A Stranger Slaps Two Year Old in Walmart

This story has made national news. Sixty-one year old Roger Stephens slapped a two year old repeatedly in the face at a Walmart in my area. I am shocked and beyond disbelief. This man is currently being held without bond and is being charged with first degree cruelty to children. Unbelievable! I know that another child's crying can be an annoyance but the gall of this man to slap a baby! Here is the CNN story:



Just the thought of this makes my blood boil. I can only imagine my response if this happened to me and am really saddened that I even have to think about such things. I've written more about my response to the incident on BlogHer, you can read it by clicking here.


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Comments

♥ LLL with Leslie ♥ said…
what is the heck is wrong with people! yes sometimes kids can get to you, but taking matters into your hands ...that is OUT OF CONTROL!

MY GOODNESS! He looks a little crazy too.
September 3, 2009 at 6:00 PM
HautePinkCloset said…
People are absolutely losing their minds. I just could not imagine what I would have done if that loon slapped my child.
September 3, 2009 at 6:05 PM
Anonymous said…
I know, I've seen it all over and with good reason! that man is twitchin and scowlin, I'd be afraid of him to begin with.

I know exactly where my boot would land if anyone were to take it upon themselves to even touch my child. Let's follow this story real closely!
September 3, 2009 at 6:14 PM
Chrystal K. said…
Wow, that's crazy. I don't know what I would have done if that was my child.
September 3, 2009 at 6:36 PM
T.Allen said…
Unfortunately, I think this is an example of the appalling way our society has come to view children. I hear with a fair amount of regularity, adults who say they cannot stand children, even those who hate them. As if children were something less than or apart from humanity. In the same vein there is always something the parent could have or should have done differently-negating the fact that children to an extent have free will; perhaps the child was ill, hurt, sad. Why do we assume crying (the most fluent form of toddler communication) is a deliberate assault on our delicate sensibilities? If it were an adult crying, moral compasses sway and empathy sets in, "I wonder what happened...sir/mam-do you need help." I think if our daily lives have come to such stress-filled heights that the sounds of life in progress become an affront to our sensibilities, we need to step back and reprioritize.
September 3, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Maternal Mirth said…
Huh... wha???

Ok, you would have had to pull me off of him as I gauged his eyes out and if he wasn't already impotent, I would have made damn sure no viagra would have ever helped him.

Sorry, this mama-bear don't play!
September 3, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Jennae @ Green & Gorgeous said…
My muscles really tensed up as I read this. My first thought was, I was going to jail if he had done that to my child, because I would've beat his a%! And if my husband were there, he'd be indicted for murder, because he doesn't play when it comes to our kids. Who the heck does he think he is? We've all been annoyed by crying children, but I wouldn't do that to my OWN crying child, much less someone else's child. I feel for that baby and the mother, and I just pray that they get the justice they so rightly deserve.
September 3, 2009 at 9:15 PM
Daenel T. said…
I totally disagree with what Roger Stephens but I totally understand how he got to that point. The crying and screaming of a child can be aggravating - and parents need to remove their children from the situation. I'm speaking as a mother of four who has had to leave a store a time or two. No one has the right to place their hands on your child, just as parents do not have the right to subject an entire store to their child's temper tantrum.
September 3, 2009 at 9:45 PM
Kathy Sykes said…
I think I would have been in shock (after I came to from my blackout where I put the "hammer" down on him).
I had to blog about this myself because it is really outrageous!
September 3, 2009 at 11:24 PM
N. Angail said…
I'm surprised that mother didn't attack that man. I would have.
September 3, 2009 at 11:40 PM
Amarie said…
In some places, he may have ended up dead. Sad,but true.
September 4, 2009 at 12:36 AM
TRochelle said…
She had to be in shock. Tell me she was in shock. What kept her from stomping a mudhole in that man and walking it dry. I would have turned Walmart into the WWE and hit him with all kinds of chairs. People really need to stop trying to parent other folks kids or they will need dental records to identify their bodies. Its ridiculous. If I see someone's baby acting ugly in the store, I just pray for the baby when it goes to the car because half the time thats where the magic happens!
September 4, 2009 at 8:45 AM
Shelly- Mom Files said…
I have no words for this one. WTH???
September 4, 2009 at 11:02 AM
Anonymous said…
I guess my surprise is not only that he had the nerve to hit her child, but that he lived long enough for the police to take him into custody!

My daughter will throw a tantrum if I don't let her know my expectations before entering a store, and I handle it the best I can depending on the actual situation, but not once have I ever had someone say or do what this man did! I am "Mama Bear" and I will never ask someone to discipline my kids (especially some stranger off the street) and I would NOT allow someone to put their hands on or even raise their voice to my kids!! What nerve! I can't even imagine the scene of it all.

There should not be a "deer in the headlights" moment when someone attacks your child! You should jump on them like a cougar or something and let your kids know that you are there to protect them and let others know that if they have a problem with your kids then they have a problem with YOU!
September 4, 2009 at 1:59 PM
Unknown said…
I was and still am so outraged and truly shocked at this man. Scared too--considering that I live minutes from that Walmart! If I had been that mom, I would have beat him to a pulp--truly I would have.

And, btw--I recently found out that you're an ATL girl too--I had no idea! We need to meet some time!
September 4, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Petula said…
Yea, this is really crazy. I would have been in jail not him 'cause he wouldn't have gotten a chance to hit my child before I beat him down.
September 5, 2009 at 12:12 AM
African American Mom said…
Is the mama still in jail? 'Cause that is where I would be. I'm just saying.
September 5, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Kathy Sykes said…
I went back and looked at the video and something is definantely wrong with him MENTALLY and one of the other inmates looks like she is about to jump up and whoop his a** for principalities!
September 6, 2009 at 6:02 AM
Kathy Sykes said…
I went back and looked at the video and something is definantely wrong with him MENTALLY and one of the other inmates looks like she is about to jump up and whoop his a** for principalities!
September 6, 2009 at 6:02 AM
MamabearMills said…
don't ask me about this situation if it were my kid or some helpless victim! let me just say i may have gone to jail!
September 6, 2009 at 8:43 PM
Melissa said…
That's just crazy!! If that happened to me, I'd probably either call the police or call the police and punch him in the face. But, most likely I'd kick him in the pants and then call the police.
September 7, 2009 at 2:02 AM
CG said…
Okay, I'm late, I know it...but I'm here (hee hee) This story is just too crazy for words! I know one thing, if it was me, Roger would probably not be the only one going to jail! How dare he! What made him think he had the right to put his hands on someone's child? Anyway! I could rant on this forever! UGH!
September 7, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Jami said…
I think I would have attacked him, he'd be dead if my husband had been there. That's crazy!
September 8, 2009 at 7:40 PM
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