(REMEMBER, THERE IS A GREAT DIFFERENCE IN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT AND CHILD ABUSE. CHILD ABUSERS RANK A LOT LOWER THAN POND SCUM!) Having been away for a few days from cable TV, and talk radio, I dont know exactly where the conversation has continued concerning Adrian Peterson and his child abuse charges. That said, this has been interesting--true corporal punishment does not constitute child abuse. Whether Mr. Peterson crossed that line (Ive been told that pictures seem to indicate that) will be for a court of law to determine. But I remember our days in a Bible college when a pastoral students wife spanked her child in a bank for misbehaving. Having just made a deposit, one of the tellers promptly got her name and address off the deposit ticket, and DFACS and officers awaited her arrival at home to arrest her! I dont remember the details, but I think it was dismissed. Fast forward to about 1990, when I was toting some bags of groceries from Quality Foods in Winder while trying to hold on to 4-year old Rachel who was trying to wiggle free and run in the parking lot. She refused to take my hand, so I sat the bags down, squatted down (I was younger), turned her over my knee, and blistered her behind. I didnt have a wooden spoon or ruler, so I used what I had--my hand! We then proceeded safely to the car, but my thoughts were on the cashier who had just taken my check payment. Would I and my address be reported? (Does this remind you of anything--like KGB?) But I would much much prefer Rachels pride and bottom smarting than to have her run over and killed. And no, no arrests that day, and I went home and cooked supper. Ive often thought in the child-rearing years what I would have said to a judge if charged with corporal punishment. I think it would be, Your Honor, I do it because I dont want my children standing here some day before you because I didnt teach them right from wrong, that there is pain in disobedience! You only have to work in a church nursery (toddlers) for an hour to see the stinginess, rebellion, me-centeredness that we are all born with. Little ones can be dealt with from time to time with time-outs and a stern talking to, but pain makes a greater impression about the gravity of disobedience when its dealt from a loving parental hand with several motivations in mind--that we are trying to teach our children that there are consequences and pain of wrong choices, and that their obedience to us mirrors a far greater aspect of obeying--to God! Some day, with consistent loving spankings, hopefully the light bulb goes off in their head--disobedience=pain! We now have paint stirrers and small wooden spoons labeled with the grandchildrens names for when they come to visit. I love them enough to say NO and to expect them to obey. I dont have to use the things often, but they are there!
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 13:16:03 +0000
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