OK so putting on the oven mitts to tackle a current hot topic. High profile NFL athletes are on trial (figuratively and literally) in the public eye for social no-no’s. Ray Rice cold cocked his then girlfriend (now wife) and Adrian Peterson was suspended for whipping his 4 year old son.
The first one I have no defense for – you simply do not hit women (this my mama taught me). I don’t know what transpired in that elevator and it doesn’t even matter – spousal or significant other physical abuse is unacceptable. I’m sure you can Google a million memes making fun of the offense but its still just wrong.
On the second account, I don’t think its as cut and dry. If you go to a public place on any given day you are subject to other people’s children doing all sorts of heinous acts that make you shake your head and mutter things under your breath to the effect of why don’t that kid’s parents control him or her. Parents today are so hamstrung on discipline compared to just a generation ago. If you look at the discipline of parents who were in the formative years about 10-15 years ago versus now – the landscape is not even recognizable.
If you surveyed pre-millenium children who are now adults, I think if you asked them (male, female it does not matter) if they had ever been spanked by their parent – I think a majority would say yes (and they deserved it). If you asked them if they ever had been smacked in the mouth for smarting off to mom or dad – again I think a high percentage would acknowledge that happened (and for good reason). Have they ever been beaten with an instrument of pain (switch, belt, paddle, wooden spoon, etc) and again I think the majority rule would be in effect again.
The point I’m making is that if today’s ultra-sensitive rules were in place back then- almost every parent would have a prison record. A secondary point is that discipline is needed in today’s society. Children today are progressing into early adulthood with no sense of responsibility or accountability. Mommy get me this. Mommy buy me that. I need that. I want that. Gimme gimme. I want. I need.
What recourse do parents have today? A myriad of endless pointless threats that the child knows are hollow as a plastic Jack O’Lantern on sale at the Halloween stores cropping up everywhere in anticipation of consumer support for ghouls day.
Unfortunately kids are smarter than they used to be. They learn from Dora and their I-Pads and apply that logic to everyday situations. Even if they push their luck in the grocery store and throw a fit, all that happens is mom pleads with them to stop or they will go home right now. Ooooh big threat that is not going to happen because the cart is half full and there is still milk to buy and the kiddos special snacks of course. Parents are even reluctant to threaten to spank the kids in public for fear of being overheard and some nosy busybody reporting them. Kids pick up on this and push the very limits of sanity knowing full well they can do that and worse with no repercussions. This breeds a society of entitled a-holes and jerks who eventually assume power in their late 20’s and cut jobs from big corporations in order to make the bottom line look good and entitle themselves to fat bonuses at the expense of the working class. OK this last part may or may not hold true but its not that far of a leap.
If you rewind 25-30 years when people openly whooped their ornery children’s butts and mom and dad worked 20-30 years at a single job – maybe that was the reason for more statble times. Again I am taking some liberties with the logical progression but there could be a correlation. 🙂
Back to Adrian Peterson now, Mega NFL star who was turned into the police for whipping his four year old son with a branch. Public opinion has been harsh coming down on him for hitting his young child. Let’s call time-out for a second. What was he punishing his son for? Was the punishment fitting or not? Had he promised this punishment to the boy and been defied? What are the lasting effects? As someone who is around a four year old boy on a daily basis I can attest to their propensitity to push the boundaries with open defiance in their eyes the whole time. Sometimes threatening to take away their I-Pad, XBOX1, TV privledges or whatever other super toys the son of a multi-millionaire is privy to probably just isn’t going to have an effect on their attitude to create mischief and insubordination.
Sometimes kids need a painful stimuli to make them respect their parents. Not everything can be rationalized with a child who isn’t even able to write a sentence by themselves yet. Correction and punishment is like everything in life. Its a learning process for them. If we don’t teach children that there are consequences (sometimes painful) then when they hit society they are blindsided when everything is not just a time-out for doing wrong. OK down off the soapbox.
Happy Tuesday. Peace Out.
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