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Silence - Golden or Deadly
by
Raye McDonald
Several years ago, I walked into a public restroom and saw a woman shaking a little boy like a rag doll. She was obviously
very angry with the child. I heard her say, "Now you WILL go back out there and you WILL sit down and you WILL shut
up!" The little guy looked up at her through huge eyes filled with tears. I knew that child was frightened.
My gut feeling was to confront this person and tell her that it is one thing to correct a child, but quite another to shake him into
submission. But did I say that? No, I just walked out the door. And what was my justification for silence? First, I didn't want an
angry confrontation with a gal who would likely tell me to mind my own business. Second, I didn't want to cause an
embarrassing scene, and third, I didn't want to face the possibility of a lawsuit. But looking back, I should have at least had the
woman checked out to see if she might have been a child abuser.
When I was a junior high student, I got into trouble for too much talking in class. My teacher made me write "Silence is Golden"
one thousand times. I think I learned my lesson too well. Silence can also be deadly.
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