How Would You Deal? — The Dr. Oz Show Version of ‘What Would You Do?’
It happens around us all the time, but how often do you step in, either saying something, or doing something, about a bully…especially when that bully may be a parent?
It’s an issue that’s tackled this season on the Dr. Oz Show, and an issue that isn’t always simply black and white.
They call it ‘How Would You Deal?’ segments, and they’re similar to other undercover segments you see on network television in the famed ‘What Would You Do?’ series.
The segments have viewers facing moral dilemmas, issues that many of us may struggle with that may impact our mind, body and spirit in ways we’re not even aware of.
For example, what would you do if a mother in a restaurant was pressuring her child, shaming in a sense, to choose foods on a menu that the mother considers healthy, instead of what the child wants. Except the mother doesn’t do it in a kind way…she shames her with references to her weight, and lack of friends. The child is clearly hurt by the scolding. Others in the restaurant can clearly hear what is being said and are uncomfortable. So, when the mother goes into the restroom for a minute, leaving the child alone at the table, other diners have a chance to step in, but will they?
Would you?
If you saw this in a restaurant, would you say something to the mother…or to the child? What if the mother was calling that child fat…or saying they won’t have friends if they make pancakes their breakfast choice? Would you intervene then, especially if it is clear that child is upset?
Those are the kinds of scenarios caught on video, and now part of the Dr. Oz series.
I personally like these episodes because I think they remind each of us that we can get involved when we see situations that seem cruel or unfair. So often, we stand back and think we’re intruding, when sometimes, that’s exactly what needs to happen.
The episode airing on Thursday, October 1st, focuses on this topic. Find out then how this special note plays a role.
You can catch the Dr. Oz Show in Atlanta at 3pm on weekdays on WSB-TV.
October 2, 2015 @ 4:33 pm
Wow, these are tough situations. You’re right I would definitely question whether it would be intrusive to say something. I remember seeing a mother yelling at a small child in a parking lot, back before I had kids, and I remember feeling for days like I should have said something. It’s so hard to decide what is that line between bad parenting (which we are all guilty of at some point or another) and mentally, verbally, physically abusive parenting.