October 16, 2015
An Ohio mom’s social media message scolding a hospital employee for telling her 4-year-old daughter a boy classmate hurting her must mean he "likes her" has garnered national attention.
"It is a symptom of the larger issue of how deeply and casually violence is ingrained in our society."
In the Oct. 6 post, Facebook user Merritt Smith explained that she was at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital emergency room in Columbus, Ohio last week with her daughter who had been injured when a male student hit her in the face with a metal toy.
While waiting to be treated, a male receptionist told the child: “I bet he likes you."
The remark stirred outrage in Smith, as well as many readers of the post, who claimed the seemingly innocent comment sends a message to young girls that hurt is a form of love.
“I immediately pointed out, ‘That’s not how we show that we like someone,’ but the totality of the experience, even after sleeping on it, weighed heavily on my heart and on my conscience as a mother," Smith wrote.
"It is a symptom of the larger issue of how deeply and casually violence is ingrained in our society," she added.
Read the full post and readers' reactions here.
