A Mom Calls The Cops On Her 5-Year-Old Daughter And The Police Are Not Happy About It
The tables turned quickly for this mom.
roberjzm / Canva Pro After five calls to 911, the police were quick to make their way to a mother’s home, but upon arrival, a cop was confused and frustrated to see a happy five-year-old girl at the door — and an angry mom recording him.
A mom called the cops on her five-year-old daughter for not listening, but it didn't become the parenting lesson she thought it would.
The mom, who identified herself as Tara, explained obstinately to the police that she called emergency services because her daughter was misbehaving. “All she does is pitch fits — I told her if she doesn’t quit pitching fits, I was calling the cops to tell her she could go to jail for acting like a crazy person,” the mom exclaimed confidently to the police officer.
But instead of reprimanding the toddler, the cop turned the tables on the mom, saying, “You’re going to make her afraid of us, because you don’t know how to parent.”
After arriving, the cop explained the situation for the mom, trying to make her understand that her behavior is inappropriate and that calling the cops under these circumstances is illegal.
While it’s clear some families utilize 911 to report their own family members, a situation like this one is far from typical.
Facing the cop’s confusion, Tara adamantly defended her right to call the police on her daughter, hoping to teach her a lesson about “respecting” her mother’s demands. “I know how to parent, she doesn’t know how to listen,” the mom argued.
The police officer urged the mom to rethink her parenting strategy.
While it seems unbelievable for many parents, some families consider calling the cops an effective way to discipline their misbehaving children. Often for teenagers or young adults, breaking through walls of communication to reinforce good behavior is a challenge for parents.
However, outside of simply misusing 911 and law enforcement, this "tactic" often breeds an environment of distrust, miscommunication, and hostility for families, leading to a worse situation than before. While many resources online urge parents to rethink their use of 911 as a parenting strategy, not many discuss the consequences that happen under the law.
Unfortunately for this mother, she learned the hard way that her misuse would lead to a lot more than just a strained relationship with her young daughter.
The police officer placed the mother in cuffs for misuse of 911 and resisting arrest.
After Tara refused to give her driver’s license or last name to the cop, he frustratingly explained that she was the person who called him for help, and not providing the information he requested is illegal. “You should ask her for her name,” the mother said mockingly while pointing to her young daughter.
“Now you have to give me your ID,” the cop said after explaining her crime, “or I’m going to arrest you for obstruction of justice.” Continuing to argue with the cop, he finally gave up and attempted to place her in cuffs. She fought back while her daughter cried in the background.
Choosing to blame instead of comfort, the mom turned to her young daughter and told her, “Now I’m going to jail — because you can’t listen!”
Photo: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock
Calling the cops for false reports in Georgia can result in large fines and potential jail time.
Outside of her distasteful ignorance, this mother will face the consequences of misusing 911 — not just for her single call, but for the four times she called prior.
Calling the cops with the intention to harass an officer or make a false report in Georgia has serious consequences. Not only are offenders met with hefty fines, but they can also face up to a year in jail.
Media stories of similar situations don’t always turn out the same, for better and for worse. Some parents have found that the cops actually do take their calls seriously, taking the time to discipline their children under false pretenses of arrest or jail time.
On the other hand, as many people in the comments pointed out, there’s a much more sinister side to this discussion of misuse.
After calling the cops five times, many people pointed out this mom’s privilege as part of the overarching problem.
In a highly energized political and social world, the compounding of racially motivated police brutality has illuminated a conversation about trust in law enforcement for many communities.
While many minorities, immigrants, lower-income, and disabled Americans don’t trust law enforcement or are too afraid to call the cops for emergencies, many white Americans are too quick to pick up the phone.
As noted by Slate, distrust in the police force is nothing new, but for white communities that have less fear of negative associations with law enforcement, abuse of the system, like in the case of calling 911 for parenting services, is something other communities wouldn't even consider.
While the cop featured on the TikTok was quick to check the privilege of this mom who misused 911 to report her innocent daughter, that's not always the case. For many minority families or low-income parents, calling the police for help can end up doing more harm than good — a reality not many white communities will ever experience.
This mom, who's likely grown accustomed to previous interactions with law enforcement, faced a "harsh" reality when she opted to pull in police help in lieu of actual parenting.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.