9 yr/old girl dies after being forced to run for 3 hours

[Bostonfan]

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-step-m...0,932859.story

While I'm sure they didn't intend for her to run to death, what possible rationale can there be to make a child run for 3 hours over a chocolate bar? Talk about an extreme punishment. They say she was punished because she ate the chocolate which contributes to a bladder issue (which I bet is bullsh*t), and you make her run for 3 hours?

And I wonder about the little girl. Was she so afraid that if she stopped running, there would be a worse punishment? There's more to this story.

[IceAlisa]

Not sure what the temperatures were like where she ran but even not considering that factor, for a non-athlete to run for that long without replenishing fluids and lytes is asking for trouble. Even for an athlete the problem is the same. Poor thing.

[Cachoo]

So she has a medical condition that chocolate triggers---she eats chocolate putting her in jeopardy medically and her "loved ones" response is to make her run for three hours. ITA with those who believe there is a lot more to this story and it will get even uglier. Poor child....

[skatesindreams]

When will these stories of abuse masquerading as discipline, end?

[NinjaTurtles]

Is it common for parents to use exercise as a form of punishment?* I wonder if the physical taxation is conceptualized as cruel or corporal.

*"Reasonably", not to the extreme degree as cited in the article in the OP.

[IceAlisa]

So she has a medical condition that chocolate triggers---she eats chocolate putting her in jeopardy medically and her "loved ones" response is to make her run for three hours.

The article said that the "condition" could not be confirmed, not that it really matters either way.

[Hannahclear]

I'm being a jerk, but why am I not surprised this took place in Alabama?

[IceAlisa]

I'm being a jerk, but why am I not surprised this took place in Alabama?

You ARE being a jerk.

[rvi5]

Possibly in their mind, they were punishing her by making her exercise away the calories gained from eating the chocolate bar.

[numbers123]

I wasn't able to find much on a bladder medical condition and relationship to eating chocolate other than a neurogenic bladder - which the article stated that there *might be a relationship between diet and control of the bladder condition*.

Urinary incontinence that might be helped by diet factors constitutes a punishment that severe?

Neurogenic bladder has many physical causes that make bladder control difficult

[Bostonfan]

Look, when I was a kid, my mom doled out punishments that involved physical activity, usually in the form of long and boring chores (weeding, cleaning out the garage, etc). I've seen middle school and high school athletes go through double and triple sessions during the summer to prepare for their sports. I've seen some parents require their children to do push-ups (never more than 10 or so pushups) to deal with behavior. But in those cases, the activities were monitored and didn't preclude drinking or going to the bathroom.

I'm sure the defense will be that they had no intent to harm and the result was unintentional, they have remorse, etc. I can already hear the plea for leniency. Grrrrr....

I have no basis for this opinion, but I can't help but wonder if they were the kind of guardians that were obsessed with weight and freaked out that she ate candy - thus having her "run it off" as a punishment.

[centerstage01]

I'm being a jerk

Well, at least you acknowledged it.

[CynicElle]

Oh, yay -- the mom's expecting another child soon. What wonderful news.

[floskate]

This is truly shocking and that's saying something in this day and age where we seem to be bombarded with stories of horrific child abuse on a daily basis. That poor girl

[Sasha'sSpins]

Correction (I originally said 'parent's)

Poor little girl. I think her stepmother and grandmother are monsters.

RIP.

[numbers123]

I think that it is important to know that reportedly it was the grandmother and step mother. And according to one news account that I heard, the mother lives in Florida and the father was overseas.

And not jump to parents being the monsters. Perhaps the parents didn't have the child in the best care situation, but it appears that it was not the parents directly?

[milanessa]

You ARE being a jerk.

Haven't spent much time in Alabama, have you?

[skateboy]

RIP to this poor child.

[Badams]

There must have been a history of abuse here. She must have been too scared to tell them she needed to stop. That poor little girl.

[CynicElle]

I think that it is important to know that reportedly it was the grandmother and step mother. And according to one news account that I heard, the mother lives in Florida and the father was overseas.

And not jump to parents being the monsters. Perhaps the parents didn't have the child in the best care situation, but it appears that it was not the parents directly?

Yeah, I missed the stepmother part on the first read. And they updated the article to note that she gave birth yesterday. I feel very badly for that newborn.