My original post on the California spanking story sparked one of the biggest bumps in comments this blog (or its predecessor) has seen. I'm standing by my earlier thoughts, with a bit of clarification. I'm not a big proponent of spanking. We certainly used it judiciously on our children, preferring to talk them through problematic situations. Still, it's not (in my mind) an area the government needs to be forcing itself. And, it won't be - at least not in California.
Many parents reasonably believe that appropriate methods of parental discipline should ordinarily be decided by parents, not by the government. And while there is widespread agreement that child abuse does not fall within the realm of appropriate discipline and should be criminalized, there is widespread disagreement whether spanking, without more, constitutes abuse. A California legislator learned that lesson when she introduced a bill to criminalize the spanking of a child who hasn't reached the [...]
Now, comment away. It's all yours.
Tags: Spanking, Corporal Punishment, California
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Sir, I think you've made a proper distinction.
ReplyDeleteThere's child abuse and then there's parenting. The government has to stay out of parenting.