Mom Films Her Toddlers Hitting Each Other Over And Over Again Without Intervening
She is being criticized for not stepping in.
TikTok If there's one thing about siblings that will always be true it's how often and normal it is for them to disagree and argue.
While it can sometimes turn into physical altercations between siblings, that type of behavior should never be encouraged, especially when siblings are quite young.
One mom is being criticized after she decided to film her toddler twins slapping and engaging in a physical altercation with each other instead of stepping in and breaking it up.
She failed to intervene and teach her kids an important lesson about not hitting each other and respecting their siblings.
In a TikTok video posted by the twins' mother, the two toddlers, one being a boy and the other being a girl, are both screaming and crying as they hit one another.
The little boy starts by hitting his sister on the shoulder as they both cry, seemingly in distress.
The action is quickly reciprocated by his sister, who pushes him roughly in the chest before slapping him on his back.
The action sends the little boy into another screaming fit, where he retaliates by smacking his sister in the face so hard, her pacifier falls out of her mouth and onto the ground.
She immediately touches the part of her mouth that her brother hit, sobbing and looking in the direction of the camera, seemingly trying to make eye contact with her parents.
After a few more seconds of the little girl crying, she hits her brother twice on the top of his head while he pulls on her hair in return.
As the little boy pulls down on his sister's hair, a man, presumably the toddler's father, can be heard in the background reprimanding them with a firm, "Hey!"
TikTok users criticized the toddlers' parents for not stepping in sooner.
"Why is no one stopping them? Too crazy for me!" one user wrote.
Another user added, "Why is videoing more important than stopping them from hurting each other?"
"Why is the person recording letting this happen," a third user remarked.
However, other users argued that the displayed behavior between the toddlers is just how "they communicate," which is a false narrative to spread.
Studies have shown that sibling abuse is psychologically and physically devastating for all involved.
Anytime siblings are verbally cruel or abusive, or physically violent with one another, a parent should always step in and end the behavior immediately, as this is a form of sibling abuse and not "rivalry" or the way they "communicate" with one another.
According to Kids Health, when getting involved in physical altercations between siblings, parents should separate their children until they are calm.
"Sometimes it's best just to give them space for a little while and not immediately rehash the conflict. Otherwise, the fight can escalate again," the site states.
"If you want to make this a learning experience, wait until the emotions have died down."
It's also important for parents not to put too much blame on which sibling is to blame for the fight, and should discipline them fairly and accordingly.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.