“My parents beat the shit out of me and I’m looking forward to beating the shit out of my kids”-Dennis Leary
While eating lunch one day with a friend, we were subjected to an army of children running around the restaurant causing havoc while their parents watched silently from behind their steak and cheese. They yelled, they wrestled, and did everything they could to ensure no one in the pizzeria would enjoy themselves. Predictably, we got to talking about how our parents would have handled this situation because we all agreed, there was no way we ever would have gotten away with acting like such rotten little pricks. My friend offered this story which pretty much summarizes the philosophical shift over the last 20 years. “When I was a kid I threw a major tantrum at the mall. Without hesitation my mother grabbed me, pulled down my pants and spanked me right in the middle of the mall. I never threw a tantrum in public again” he said.
Great story, great results. Though I have to say, he is kind of a freak and part of me thinks he just liked being spanked. But could you imagine what would happen if she did that today? Some letter writing-stamp licking-busy body would inevitably call DYS and have the child put into foster care where they would proceed to be molested, lost for months, sold for slave labor, and then returned to the family a burgeoning serial killer. Why? Because some members of our society, specifically the “I know what’s best for you crowd” have determined that spanking is cruel and unusual punishment. Furthermore they have chosen my home state of Massachusetts as a launching pad for their crusade to make it an actual crime. Yes that’s right, if House Bill 3922 passes, you will now be brought up on criminal charges for physically disciplining your child. Who do we have to thank for this? The team of Arlington nurse Kathleen Wolf and Rep. Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington). Their intent is to stem the rising tide of abuse cases reported in the state each year.
While eating lunch one day with a friend, we were subjected to an army of children running around the restaurant causing havoc while their parents watched silently from behind their steak and cheese. They yelled, they wrestled, and did everything they could to ensure no one in the pizzeria would enjoy themselves. Predictably, we got to talking about how our parents would have handled this situation because we all agreed, there was no way we ever would have gotten away with acting like such rotten little pricks. My friend offered this story which pretty much summarizes the philosophical shift over the last 20 years. “When I was a kid I threw a major tantrum at the mall. Without hesitation my mother grabbed me, pulled down my pants and spanked me right in the middle of the mall. I never threw a tantrum in public again” he said.
Great story, great results. Though I have to say, he is kind of a freak and part of me thinks he just liked being spanked. But could you imagine what would happen if she did that today? Some letter writing-stamp licking-busy body would inevitably call DYS and have the child put into foster care where they would proceed to be molested, lost for months, sold for slave labor, and then returned to the family a burgeoning serial killer. Why? Because some members of our society, specifically the “I know what’s best for you crowd” have determined that spanking is cruel and unusual punishment. Furthermore they have chosen my home state of Massachusetts as a launching pad for their crusade to make it an actual crime. Yes that’s right, if House Bill 3922 passes, you will now be brought up on criminal charges for physically disciplining your child. Who do we have to thank for this? The team of Arlington nurse Kathleen Wolf and Rep. Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington). Their intent is to stem the rising tide of abuse cases reported in the state each year.
While their intentions are admirable, their actions are foolish. Banning spanking to prevent child abuse is like banning communion wine to stop drunk driving. Or more appropriately, you could compare it to gun law. Our problems with guns aren’t a result of too few laws, they are a result of too few people abiding them. The laws we have currently would work just fine if we applied them properly and had judges that enforced proper sentences (hello Judge Kathe Tuttman). I’m all for keeping kids safe, but legislation like this won’t stop one child from being abused. It will just create turmoil in good families where the parents are actually trying to protect their children.
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1 comment:
interesting post,I can't imagine this law being enacted in any way. That said, I think spanking is a lazy, and absolutely deplorable parenting decision.
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