Mom Pushes 12-Year-Olds To Fight In Schoolyard, Then Knees Spectator In Head

Okay, really, what is up with these terrible stories about terrible moms I keep hearing about? The latest comes from Long Island, New York, where Daphne Melin has been arrested for encouraging two 12-year-old girls one of them her own daughter to fight in the schoolyard. Melin allegedly cheered her child on and, when one 12-year-old spectator told Melin, “You shouldn’t be doing this. You should be breaking up the fight,” Melin kneed the girl in the head and neck, then spit on her.

Charming.

Melin, 32, has since been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and attempted assault. Melin told ABC News that she allowed the fight to protect her daughter, who she says was cyber bullied. The fight started on Facebook, she claims, where her daughter was harassed and threatened by up to 10 young girls, ABC reports. Melin says neither the school nor the police were willing to get involved despite her apparent pleas.

Okay, we get wanting to protect your child and having the whole Mama Bear instinct take over. But, uh, egging the girls on and shouting words of encouragement? Terrible. And then getting all violent on a bystander a kid, no less? What was this woman thinking?!

A group of kids caught the whole thing on tape, which then went viral, not surprisingly. And so Melin is now singing a different tune. “You now, it’s just horrible,” she told ABC News. “I don’t encourage fighting, it’s not the right thing to do.” Thanks for comin’ out, lady. You should have thought of that before acting as referee.

Melin could face up to one year in state prison.

(Photo: Alexander Trinitatov)