Four year olds beaten bloody, at least one with a scar on his face?
Have you seen the photos?
Yes, I’ve seen the photos. Switches raise welts, even blood filled welts. They work like little whips. They always have. They are not some brand new invention. They have been around for centuries. As Charles Barkley said, there would be a whole lot of people in the South in jail if using a switch had been considered child abuse.
Once a child has experienced the switch they remember it for a very long time. Recidivism goes way down when a switch is employed. I’ve never heard of any child dying from being discipled with a switch. It would have been better for a very many people to have experienced a switch at home as a child than time in jail when they were older.
Did the boy deserve the switch? I don’t know what he did and it is none of my business. Could a four year old do anything worthy of a switch? Yes. Two year olds cussing out adults, a three year old stealing his parent’s car for a joyride twice, four year olds fascinated with fire attempting to set things ablaze are all worthy of switches. A baby who can’t walk or talk is too young, but a mobile child is capable of getting into many dangerous situations. They are too young to be reasoned with.
A hot stove doesn’t warn a little child saying, ‘I’m hot don’t touch.’ It burns and they learn not to touch. The child who hit his head while being disciplined was unfortunately scarred. Placing the child in the middle of cushions and pillows while throwing marshmallows at him would probably have kept him from getting scarred, but it would do nothing to help him learn whatever lesson he needed to learn.
It is amazing the number of people who believe in coddling children. Should they be given love and hugs and kisses? Yes, of course. But they need to learn early that there are rules o behavior and dangers and things that can harm them in our world. Children should learn from their parents, not nosy, prying people and govt.
I’ve seen more trouble from spoiled rotten children with over indulgent parents than from loving parents who are stern disciplinarians.