What lengths would you go to in order to punish your child?
As the riots broke out in Baltimore in the US this week, one mother spotted her son taking part and marched straight down to find him.
42-year-old Toya Graham, was caught on camera slapping her 16-year-old son Michael for taking part in the riots.
She was filmed trying to pull off his ski mask and chasing him down the road during Monday’s violence.
Miss Graham told American news channel CBS on Wednesday that she ‘just lost it’ when she saw her son carrying a rock and walking towards police officers.
She said: ‘I recognized those baggy sweatpants and we made eye contact. I was saying ”how dare you do this?”
Her actions then saw her son immediately lose his tough-guy swagger as she managed to pull the ski mask from his head and clipped him around the ears, yelling: ”Are you for real? Really? This is what you want to do?
“I told you I’d come down here. Didn’t I? Didn’t I?”
The riots broke out following the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray earlier this month who died after being taken into custody by Baltimore Police.
The single mother-of-six has won praise from police chiefs and mums across the nation for her ‘tough love’ stance.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts mentioned Graham’s heroics when he spoke at a press conference shortly before midnight on Monday.
He said: ‘In one scene you had a mother who grabbed a child who had a hood on his head and started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed.
“I wish there were more parents out there who took charge of their kids tonight.”
“Take control of your kids. This is our city, let’s make a difference.”
It is not easy to discipline your children, especially when they become teenagers.
Throughout childhood many parents will have laid down the groundwork for manners and for what they believe to be acceptable behaviour.
It seems in the case of Michael Graham he’d definitely taken it too far and mum was there to punish him for his actions.
