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The boy, believed to be around eight years old, was upset and loudly protesting about not wanting to return home.
The mother later posted a video of her son admitting his mistake. (Photo Credit: Youtube)
A woman in China raised an intense online debate about parenting after she was caught on video stopping her car on an expressway to discipline her young son. The incident happened in Zhengzhou, located in central Henan province and gained widespread attention on social media, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
The mother, Zhang, pulled over onto the emergency lane of the expressway before forcing her son out of the car to “educate” him about his bad behaviour. As per the report, the boy believed to be around eight years old, was upset and loudly protesting about not wanting to return home. During his outburst, he even threatened to jump out of the moving car.
Zhang explained that she initially tried to calm her son with verbal warnings. When that failed and his behaviour started affecting her ability to drive safely, she decided to stop the car.
“I found verbal education did not work. His actions were affecting my ability to drive safely. I knew I would be fined for stopping the car on the freeway. But I could not stand him any longer. I needed to teach him a lesson immediately,” Zhang said.
The video of the incident, which has caught attention on Chinese social media website, Douyin, shows Zhang forcing her son out of the car before using a tree branch to hit him. She held onto his coat to prevent him from running away while he cried during the punishment.
It is still unclear who recorded the video but Zhang later revealed that her family has a rule that when a parent is disciplining a child, other adults should not interfere. It seemingly explains why the person recording did not step in.
Later, Zhang posted a video where her son admitted his mistake.
“I realise that it is quite dangerous to jump out of the car on an expressway. It was wrong. I hope other children will not learn from me,” said the boy.
According to China’s Road Safety Regulations, stopping a vehicle on the emergency lane of a freeway without a legitimate emergency can result in a 200 yuan (approximately Rs 2,400) fine and a deduction of nine points from the driver’s license.
The video of the incident accumulated over 5 million views so far.
One user commented, “At first I thought the mother was unstable. But after learning the details of the incident, I support her.”
Another pointed out, “It is still dangerous to beat a child on the road. What if he ran into the middle of the road? It is better to hit him after you get home.”
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