I am frankly amazed and horrified that so many people on this forum
see nothing wrong with these pictures.
Of course, we see something wrong with this pictures : they are meant to! We are wired to react to a children crying, in picture or in real life!
However, what I don't see wrong is the existance of these pictures. I mean, I can get my little brother to look exactly like the kids on these pictures. I just have to ask him, because he actually likes acting. But I can tell you my teenage sister achieves exactly the same kind of effect on a daily basis, just by forbidding her little brother from "breaking" (touching) her stuff.
It does not take a lot to have a child cry like this, especially if the kid knows he's the center of attention of a whole lot of person! Don't you see how some of these kids are actually
acting and taking pose?
As a parent you
never do anything to deliberately harm your child, physically or
mentally.
You obviously do not shop where I shop...
There are some occasions where I actually came very close to physically assaulting some parents, and some where I told them what I thought of them, because they were
way passed the line... I have witnessed on countless occasions mothers telling their kids they wished they were not borned. I have seen parents actually dragging their kids around by the arm.
This is part of your natural "wiring" as a normal parent.
Well, obviously, some parents are not very well wired...
Even animals have this instinct
You mean, the ones that do not eat their offsprings if the females are not there to prevent it?
Sometimes difficult
things which will cause short term pain have to be done. Stitches
is a classic example - with a toddler this is an extremely
stressful experience for the parents.
I know. My father had to put my little brother through a
lot more than mere stitches. And that's not a pleasant experience, usually my father is shaken for days afterwards. Actually, in these occasions, he suffers a lot more than my brother, who usually forgets about it a few hours afterwards and does not seem to hold anything against my father because of the torture sessions.
Yet, I also know that my father would not object much about my brother doing this kind of photo session. Like he did some onstage acting where he had to cry, and did so very naturally. Because you can make a kid understand that this is a
game . Besides, my brother does not cry when you take away his candy bar, at worst, he kicks, at best he tricks you into giving it back...
Contrary to adults, children do not shy away from strong emotions. I have seen my sister watch movies like Bambi or Dark Crystal dozen of times when she was younger. And she cried without failure every single time. And yet, she would watch them again and again, and with great pleasure, even though she knew she would eventually cry. Do you think she was a masochist? Or that her parents should have protected her from that kind of useless harm?
This woman crosses a very obvious and easily discernable line -
these children did not have to be upset.
Maybe. Or maybe both the artist and the parents thought it was worth it. Who are you to tell? Maybe the photo sessions were part of something they wanted to teach their children about? Maybe the photo session was an occasion to strenghten the bound with their children? Maybe the children actually enjoyed the whole session, even if part of it involved distressing emotions - much like a Bambi movie?
Imagine the thoughts of the children, twenty
years on, looking at these photos. What would go through your mind
if it was you ?
Well, I can laugh about the kids who tortured me when I was a kid and made me eat baby frogs. I can laugh about that old kid who stole my pocket money and gave me several beating, until my father helped me handle the situation - and this has become a very fond memory actually.
Hopefully, most adult eventually develop a sense of humor and perspective.
And, maybe, these adults will actually be happy to have a picture from their childhood that actually carry some real feelings? So many kid photos are hopelessly souless; children doing fake smiles to the camera or just looking bored. Maybe they will enjoy having a picture showing at least some raw emotion their inner kid can still relate to...
I know I wish I had this kind of photo of me...
Not good .... as you will realise when you have children of your
own. You will, or should, find this site as distressing as the
other parents who have expressed their disgust
Obviously, not all parents feel this kind of disgust, otherwise the photos would not exist.
Besides, I don't think that having children should cause you to forget about all your opinions and values. Otherwise, you are betraying yourself and your children. I believe children can understand a lot, if you explain it to them patiently and in words that can reach them. People want to shield their kids from everything nowadays! Children are a whole lot tougher than most adults think - they need it to survive school and playground!
