Parents Arrested for Scaring Daughter

**BadlandsVikings** · 02-26-2011, 11:44 PM

If we're to believe Annette Gerhardt and her fiancé, Gerardo Santiago, they were arrested and charged with child endangerment just for trying to get their 6-year-old daughter to behave. There was no violence, no screaming, just a trip to the police station that went horribly wrong...

http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/116709/parents_arrested_for_scaring_daughter

**JPPT1974** · 02-27-2011, 12:28 AM

Unless they were abusing her and molesting her. Then this is really not good for the police to be there. As the cops shouldn't had gotten involved in the first place. As they were just trying to be parents. And trying to get her to behave. Really there was no need for the cops to be involved unless it was something violent or malicious!

**Mr Anderson** · 02-27-2011, 02:18 AM

There is more than physical and sexual abuse, but that's irrelevant to this case as they did nothing wrong.

This won't reach the courtroom, when it gets to the prosecutor (s)he's going to laugh at it.

**gregair13** · 02-27-2011, 05:23 PM

Nothing wrong with scaring a kid. Sure she is only 6 years old but the kids gotta learn eventually. How long until she is in there for real or has a bun in the oven? I'd guess 10 years.

**NodakPaul** · 02-28-2011, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by "gregair13" #1090218

Nothing wrong with scaring a kid. Sure she is only 6 years old but the kids gotta learn eventually. How long until she is in there for real or has a bun in the oven? I'd guess 10 years.

There is absolutely something wrong with scaring a kid like that.

I don't agree that the parents should have been arrested, but their actions were still wrong. Bringing a kid, especially a six year old, to a police station and trying to get the police to scare her straight might sound good, but in reality the only thing it does is teach that little girl that the police are somebody to be feared.

Children shouldn't be taught to be fearful and distrustful of the police. The police do NOT arrest or lock up 6 year olds, so lying to her and saying that they might is wrong.

Plus most child psychologists (I know I am not the only one with that background here) will agree that a six year old usually hasn't reached the developmental stage where future consequence is used in decision making. Most simply lack the logic skills to associate misbehavior with future activity (hell, most adults lack that ability too). The only thing that happens when parents try to scare a child like this is they create a negative association with the police, which could be even more damaging. Seveal studies have shown that a negative view of the police and criminal activity are a strong positive relationship (although to be fair, this is a correlation, not causation, so it is hard to say which contributes to which).

**NodakPaul** · 02-28-2011, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by "JPPT1974" #1090188

Unless they were abusing her and molesting her. Then this is really not good for the police to be there. As the cops shouldn't had gotten involved in the first place. As they were just trying to be parents. And trying to get her to behave. Really there was no need for the cops to be involved unless it was something violent or malicious!

Ummm, they took her to a police station. Kind of hard for the cops NOT to be involved at that point, don't you think?

Although the police should have, IMHO, explained to the mother the negative outcome of doing something like this. Dressing the mother down was not the right way to handle it, and arresting them was CERTAINLY not the way to go.

**jmcdon00** · 03-01-2011, 12:49 AM

I wonder if it worked?
Really seeing her mom and dad being arrested because she didn't behave might just scare the kid straight.
\:evil:

**BloodyHorns82** · 03-01-2011, 08:17 PM

Why was the boyfriend who was waiting out in the car arrested? This story reaks of stupidity both the cops involved and the parents.

**NodakPaul** · 03-04-2011, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by "BloodyHorns82" #1090439

Why was the boyfriend who was waiting out in the car arrested? This story reaks of stupidity both the cops involved and the parents.

+1

**Johnson14** · 04-01-2011, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by "NodakPaul" #1090292

Originally Posted by "gregair13" #1090218

Nothing wrong with scaring a kid. Sure she is only 6 years old but the kids gotta learn eventually. How long until she is in there for real or has a bun in the oven? I'd guess 10 years.

There is absolutely something wrong with scaring a kid like that.

I don't agree that the parents should have been arrested, but their actions were still wrong. Bringing a kid, especially a six year old, to a police station and trying to get the police to scare her straight might sound good, but in reality the only thing it does is teach that little girl that the police are somebody to be feared.

Children shouldn't be taught to be fearful and distrustful of the police. The police do NOT arrest or lock up 6 year olds, so lying to her and saying that they might is wrong.

Plus most child psychologists (I know I am not the only one with that background here) will agree that a six year old usually hasn't reached the developmental stage where future consequence is used in decision making. Most simply lack the logic skills to associate misbehavior with future activity (hell, most adults lack that ability too). The only thing that happens when parents try to scare a child like this is they create a negative association with the police, which could be even more damaging. Seveal studies have shown that a negative view of the police and criminal activity are a strong positive relationship (although to be fair, this is a correlation, not causation, so it is hard to say which contributes to which).

+1 NP, great post.