't just happened to be there, but that you made it effectively part of the parenting programme. @scroeser

Open ##1706989
@hc@mastodon.africa 2026-04-14 11:54

@scroeser Well done. I remember my dad criticizing our "Obrigkeitshörigkeit" (deference) and I encourage my kids to break some rules. I look forward to visiting Germany next month and ignoring signs together with them 🙂

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@kai@ajin.la 2026-04-14 12:32

@scroeser Children want to do the right thing. They need to be taught to do the wrong thing.

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@screwturn@mastodon.social 2026-04-14 13:36

@scroeser That is fabulous parenting

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@Quasit@kolektiva.social 2026-04-14 16:05

@scroeser ALL cab.

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@Quasit@kolektiva.social 2026-04-14 16:05

@scroeser ALL cab.

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@beandreams@friendhole.social 2026-04-14 16:04

@scroeser Hope everyone is safe now ❤️ I think police get upset when children see the police as they are. Last year my provincial government forced police officers into schools, against the policy of the elected school board. So many of the police statements about it were along the lines of, "we want kids to have a good opinion of the police, so we need to talk to them directly". They already have a hard time recruiting, they already feel ostracized, they want kids to like them at least

Open ##1706999
@PhoenixSerenity@beige.party 2026-04-15 00:15

@scroeser Thank you for teaching your kid how to actually deal with cops ❤️✌️🙏❤️

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@itgrrl@infosec.exchange 2026-04-15 00:54

@scroeser good on you – yes, 💯 correct parenting 💕 🤮 to the moralising cop 🙄

Open ##1707002