This is too funny. Your niece "literally" got a slap on the wrist for misbehaving and you're ready to call in the National Guard and have this teen labeled a child molester for the rest of his / her life. Seriously?

Kid probably deserved it, give it a rest.

I am outraged by the lack of compassion for a child being hit with such force it left a mark and brought tears to her eyes. She was just trying to release a cricket into the grass. What kind of people have we become when this type of behavior causes remarks such as the ones I have just read. She did not misbehave and even if she did, who is this person to lay his hands on anyone’s child? No behavior warrants getting slapped. I'd like see if it was your child what you would do. I think we need to see the bigger picture that a child, no matter what the situation "deserves" to be hit. All these comments are so negative. Did anyone ask what the child was thinking or feeling? Shame on all of you.

Regardless of what you think about corporal punishment, no one has the right to hit your kid- no hand slapping, no spanking, period. If there was a problem with the child, the camp counselor should have informed an elder at the camp who then should have spoken with the parents. It is the parents job to discipline their child, not the counselor's. And Mr. Messore, unless you are this child's legal guardian, there isn't much you can do, nor in this case, should you. The girl shouldn't have been hit, but last time I checked, a slap on the hand is not an assault. There is a big difference. A slap on the wrist does not warrant an 18 year old having a bad mark follow them around for the rest of their life. My advice to the parents would be to speak with the director, no matter what, even if the girl did do something wrong, the counselor did not have the right to slap her wrist. The counselor should be fired for that. 18 years old = should have known better. If the director won't do anything, try to speak with the counselor's parents- civilly. I'm sure they would want to know about this.

Why don't you try to handle this the good old fashioned way, by talking instead of getting all upset, calling DCF, calling the police, etc?

All in all, this is pretty strange. Something doesn't add up here. If the mark on the girl's hand was really that bad, any normal parent or guardian would have gone to the police right away. If they had done that, I'm sure there would have been an arrest, and the camp would be investigated. No one goes to See Click Fix first when their kid has been hurt.

I have read all of the comments and of course I want to respond. The staff administrator at the camp was less than helpful. We as a family were trying to excercise restraint. However, when the administrator was ambiguous there was utter disbelief and an infuriating need for immediate attention to the situation. Despite opinions, I and my family have no desire to sue anyone, or label anyone a "child molester". Again, there are certain boundaries that are to be followed and the mark left on my niece's hand, and the feeling of being physically hurt by an "adult" that was in a position of power was a little much for me to take...given the fact that she is all of 64lbs. For those who do not know the law I have copied parts of it here

"Child abuse occurs where a child has had physical injury inflicted upon him or her other than by accidental means...[sic] or is in a condition resulting in maltreatment, such as, but not limited to emotional maltreatment or cruel punishment. (Connecticut General Statutes §46b-120)"

In closing the effect of see, click fix created the exact outcome I thought it would create. People argued about the situation and I assure you, this young man will probably not hit another child again...and that's a good thing. The camp administrator will most likely be looked at critically for his lack of action...and punishment policies regarding counselors and children will be dusted off and reviewed.

At the end of the day we must be forever guarded against moral apathy. Our children deserve more than inaction when strangers give themselves license to hurt them or allow a situation where they can be hurt on any level.

these comments are disturbing and I suspect many of them are from someone related to the camp. (i have no affiliation with the camp and I do not know this family).

what happened should be reported to the police and the counselor should have been fired on the spot. no adult should lay a hand on someone else's child, especially in a camp setting, where the parents have put their trust in the trained, adults to maintain a safe and supportive environment. It is wholly irrelevant that there are two sides to the story. adults who supervise children are (or should be) trained to discipline kids without any physical punishment. I hope the parents will follow-up with the police, dcf and whoever else they need to--both for their child's sake and the safety of other children.

it could have been an automatic reflex. It occurred many years ago... child did something horrible and next thing i know i had tapped her gently....

In regard to Mr. Messore's post:

"In closing the effect of see, click fix created the exact outcome I thought it would create. People argued about the situation and I assure you, this young man will probably not hit another child again...and that's a good thing. The camp administrator will most likely be looked at critically for his lack of action...and punishment policies regarding counselors and children will be dusted off and reviewed."

Are we ready to close this one out?

Hi Bret:

I think we are ready to close this one out now. Once the opponent is in the corner...the rest of the fight is really meaningless. Let us then take this fight off the stage and bring it behind the scenes.

Thanks.

Closing the issue as it has been recorded, and opinions voiced, and hopefully addressed. If the original poster feels otherwise, please reopen...