We part ways with severity of punishment. I have no problem with spankings. An open hand to the butt, applied in a manner that doesn't leave a bruise is fine, I suppose. Grabbing a stick and lumping up your child is never OK. IF YOU LEAVE CUTS AND BRUISES, YOUVE GONE TOO FAR
I don't necessarily agree with this. If you permanently or even long term damage your child, that is wrong. If your child remembers the spanking for a day after, that's perfectly ok. What would be the point of punishing them in that manner if the child only understands the severity of their wrongdoings for the 60 seconds that the punishment lasts?
I got spanked exactly 3 times as a child. First time was for stealing silver coins from my dad, then lying about taking them The second time was for dropping a bag of marbles on the hard marble floor in church and watching them all noisily roll down to the pastors feet at the front of the podium (the entire church did the "reverse wave" as the marbles went under their benches. The third time was for putting a hand full of dirty Kleenexes and gum wrappers in the church collection plate. All 3 times I was spanked with an open hand, and never a bruise was left. To this day, 30 plus years later, I remember it. So, bruises and excessive force (aka assault and abuse) not needed.
Moose, Using anything, including throwing a ball at someone in an attempt to cause or inflict damage on another person is 245-A1, assault with a deadly weapon and causing bodily injury. The fact that his fine is less than even the bail amount for a similar crime, is absurd. This is usually, minimal, a 1 year in jail term or more, and that's without assault. That's just for attempt. Whether it affects his career is another story. Since the public looks up to these people, it reflects poorly on both him and the franchise he's playing for. Personally, the man should be thrown in jail for inflicting pain and injury on his kid. A good old fashioned spanking actually a good thing, taking a stick and beating your child until blood comes out of their internal organs is another completely different story. Since he's in the public eye so much, they need to end his association with that franchise. Slapping him on the hand and bringing him back speaks to everyone that it's just a minor thing to beat another person. Ridiculous
Only three times? That would definitely explain your outlook on this situation. I'm afraid I am in no position to convert you to my way of thinking, nor is that my intent, but as long as you understand my views and I understand yours, I think we should be fine for the moment. As for me, I was disciplined regularly with a garden hose. As a result, I am a better man than I would have ever been without the help of my relatively lenient parents.
Persuasion not needed. This is a discussion thread, and your Input is valued, even if I don't agree :-)
I agree in child spankings and a bruise or welt from a belt is fine by me sometimes getting a good talking too doesn't work or even a few hits with open hand. I learned manners and right from wrong by spankings and learning from mistakes I don't like a stick beating but like a switch that is fine imo
I definitely don't like to be hit with a stick, but it was usually with whatever she had around at the time. Which was usually a hose. Back on topic, I will agree that there are definitely times that a talk is more effective than a beating, but if the child is generally problematic, those morals are difficult to follow, especially when the child does not respect you for the talk. That's when the switch comes in.
Ok. I've got something to say. You may not like it but so be it. Peterson has been charged and convicted in the court of law.....no matter what deal was struck. He has a great lawyer. This really is public opinion piece and it had been forgotten. The nfl us trying to save face with the black eye they have been given by the two high profile cases. I've said this before and I'll say it again......playing football and getting paid to do so is his job. Just like any other job that anyone in the "employed America". If you can still perform at your job regardless of your personal life then you should be allowed to do so. If at a certain point that said player can not fulfill their contractual obligations (jail time) then they would be in breach of contract, therefore grounds for dismissal. So far the NFL has not played the code of conduct clause, which may mean that Peterson may not have that in his contract. In his case the union will fight for him on these points. What is the NFL doing ? Dragging their feet on letting him back in in order to restore faith with the public. Now really wtf should the NFL care about this? I don't really know. How many games does a season hold ? Correct me if I'm wrong......like 16 weeks compared to MLB,NHL,and NBA. Football still holds the top spot in ratings. Not really sure what would make them fall from grace,but it wouldn't be a case like Peterson that's for sure. They just gonna make him sweat a little bit. When it comes to any American sport it all about the money. It's about who the fans come to watch and with his fan base he won't be out long. Let me make this clear. I do not agree with the plea deal and or the terms signed into legal documents on this case. I think that the book should of been thrown at him. I believe that child services failed to do their job to get him locked up and the case worker be band from ever holding a state job again. That being said I still disagree with the employer. As I stated in the beginning.
I disagree AP has several kids with several different women who he doesn't even know he isn't the best of character
He messed up once. He should be put back on the field and his son should be taken for a couple weeks so he can realize what it would be without him.
You can't just be "so sorry"... You can't "love your son so much" yet have the mindset that a fully grown man can hit his own 4 year old child and just be "sorry" About it. Lock him up for 10 years and give the delusional freak some lessons on morality.
Moose, your initial argument was well thought out, but this is the (sometimes frustrating) counterpoint. That is, we as a society cannot and should not be in the business of raising other peoples children. What AP did was in the context of disciplining his child. Did AP go too far? Maybe. Is there a more effective way of disciplining children? Probably. A few decades ago taking a switch to a child to correct their behavior (even to the point of breaking skin) would not have raised eyebrows at all. "Spare the rod, spoil the child" as my granother used to say and mother still says. There is no official book on how to be a parent, usually we just make it up as we go along and usually it strongly mirrors our own upbringing. Rather than demonize Peterson for his actions, I think we should pity him. What we are seeing in his actions is his parenting ignorance and probably a sample of what his own childhood was like. Side note: Personally I think lazy parents who shove fast food down the throats of their obese pre-teens should be jailed. The long term effects of such practices are devastating to their children's health, self esteem and life-span-arguably much worse than corporeal punishment.
This isn't a matter of discipline, so much as its a matter of abuse. There is a difference between a spanking and a beating. As for how things were done in the past, that doesn't legitimize the behavior in the present. There was a time when people didn't not an eye at black only bathrooms and black only fountains. "Segregation now. Segregation forever!" That was the past. Now we know better. The same applies to abuse of kids. Spanking isn't abuse, but beating the ever living crap out of a kid is, and the way our grand parents did things be damned.
AP didn't just come home and start beating his child...the whipping happened as discipline. I'm not saying it wasn't excessive, I'm just saying it happened as discipline-or at least that what I read. Yes times change, and I am all for educating people with regard to proper discipline. I was whipped as a kid when I did something especially wrong. My mother wasn't abusing me, it was done to alter my poor behavior-and it worked. Racism is not a fair comparison because at no time did it ever have it's victims best interests at heart. Parents for generations have used this method successfully and with their child's best interests at heart. Many, like my mother truly believed (possibly incorrectly) that it was necessary for their child's long-term benefit. We can't know APs true thoughts and intent, so to label him as an abusive father seems a bit excessive.
It's pretty obvious, if we keep the current course we will move beyond spanking kids. Which is fine by me. In reality I firmly believe in the use non-violent principles. Coercion isn't something we should be teaching one another. And that start with how we raise our children. For they will be the next teachers.
Does making the kid bleed get the point across more? My mom = you got hit 2/3 times that's it. I was ok with that. No belt. My dad = You stood in a chair and got wacked with a belt, Lol. If we must inflict pain to that point, for people to learn, then we have already failed.