Recently the issue of spanking children has come out of the closet with the Adrian Peterson (Minnesota football player) child abuse case. As background, Mr. Peterson hit his child to discipline him and did so with such force, that he apparently caused the child a significant degree of physical trauma.
Since this came out many people have come forward to support disciplining children by spanking with the hand, a belt, a stick, anything. After all, we are told "spanking works."
As a child advocate, here is my take on hitting a child.
If it is acceptable to hit a child to correct their behavior, then why is it not appropriate to hit an adult to correct their behavior?
So here we go...the next time your boss at work is displeased with your performance or you make an apparent mistake, drop your drawers and "assume the position" because here comes the paddle.
If you run a red light and, even worse, it results in a fender bender, drop your drawers and "assume the position" because the offense is punishable by a "whuppin'."
I imagine we could save tons of money and empty our prisons if we just went back to the old days of "flogging." Tie the offender to a post, get out the "cat o' nine tails" and mete out the punishment. Oh, wait, when the Muslim extremists do that we cry out that it is anti-deluvian, inhumane, horrific... but if we do it, I am sure it will become acceptable. Heck, we spend about $75 billion a year on prisons -- flogging would be a whole lot cheaper and probably a better deterrent.
So why is physical punishment not acceptable when visited on adults and acceptable when visited on children? The answer is simple: Adults are making the decision and they are eager to protect their own backsides while they beat the heck out of defenseless children. Children have no voice and they cannot lobby for humane treatment like adults and prisoners and their lawyers can.
As anti-deluvian as it sounds, my recommendation is that every adult who is found to have hit a child must submit to an equal punishment visited on them and by someone with the same difference in strength. Thus, if a parent of 180 pounds hits a child of 30 pounds, then they have to be hit by six people each weighing 180 pounds to make it equal. I believe they will think twice before delivering that first blow to a child.
It is time to turn the tables and save children from this ultimate form of bullying.