We all have our different approaches to raising our children.
And let’s face it, it is not always easy to know what to do when they misbehave or disobey.
But one mom’s recent attempt at discipline will live with her – and her child — for the rest of their lives.
We’ve all experienced times when our children just refuse to listen – it’s completely normal and obviously needs to be addressed in an appropriate manner.
But a mom in Michigan has landed herself in jail for the way she punished her son for disobeying – and inappropriate just doesn’t even describe it.
Tiffany Kosakowski pled guilty in court to running over her 9-year-old son.
Was it a terrible accident? No, it was her idea of punishment because he refused to go to school.
In December of last year, the mom was having a morning so many of us typically have. She was dropping the third grader off at Chandler Woods Charter Academy to start his school day.
But for whatever reason, her son really did not want to go to school that day.
He began to walk back toward the car, but Kosakowski decided to pull away anyway. Her son then began to walk alongside the car in an attempt to keep her from leaving.
It’s at this point that most of us would stop, let our child back into the car, and discuss what was really going on.
Was he feeling ill? Was he being bullied and scared to go through the school day? Was something else bothering him?
Instead, Kosakowski continued to drive away, even after her son grabbed onto the passenger side door handle… even after she knew he was being dragged by the car while desperately trying to maintain his grip.
And then, the unthinkable – the 9-year-old lost his hold on the door handle, fell under the car, and was run over by the rear tire.
Kosakowski originally stated that she was unaware that her son was holding onto the door handle as she drove away, but a driver would have to be blind not to see someone running alongside their car through the passenger window.
Surveillance cameras at the school filmed the horrific turn of events, and law enforcement believes that she was well-aware of what was going on.
Although officers claim “she stopped right away” when she realized she had run over her son, they seem to have proof from the footage that it was not an accident.
“There are additional moments leading up to that moment that were caught on camera,” said Sergeant Joel Roon, as reported by local station WOOD-TV, and officers measured the distance the young boy was dragged – 47 yards, almost half the length of a football field.
Kosakowski eventually pled guilty to reckless driving resulting in serious injury, even admitting that she did accelerate while jerking the steering wheel from left to right in what would appear an obvious attempt to shake her young child loose from the door.
Most parents are shocked when we read stories about child abuse in the news. We cannot imagine any situation that would cause us to purposely harm our child.
Nothing a child does could ever condone such behavior. And this is not just a spanking or a slap on the wrist – this mother could have killed her own child.
Officers testified that she “knowingly drove the vehicle in a manner that was likely to, and did, cause serious physical injury to (the son),” according to Michigan’s WZZM13.
While the judge in the case said her actions were “simply inexcusable,” it is hard to understand why she received such a lenient sentence – six months with all but thirty days suspended – and she gets to serve the thirty days on weekends, so she can visit her son in the hospital.
It seems that justice has not been served in this case.
Her son faces an uphill battle to heal after sustaining a fractured skull and other broken bones, as well as traumatic brain injury that has him requiring specialized care and physical therapy.
He was in a coma and hooked up to tubes and wires when his father, John Rodriguez, visited his son in the hospital following the incident, as reported by WZZM13.
Kosakowski and her son’s father are no longer together, and he had not seen the boy for some time. But he did state that this is just the most recent event in a long line of unpredictable and “erratic” behavior on the part of Kosakowski.
So, this mom with an apparent history of irrational behavior only got thirty days in jail for something that will likely affect her child for the rest of his life?
And what of the emotional trauma of knowing that his own mother did this to him for a simple behavioral infraction?
It is shocking to say the least, but the judge’s hands may have been tied because she had no previous criminal record.
What’s even more difficult to understand is that she may not have received the full sentence she deserved because of an outpouring of support from people in the community who wrote letters on Kosakowski’s behalf.
Friends also started a GoFundMe page to assist with her son’s medical expenses and her legal fees.
For his part, the judge stated that he didn’t think her friends would have been so supportive had they viewed the horrific footage of the incident for themselves.
“It was really hard to watch, and I am not sure you would enjoy as much support as you evidently do, had that been widely distributed,” stated the judge in the case, according to People.
For now, the young boy continues his battle for recovery, and it is not clear whether Kosakowski will get full custody of her son back after she serves her sentence. He is currently in the care of relatives.
One thing is certain – no child should ever be harmed by a parent. And no child should suffer irreparable physical and emotional trauma at the hands of the person they trust most.
What do you think about the lenient sentence that was handed down in this horrific case? Do you think this mom should have her parental rights restored once her time has been served? Leave us your comments.