Posted on 09/23/2014 6:28:54 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Yes. There is. No, it wasn’t abuse.
Abuse is ongoing, systemic, and meant as derrogatory or “mean”.
You can redifne terms, like a good little Leftist, but don’t pretend it wins you the moral high ground.
My answer is yes. I spanked my boys.
I didn’t bum-rush them through the door into the garage and across the hood of the car, though. I considered that just slightly out of bounds.
I don't know why abuse must be “ongoing” to be categorized as abuse, but if you insist, here's a readjustment: assuming that your father just once beat you with a belt hard enough to leave black and blue marks for a week, then your father once assaulted and battered you. (By the way, legally, assault and battery does not have to be “ongoing” to qualify as assault and battery.”)
IMHO, a direct parallel to the Judicial revolving-door....do the crime, do the time, get out and start the process over again. If there is NO punishment (I don’t consider ‘time’ in a stocked gym with A/C, 3 squares, etc. ‘detrimental’), why worry?
Which is a general enough definition to make any form of corporal punishment assault and battery.
If that is where you want to pin your definition, then that’s on you.
Just realize what kind of company taking that stance puts you with.
Here is an argument in exactly the same form as the argument you made:
It is better to cut off your child’s hand than to have him grow up to a homicidal maniac and serial rapist.
Most of the time spanking is AN OUTLET FOR THE ANGER OF THE PARENT.
Spanking for this reason is ALWAYS wrong, NEVER justified, ALWAYS sinful.
Spanking as a ritual—going behind the woodshed—is a less serious wrong, but is always wrong. Parents who do this are simply too slothful or narcissistic to learn how to parent.
A swat on the tush to get a child’s attention is okay. Striking a child in anger or ritualistically is always wrong.
Next silly question?
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