In suggesting that there is no excuse for a 17 year old hitting

[laptopdancer]

a 7 year old.

Seven year old apparently went to knee 17 year old in the nuts. No contact ,pain or crying from 17 year old. Contact, tears and red mark on chest for 7 year old.

what actually happened?

I have to say that if I was a man and a 7 year old flew at me about to knee me in the nuts I would , as a gut reaction, probably shove a hand out to stop him/her... that may well be viewed as a "hit" and could potentially hurt said 7 year old, but it wouldn't be a deliberate hit

and whilst it's not ok if the 17 year old deliberately hurt the 7 year old I would also be pointing out to said 7 year old that if he goes around kneeing people in the genitals he is likely to get that kind of reaction

If it is siblings fighting, then the 7 year old probably wont try it again.

More info is needed op!

Siblings yes but a 17 year old who is pretty much physically a man v a 7 year old. What if I said it was a father who hit his son?
Just wondering where I should stand on this as I can see both sides.

I did wonder about the knee jerk reaction (pardon the pun)...hence questioning myself.

Sorry tiffany I was in the next room and just heard the whack, crying and threatening words. Didnt see the nut-knee attempt.

does the 7 year old do this kind of thing a lot?
if so i can also imagine a 17 yr old getting bloody fed up of it and hitting back

no, not right, but kind of understandable.

i'm of a different parenting generation, but i dont think 17 year olds are necessarily 'grown up' or have grown up thought processes.

their thought processes are very much child like - IME

now in my old school parenting way...i think the 7 year old should know better than to knee someone in the nuts and quite frankly if you do it to your brother - your brother is gonna give you what for - cos brothers do that

I remember once going to knee my dad in the nuts... I didnt make contact, but his hand certainly made contact with my legs afterwards..

From what any bloke says, the pain from even a slight knock in that area is excruciating, so it is an automatic reaction to push someone away if they are aiming for it.

I also remember a pair of kids aged about 7 fighting at school and the one who got kicked in the groin ended up in hospital and was in a lot of pain.

I would say your 7yo needs to be told that even threatening to knee someone like that is wrong.

custardo he'd better be grown up, he's in the workforce, not a school child.
I can see the point though.

Welcome to my life!

16yo and 11yo.

There is a pecking order in life.

And I cant see this point What if I said it was a father who hit his son? has any validity - if someone , who knows that testicle hurt if hit, attempts to deliberately hurt testicles .... then I have to say any father worth his salt would up end the brat, and tan his bloody arse.

And I await flaming.

i know i have a couple of them myself, just cos they are working doesn't make them grown up me thinks.

anyway - dh's view on this is that a knee jerk reaction is inevitable if someone - anyone is going for your nuts.

Im wondering if you could use "the nut defence" in court of law as defence against an assault charge....seeing possibilities

Honestly ? my brother is ten years younger than myself and he drove me MAD , as a result i regularly slapped ,kicked ,pushed him when he was a super annoying 7 year old . Was it right ? hell no . Would i of allowed anyone else on the planet do the same to him ? hell no. Welcome to the wonderful world of siblings.

What Custardo said.

My brother is 10 years older than me, and we used to have fist fights and kicking fights up until I started uni. I was having fights with him from aged 6 onwards..no big deal, it's a sibling thing.

I have a brother 10 years younger than me and I wouldnt have ever dreamed of hitting him. Then, I dont have any nuts.

Mind you, my brother when 26 had a pop at me (14) and I gave him a lovely right hook that took out a tooth. Never seen anyone screaming "muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum she hit me" like it

Good old Mum, backed me up - mind you he had been dangling me by my ankles ..... serves him right for dropping me on my head...

They do grow out of it, eventually.

My stepchildren would beat hell out of each other when they were younger, but now all adults they are fiercely protective of each other.

I was probs more of a reflex reaction, even if someone hit me in the face the reflex is to hit back.

Generally I'd say 'no excuse', but don't really blame him in this particular case, if the kid was about to hurt him in a very sensitive place - sounds like it was a knee-jerk reaction and was probably more a rough shove away from him rather than 'hitting'.

It's a useful lesson for the 7 year old that he should not ever do this, except in genuine self-defence, and that people will generally NOT react well to it!

Sounds like more of a reflex reaction, and also showing his younger sibling not to do it again - not that Im saying it is right..
Then again, nor is a 7YO kneeing someone else in the nuts - A 7YO should know better!

They are both in the wrong IMO - 7YO shouldn't have done that in the first place (he did start it!), and 17YO shouldnt have retaliated (but can see why he did)..

My DS (17) goes to a sporting activity that also has bratlets of 7-10 years old who love to wind up the older boys by attacking them en masse, shrieking and squeaking and trying their strength against the almost-men who aren't allowed to retaliate.
I told him and his mates to yell for the instructors loudly if they are in trouble, rather than turning said bratlets into jam. Because all the mummikins wouldn't believe how annoying their little ones can be.
'Ah bless, they're only playing'
It will always be the fault of the older one.