Here I Stand. On My Soap Box. Again.

[braukasper]

Part of the problem would be a Pro Football Player dealing out punishment to a small child in the first place. Unless they really know how to "pull back" on their strength the chance for more severe injuries than intended are pretty high. Also four seems pretty young for any sort of real "switch" treatment.

The problem with young children like that is you cant reason or debate things with them, so you need some sort of discipline to get the message through. I had my share of paddlings - including in grade school (OMG!!!) - and that doesnt mean you have to go to town. Looking back, it was actually more humiliating getting the paddling than it was painful. Of course, too many people go overboard, but it is crazy that you cant swat your kid on the behind when he is running around at McDonalds squirting ketchup on people lest CPS come after you.

Is that not the truth. The embarrassment was the worst part. It did not matter why you had to go to the principal's office. Every one thought you got a paddling

[Kealia]

I've stayed out of thsi discussion here and with friends & co-workers until I could see the pictures for myself and learn a little bit more.

In short, my thoughts are:
1) He went WAY overboard. This was not a spanking, this was a beating.
2) If the reports are true, the child mentioned "Daddy Peterson having a whooping room" and that he feared "Daddy Peterson would punch him in the face" if he spoke to police
3) The sheer number of marks on the boy clearly indicate a lack of restraint and/or an angry 'attack' on the boy
4) We're not talking about a few red marks on the butt, we're talking about deep gashes and welts on the legs, back, thighs and scrotum
5) There is no way a 4-year old wasn't screaming like mad during this. Not stopping after one severe one....well the thought just sickens me

He's been arrested and indicted but not convicted yet. Even with the evidence that is available, my opinion is that the league shouldn't take action until a conviction is handed down. That takes any judgement out of the hands of the NFL and allows them to enforce a policy built upon somebody being convicted of something. Once convicted, I'm in the camp of booting him from the league.

I understand not everybody will agree on this topic and a discussion is is encouraged.

[Beer-lord]

But the NFL is all about image and based on what I've read, the first 2 weeks of football isn't getting the ratings from previous years. Maybe not because of all this stuff but still losing ratings. So, they'll follow the majority of polls and opinions, just like a politician, and put pressure on the teams to make some players inactive.
My guess is that Adrian will not play this week.

Did you hear Charles Barkley's argument for Peterson? That it's a black thing and when he was asked whether that made a difference, even if its wrong, he said the thought it did.

[docpd]

While I admit that I did spank my children (open hand over clothing) in extremely rare circumstances, I now firmly believe that corporal punishment is not effective and does more harm then good. There is good research showing that children who experience frequent corporal punishment have a much higher incidence of violent behavior themselves and being involved in criminal behavior. Hitting children just reinforces the idea that violence is an acceptable way to influence behavior. This does not mean that children should not be disciplined. Far from it; they need consistent parenting and clearly defined behavioral expectations with appropriate consequences for bad behavior. This can and should be done without hitting them. I know that 75% of the population does support corporal punishment. As a physician I believe in the scientific method, and the science clearly shows that corporal punishment is counter-productive.

In this case, it seems clear that Peterson went far beyond spanking. He beat a 4 year old child. I think he should be suspended until his case goes to court. If acquitted then he should be reinstated with back pay restored, but if convicted he should be barred from the game for life. There should be no place in professional sports for child abusers.

[Yankeedag]

I seldom spanked my son. I did, however, asked if he remembered what happened last time that he got a spanking, and then, asked if he wanted another one. That was normally enough. I think I only spanked him 4 times, and that was with my hand. with a max of 3 swats. I never had to spank him after the age of 4.

[evily]

While I admit that I did spank my children (open hand over clothing) in extremely rare circumstances, I now firmly believe that corporal punishment is not effective and does more harm then good. There is good research showing that children who experience frequent corporal punishment have a much higher incidence of violent behavior themselves and being involved in criminal behavior. Hitting children just reinforces the idea that violence is an acceptable way to influence behavior. This does not mean that children should not be disciplined. Far from it; they need consistent parenting and clearly defined behavioral expectations with appropriate consequences for bad behavior. This can and should be done without hitting them. I know that 75% of the population does support corporal punishment. As a physician I believe in the scientific method, and the science clearly shows that corporal punishment is counter-productive.

In this case, it seems clear that Peterson went far beyond spanking. He beat a 4 year old child. I think he should be suspended until his case goes to court. If acquitted then he should be reinstated with back pay restored, but if convicted he should be barred from the game for life. There should be no place in professional sports for child abusers.

This +1.

[jimjohson]

Well while I preferred to stand 'em in the corner or, as they got older, ground them . If an offence was repeated x3 we'd dance around that circle(I used my hand but when I was a kid we called it the belt dance) only took a couple times (each) for them to realize there was a line they could not cross, and they stayed away from it. I always found it funny that they acted like I was killing them. When, the truth to tell, I actually spanked them harder for their birthday than I did when punishing them. Wasn't any crying then.

[Kealia]

There should be no place in professional sports this world for child abusers.

Period.

[Dawg LB Steve]

Always thought we could push mom, until she came up with I've had enough wait til your father gets home from work! That happened a couple times and learned real quick it wasn't worth it! Now Peterson's mom comes out and says " When you whip those you love, it's not abuse, it's love. " When does "whipping" someone cross the line from love to abuse in her mind then?

[docpd]

The remarks from Peterson's mother just reinforce the old justifications for corporal punishment. Violence begets violence. Charles Barkley's comments were interesting. Many believe that the strong belief in corporal punishment in the African American community is a legacy of slavery. Slave owners controlled their slaves by whipping and beating them and even after they were freed, blacks have carried on that "tradition" with their own children throughout the generations. This does not just apply to African Americans. Serfs and indentured servants in the Anglo European world were treated similarly, and their descendants continue the same behaviors.

Again I am a strong believer in consistent firm discipline, and a rare swat on the fanny is not child abuse in my opinion, but violence of any sort toward children sends the wrong message and teaches them that force is the way to settle conflicts. That hasn't worked well on an international scale for the past century and really doesn't work well in families.

[John Sand]

Each person has to make his own choice about spanking children. I was spanked, I occasionally felt compelled to use my hands on my stepsons. I've done well in life, my sons too. I hold no resentment, neither do they. Laws in NY permit use of physical discipline.
These allegations are different though. Striking some-one with a stick (weapon) and causing injury (more than a bruise) constitutes 2nd Degree Assault, a felony, in NY. When I was a cop, I would have arrested him.