I’m Marta, mom to a cheerful and curious boy named Janosch. For two years, he loved going to kindergarten. But then, everything changed.

Each morning, he sobbed, clung to me, and said:
— “Mom, please don’t take me!”

At first, I thought it was a phase — the so-called “terrible threes”. But my instinct told me something was really wrong. Janosch wasn’t himself anymore.

I gently tried to talk to him, but he was scared, closed off, nearly trembling. Then one day, he whispered:

— “I don’t want to eat there anymore…”

Those words chilled me. He always had a good appetite. What was happening during mealtime?

The day everything changed

The next day at noon, I went to the kindergarten and peeked through a big window.

I saw my son, sitting sadly, eyes full of tears. A woman — a teacher I didn’t know — was speaking harshly to him:

— “Open your mouth! Eat now!” she snapped, forcing a spoon into his mouth.

He shook his head, cried, and started choking.

— “STOP!” I screamed and rushed in.

— “Don’t touch him again!”

The teacher tried to stop me:
— “You can’t be here!”
— “And do you have the right to treat a child like that?” I shot back, shaking with rage.

A new beginning

After that, I spoke to the management, observed more, asked questions.

Gradually, the staff changed. Janosch regained trust, smiled again, and wanted to go back.

What I learned:

When a child begs, there’s always a reason.
Parents know best. Trust your gut.
Forcing, yelling, humiliating — that’s not education, it’s harm.
My quick action prevented invisible trauma.