Laws for physically harming children are super messed up. Children are legally nearly a slave class in this country. Their parents can 100% hit them (“within reason”) and it’s not child abuse. If a child retaliates at all, the child can actually have charges pressed against them by the parent.

I have heard numerous numerous stories of this exact situation: parent starts beating kid to discipline. it gets out of hand/kid won’t tolerate any more, so they call 911. Police show up, tell kid not only are they not arresting parent, but it is parent’s right to hit kid and discipline as they see fit (within the law). But if parent wants they can see about charges to kid if kid hit them or destroyed property.

This is also very similar as to what happens when women call for domestic violence - the police threaten to arrest the victim. Really really often. It’s almost like police are domestic abusers themselves.