There may be more to the story than this, but from this article it appears that spanking with the hand and leaving redness is criminal in Texas. http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/ne...on-for-spanking-her-daughter/?test=latestnews
"You don't spank kids these days." Huh? why not? did the technique change? They might as well go ahead come lock me up. I'll keep spanking till they quit needing it. Basically this judge just took authority completely away from the parents and now every kid has permission to be a heathen. real smart, Judge.
I didn't realize it was legal to spank and leave marks. Leissa, the heathen remark is quite funny:lol:
I don't know the details of this either, but you can bet I'll continue to spank my kids. Bruises? No. Red marks? You better believe it! :lol: Besides, this article says the child was taken to the hospital. That tells me there was a LOT more than a warm bottom going on. I bet she spanked hard enough to leave swollen whelts. That's not right. If the redness didn't go away by the time they made it to the hospital, she spanked too hard. My kids get a red mark just from my holding their wrists as we walk through a crowded parking lot. Sheesh! Get over it, judge!
Did you read the comments? NOT ONE came out supporting the judge! One even suggested that the issue wasn't spanking, but a mil who didn't like her dil.
"You don't spank kids these days." That, Mr Judge, is what is wrong with children today (sorry).... assuming this is a case of a child just being spanked and not something a little more serious (requiring a trip to the ER... ummm) I personally don't use physical discipline because if I'm at the point where they need to be spanked there is usually anger with it and that adds force with the punishment which risks injury (lol, can you imagine spanking a 16 year old)
You know, after I read Jackie's remark about the MIL, I re-read the story,and you know what? I think that's all this is, a g-mother who doesn't like the way her grandkids are being handled. As hs'ers, havent we all had that? I'm still really ticked at the judge, but now I'm even more concerned about the grandmother.
I find it interesting that the mom pleaded guilty. Why? I don't see how, according to the law AS WRITTEN, she was in violation. Again, there might have been other issues not discussed...had she been investigated for abuse before? But barring anything like that, this should have been an open-shut case in her favor, following the letter of the law. Did they threaten her with jail time or removing the kids permanently if she didn't?
Hmm... if the "red marks" were serious enough that the grandma was able to "notice" them and take her to the hospital, where the doctors presumably also noticed them... That mom was hitting her kids WAY too hard. Imagine if she'd left a mark on the child's face, instead of her bottom (which happens to be a lot harder to bruise). I figure she had to plead guilty. There were probably pictures taken at the hospital showing the marks. The judge shouldn't have called that "spanking" however, because that just lumps her in with moms for whom spanking really is just a harmless swat on the bottom. He ought to have said, "We don't beat our children in this day and age."
"Red marks" are too vague to decide without seeing them. When did G'ma notice them...right away, or a few days later? "Red marks" don't necessarily mean "bruising". But if the parent was charged with "abuse", then let it be documented as such.
How could anyone enforce such a law rigorously? I suspect it would be put on the books to be used when appropriate - such as charging someone who is obviously abusing a child. For example, when immigrants to the US apply for a resident visa, they must sign a statement confirming that they've never been a member of the communist party. Who in their right minds would answer 'yes?' Still, it's possible leverage for the US authorities if it turns out the person lied.
Ummmm....I was 17 the last time I was spanked. And I deserved every bit of it. My family all has skin that stays red for a long time from minor touching. I just found it interesting that the term spanking was used in such a broad statement to imply that any and all spanking should be considered illegal.
Oh my... we've taught our teenagers that no one has a right to lay a violent or punitive hand on them, whether it's us, their future husbands or wives, a school or government official, or anyone else. I'm not completely opposed to spanking, but I find the idea of spanking a teenager to be deeply disturbing, on many levels. Whoever spanked you didn't make you disrobe, I hope...
My mom also spanked my (when deserved) until the day I moved out. And with my boys.... well, I'm the parent and I'll punish until they move out, however I see fit at the time. Just because a child reaches a certain age does not mean they are any less deserving of punishment as long as they are under my authority.
There's ALL kinds of punishment. Just because you don't spank your teenagers doesn't mean you've given up disciplining them. And it doesn't mean you don't have any authority over them, either. My kids do what I tell them to do. Always. But to strike a young adult... Honestly, I had no idea this was common practice anywhere! How does that teach them to relate to other adults? Can your husband spank you, if he doesn't like the way you're behaving? If you went home, could your mother still spank you, even though you are a mother yourself? Does it mean your son-in-law has a right to spank your daughter, if she doesn't behave? If he considers that she's under his authority? How should your sons punish their wives? Besides, what kind of spanking are we talking about here? Bare bottomed? I really don't think teenagers should be required to expose their private parts to their parents for punishment (or for any other reason). The only kind of adult (or near-adult) spanking I ever heard of was the kind people do for their own entertainment in the privacy of their bedrooms... Sorry... I've just got so many questions about this. If you can spank a person who's physically as big as you, or bigger, what happens if they decide they don't WANT to be spanked? What would you do then? And if you've got so much personal power, that you can make a great hulking 17yo boy submit to your hand, don't you have enough power to make him do what you want without hitting him? By the time he's that size, it's not the fear of pain that's keeping him in line, surely. And... when does the spanking stop? If your child was mentally or physically disabled, and couldn't move out of your home, could you keep spanking them forever? 35? 50 years old?
Hubby told me about this yesterday. This will, however, be appealed up to the Texas Supreme Court b/c the judge acted in violation of Texas State Laws. Spanking (within reason) is allowed by law in TX. I'm also a little leary on the spanking of a teenager. I believe many spanking proponents say that there is an age where all it produces is shame. I want to say that's like 6 or 7. Of course, if you're still having to spank a child older than "that age" (the age where it would produce shame - whatever that is) - there is bigger problems than the discipline issue. Does that make sense?
First, I think I've "bare bottom" spanked my kiddos... maybe once each. Most parents I know don't do it often. I do agree that at a certain point, kids shouldn't expose themselves to parents (unless it's for medical reasons, obviously). Second, if my child was mentally or physically disabled, I doubt I'd be spanking in the first place. But I'm blessed enough not to experience that, so I can't really speak to it. Third, my point wasn't that spanking is the only potential form of discipline... BUT it is a form of discipline and I would never question a parent who utilized it. Fourth, the authority a parent has over a child is very different than the authority a husband has over his wife. Like I said, my mom spanked me till I moved out (at 17), but I never EVER thought it was OK for anyone other than her to use "punitive" discipline. My high schools both used spanking as punishment, but she signed a form to disallow them to use it on me (not that I ever was in jeopardy, but as a matter of "just in case"). I wasn't confused or questioned if it was OK for a peer or boyfriend or boss to hit me. This is a non-issue.
Meg, I feel I know you well enough to know that you do use other forms of discipline with your children with good results. They work well for you; that's wonderful. But ANY method can be abused. The questions you are asking are similar to those who are against all homeschooling, because one person in a hundred does nothing but let their kids play all day, or keeps them socially isolated. Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen? Rarely.
Actressdancer - thank you for answering my questions. I'm not anti-spanking, though I choose not to use it in my own household. When my mother spanked me as a ten year old, I felt nothing but contempt for her. I remember those emotions and I choose not to repeat her actions. But I had no idea people were spanking their teenagers! I don't really think I can ever get behind it to be honest... But I appreciate your explanation. On a similar line... My husband won't cuff his kids upside the head, the way his dad cuffed him. Why? Because his dad, when he was dying, said he wished he hadn't. He said it hurt his feelings when he'd go to brush my husband's hair or give him a friendly pat, and my husband would flinch away from his hand. My husband loved his dad. Thought he was a great father. But he's found other ways to discipline our kids, and they don't flinch when he touches them. He feels like it's a small tribute to his father.
