The BBC reports that a parenting self-defense class is growing in popularity, and it's not for parents who want to protect their kids from others; it's for parents that need protection FROM their kids.
Parental Education Growth Support (PEGS), which provides support for parents facing violence from their children, said,
Three years ago, it was being contacted by 1,200 families a year looking for support.
Last year that figure had risen to more than 4,000 a year.
We're not talking about just a shove or something like that.
A former doorman from Blyth, Tony MacDonald, who works for the Northumberland Community and Voluntary Action, began offering a self-defense to parents for free after hearing a mother describe how her son had pinned both her and her husband to the floor, gave them concussions, and cut them.
I really saw the effect [her son's violent behaviour] had on her and I thought I can help.
Apparently, there is no such thing as a criminal charge for kids that abuse their parents, so parents with violent teenagers have little recourse.
Durham University Assistant Sociology Professor Nikki Rutter said,
There were some ‘really excellent pockets of practice' but a lack of official systems to provide help early enough.
Without a statutory duty, services could say an issue was not their responsibility or they were not commissioned to provide support, she added.
‘For families, it can feel like there is no way out.'
So a little kid kung-fu might just do the trick?
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