Your teenage daughter confides that her boyfriend slapped her face during an argument. Do you advise her to leave him or let it go?

I would explain to her the cycle of abuse, so she knows his "apology" and sappy begging for forgiveness is typical of abusers, and not a sign that he will change. I would let her know that she needs to make her own choices (I would worry that by "forbidding" her she would rebel and run to him), but that this is a very serious, adult situation and victims of domestic violence have the right to get away. I would keep on using the terms "domestic violence," "abuser" and "crime" so she would really hear that this is not normal or tolerable behavior.

I would also tell her that she is not alone, and that her family is willing to help her, defend her, and protect her. I would tell her she shouldn't be embarrassed because people from all backgrounds can be abused, and its not a reflection on her. After explaining to her what I think her choices are, I would call the police.

If she objected, I would simply tell her that as someone who is aware of a serious crime, I feel obligated to report it. I would tell her that while I will always love, support, and help her, I will never be a party to the abuse and never cover up for him. I would hope that the police would contact his parents, since he is a minor, but in some states, anyone over 13 years old can talk to the police without a parent present, so I would try to follow up with the parents.

Without blaming them, I would explain how seriously I take the abuse of my child, and how I will not back down in defending her safety. If the boyfriend was over 18, I would definitely pursue legal action as rigidly as possible. With a teenager, you need to walk a delicate line, because they are looking for help while also trying to get their own feet under them.

They need support but also to be set up for success as an adult, with their own responsibilities and consequences. I would just keep on reiterating that abuse is never acceptable under any circumstances, no matter how sad his little "my mommy didn't love me enough" sob story or apologies are.

If that happened to my baby girl the kid would be lucky if he ever walked again or chewed his food... No you DO NOT let it go. You have a converasation with the young man and make daaaaamn sure he knows what will happen if he ever EVER lays a hand on her again or any other woman. What will happen is very outside the law and incredibly painful.

Then we enroll her in Kung Fu training or at least self defense classes.

Tell her to leave him of course... But if ever that happens to my baby then that guy would have one in his face as well and he'll know he is messing with the wrong girl and the wrong family... Anyway i'll make sure my baby will be prepared for instances like that - just like her mom...=).

I'd advise her to leave him. Period. This is abuse, and approving her staying in the relationship would be one of the worst things I could possibly do as a mother.

Not only is it highly likely to put her in danger, but it sets a really bad precedent. You had better believe I'd tell her to leave, and I'd encourage her to press charges. Besides, it's a teenage relationship.

Even the best of them rarely last.

I would advise her to leave him outright. Because, self-respect and self-estimate is most important in life. Thanks.

I would forbid her to ever see him again. If a teenage boy is already slapping girls, it can only get worse.

Teen-aged people are generally in the process of learning how to form healthy relationships. In this situation I would reinforce the lesson that tesorting to violence to win an argument is NOT acceptable. I would advise her to break it off (at a bare minimum) and check in later to make sure that it stays 'broken'.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.