In the video Graham is also seen repeatedly hitting her child. The initial blows appear to be part of her effort to physically drag her son away from rioting, which is certainly understandable. But the continuing slaps and punches seemed to stem more from anger and punishment. After the incident, she even posted on Facebook how she “beat the s—t out of him” and conceded in an interview that she “just lost it” after seeing her son amid the protesters.

Just like cursing doesn’t work, hitting children is also ineffective discipline. Physical punishment actually increases violent behavior among youth. According to the American Psychological Association, “adolescents who were more likely to engage in fighting, bullying, and victimization of others reported that their parents engaged in corporal punishment as a disciplining method.”

Graham should be praised for being a caring parent with pure intentions. If more parents dragged their teens away from violence, the world would be a much more peaceful place. With that said, shouting, cursing and hitting your teen should not be praised, and is certainly not ideal parenting, no matter the circumstances.