So for background, I am young. I work with incredibly impoverished young parents. I empathize with them- but it is simply not acceptable to have children and ignore them. I don't have any children yet because I know I cannot afford them, financially or emotionally. I see this fairly often; a young, poor woman is fatalistic about contraception (if I had a dollar for every time someone told me "You can't really *plan* for a child, if it happens it happens"), gets pregnant, loves the child because most parents love their children, but deeply resents the child for 'stealing' their own adolescence.
This mother may be in a tough situation, but she put herself in it. This is not Jennifer Aniston or a prepared single woman choosing to have a child. Yet this mom has a decent amount of money by my standards- the apartment is clean, there are many toys, she has professionally colored hair. "Anything I ****ing need, I get myself"- then she must be paid very well, because most people do not "f***ing need" two hours a night at a private gym (with child care!). She makes herself a martyr- you're *supposed* to do what you have to for your kids! You're not supposed to "beat the ***" of a toddler- you have to teach him!
I applaud Jo for telling this woman, as she tells many parents, "This is your responsibility to your child and society- step up". I was so glad to hear her say "What about when he's robbing a store or beating his wife?" because that is absolutely where those adult activities are rooted, in a lack of learned impulse control. Jo teaches discipline that doesn't inflict fear, but shows the child that 'society' (his family, at that point in his life) will shun violent or obnoxious behavior. Someone needed to teach Ashley that, and I think Jo, as usual, did a wonderful job of teaching the parent and the child.