I don’t get on the issues soapbox too often in this blog. But I feel like I need to toss in my two cents regarding the apparent parenting issue that has gotten Adrian Peterson into a mess. So here goes.
I don’t think Adrian Peterson is a terrible human being, but I do believe he’s a victim who is now passing on what he “learned” to the next generation in his family. This isn’t really even debatable, based on the quotes from his mother. She openly talked about “disciplining our kids a little more than we meant sometimes” in order to “prepare them for the real world.” She also added that “when you whip those you love, it’s not about abuse, but love.”
Peterson’s mom is not the only defender of these actions. Reggie Bush offered his opinion on how a one-year old should be disciplined, and countless others have rushed to Peterson’s defense, pretty much all saying this is okay as that’s how they were raised as well.
I find this to be a pathetically primitive mindset. First off, there’s a huge difference between a spanking and what amounts to beating the crap out of a kid. But that’s missing the point.
This is not 1914, it’s 2014. We’ve evolved as a species. There are countless resources available on virtually every topic under the sun, which wasn’t the case for previous generations. I find it absolutely absurd that any parent would not at the very least explore the subject in order to learn more about available positive alternatives.
I’ll expand on that briefly, and I’ll challenge anyone to argue against this stance. If there’s any avenue of discipline that doesn’t include a parent having to hit his or her child, how can this simply be dismissed? Don’t get me wrong, if after doing some research one still determines that the only way to teach the required lesson is to inflict some kind of whipping, I guess I’ll reluctantly submit it’s up to the parent. But I really find it hard to believe that there aren’t solid substitutions for hitting a child.
The point is that, I would think hitting your offspring should be a last resort. What parent in their right mind would choose not to avoid having to do this if there’s even a possibility there’s an equal or better alternative? If one still thinks getting out the belt or the switch is the only solution, I guess it’s ultimately their choice. But you’ll have trouble convincing me that’s the case.
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