"Stop crying and kick the other kid's ass, sweetie!"

Now, I have nothing against getting kids into sports at an early age. Soccer, Hockey (to a certain extent, anyway), and maybe even tag football. I mean, the last thing we need are more lazy lumps of little fat rolls taxing our health care system.

Getting kids active by putting them in sports programs? Good idea.

Said sports programs being MUAY THAI? No.

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I seriously feel sick reading this article. And you will too. So here's an except for those of lesser gastro-intestinal fortitude:

Quote :

"If I'd never taught my kids Thai boxing how guilty
would I feel. Anyway Miah loves it - she's like a ballet dancer
with boxing gloves at the moment," he told the the News of the
World.
But footage from the programme shows that Miah often cries
before going into the ring and her Dad instructing "Come on
baby just enjoy yourself" before later ordering her "stop
this now".

And the pics? The pics are something else.
I am truly sorry for ruining your day, people.

How does this not qualify as child abuse? The kids are obviously being forced to do something they don't want to do by their brain-dead parents. And that's not even considering the lack of protective head gear. Your child can't ride a bike without a helmet, but it's okay for some other kid to kick them in the head?

Quote :

"My dream and his mum's dream is for him to win a stadium title," he said. "I don't know what his dream is? probably to play with his soldiers."

>:|

I hate these parents with a burning passion.

1) LOL FAT PEOPLE SUCK UP HEALTH CARE MONEY fuck you

2) DAILY FAIL

That said, no kid that young should be engaging in competitive martial arts. Learning katas and throwing punches and kicks up and down a gym is one thing - actual kumite, no way.

Cyberwulf wrote:

no kid that young should be engaging in competitive martial arts. Learning katas and throwing punches and kicks up and down a gym is one thing - actual kumite, no way.

This. They can brain each other after they hit puberty, ffs.

Yes, let's give them padding over their body and keep their heads exposed. WAT?

Considering they're so young, why not give them those padded head things amateur boxers wear? Or, you know, not put them into fights until they're teenagers?

Cyberwulf wrote:

1) LOL FAT PEOPLE SUCK UP HEALTH CARE MONEY fuck you

LOL I'M BITTER BECAUSE I'M A FAT FATTY FROM FATTOWN WHO CAN'T LOSE WEIGHT BECAUSE I'M TOO BUSY BEING A BITCH!

I used to have a neighbor who taught karate to the local kids. He wouldn't let them compete, though, at least not until they were teenagers, and told them not to use their skills on other people unless someone was trying to hurt them.

>_O And her I thought that the parents who forced their kids into football were bad.

WTF? No protective gear?

Spoiler:

"Despite his youth [ten years of age], his victories apparently include two
knockouts."

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Cyberwulf wrote:

WAAAAAHHHHHHHH I'M LASHING OUT AT OTHERS BECAUSE NO ONE HAS EVER LOVED ME BECAUSE MY FATHER WAS AN IRISHMAN ALCOHOLIC AND MOTHER JUST STOOD AND I'M A FAT, PSYCHOPATHIC BUCKET OF SALTY HORSE CUM!!!

What are we arguing about now? I'm just coming up with the most over the top insults I can for laughs.

the asylum wrote:

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What the fuck has to be wrong with you to think putting a 5 year old in a Muay Thai match is a good idea? Did the huge number of in-ring fatalities not clue you in or something?

Some do start fairly young (especially in Thailand; I don't remember the actual age they start training at on average, but it's pretty young. I'm looking it up now.), but five is still ridiculous.

Rabid Badger wrote:

How does this not qualify as child abuse? The kids are obviously being forced to do something they don't want to do by their brain-dead parents. And that's not even considering the lack of protective head gear. Your child can't ride a bike without a helmet, but it's okay for some other kid to kick them in the head?

This and then some. I'll be honest: I do teach karate, I have been a ring judge many times in a few different events, and yeah, we do get little kids sparring. Forcing kids of any age to fight is ridiculous. I've had kids in the ring who start crying, and we'll let them sit it out. It's wrong beyond description to force a kid to fight another kid. We do have instructors who try (grrr Imperial County assholes), but in the ring, the judge has the final say, and any judge that lets that kind of parental/instructor intimidation happen should be tossed themselves.

I can't imagine kids that young fighting in that style anyway, especially without headgear. We do have little kids sparring (6-8 years old), but in our style, they don't start until they're at their second or third belt, and they're heavily restricted when it comes to contact zones (no head/neck/back, no groin) until they're older and more advanced. And they're covered in padding. Head, chest, hands, feet, shins, the whole deal. In the PeeWee divisions, they essentially spend three minutes bouncing off of each other. They get more bruises from falling over because the pads made them lose their balance than from any contact with their opponent.

They shouldn't be in something as heavy-contact as Muay Thai that young. It's ridiculous. If they want to do it, they can wait until they're older, and if they have to do martial arts right now, then they can do a less-intense style. And the parents should never force them into any of it. That's always bad news when it comes to studying any martial art.

Especially when they start to really resent it and turn said Muay Thai on their parents....

From how the lot in this story sound, that'd almost be a good thing this time.

Well, the parents would deserve it, but you know the law probably wouldn't see it that way...

MUAY THAI?!?! Have they watched any Tony Jaa movies? Do they know how INCREDIBLY painful and dangerous that looks? Especially for kids with developing bones, that's just asking for trouble. D:

It's part of being a parent to force kids to do things they don't want to do (eating broccoli, going to school, not staying up late watching TV), but it's another to _force them to commit acts of violence against other children_.

I can just about stand combat sports by remembering that there's (meant to be, at least) full informed consent on both sides, but this? This can't be ethical.

Is this not qualifying as child abuse because no one knows it's happening? In that case, these parents may well regret agreeing to appear in the documentary the article says is coming out.

Though it is the Daily Mail, so who knows how reliable it is?

For people who are wondering how "dumb" these parents are, I think you're giving them too much credit. I think they're very much aware of how harmful this is. It's their version of dogfighting. These people are thoroughly enjoying watching a bunch of kids beat the shit out of each other.

Narwhal wrote:

For people who are wondering how "dumb" these parents are, I think you're giving them too much credit. I think they're very much aware of how harmful this is. It's their version of dogfighting. These people are thoroughly enjoying watching a bunch of kids beat the shit out of each other.

That reminds me of a news story about a father who videotaped his two-year-old son hitting another child, encouraged the child to keep on hitting, and then, IIRC, put it on Youtube.

Never underestimate the cruelty of people seeking entertainment.

It's great that parents are encouraging their kids to get active.

But living out your dreams through your kids is not healthy for ANYBODY.