In today’s society, child abuse is taken very seriously, contrary to the not-so-distant past when parents were allowed to chasten their children in their households past the limit of what could have been considered reasonable punishment. It was common in the early to mid-1900s for parents to hurt and beat their children as a form of discipline. But what is the standard custom now? What is considered abuse, and what is looked at as acceptable when it comes to physically punishing children?
Star NFL running back Adrian Peterson was indicted with child abuse after allegedly whipping his son with a switch. Photos were released of the child’s legs, and it showed long bloody cuts from the abuse. When looking at the pictures, it is hard to believe that the deep cuts left were from only being switched. This case only makes it harder to distinguish between parental discipline and genuine child abuse.
Growing up, I was given the occasional spanking or switching when I had done something wrong or was deliberately not listening to my parents. But the difference between a case such as mine and Peterson’s is the amount of physical and emotional damage possibly caused.
When I was punished, blood was never drawn. The punishment was always painful, but it was never to the point where I was sincerely afraid of my mom and dad. Obviously there is a difference between being switched by your parent and being switched by a professional athlete — unless, of course, your parent is a professional athlete — but shouldn’t parents be able to physically discipline young children to some degree?
Child abuse is unacceptable, and anyone who abuses their child to the point where marks and blood are visible on the skin are probably not fit to be parents. There are alternative methods to punishing children that can be much more effective than making them fear those who care for them. On the other hand, many young children sometimes don’t have the maturity to truly understand what they’ve done is wrong unless they are punished physically.
I got into trouble quite often when I was in elementary school, purposefully doing what my parents and teachers specifically told me not to do. The reasons why I did that are beyond my memory, but I did quickly learn what was wrong when I was given a switching or spanking. I believe that those methods of punishment were conducive in helping me determine right from wrong, as well as helping establish my parents as the caring, but firm authority in the house.
While Adrian Peterson’s case was a more harsh example of parental correction, many households today use similar methods and hopefully, to a much more reasonable extent. I’m sure there are plenty of families that successfully punish children without physically chastening them, but I do not see anything morally wrong with spanking a child as long as it doesn’t cause severe physical or emotional damage.
It is a debatable line to discern what is and isn’t child abuse, and in the Peterson case, he clearly crossed that line; but that doesn’t mean all physical discipline is wrong. There will always be people who believe children shouldn’t be disciplined in any physical manner, and others who believe the exact opposite; but I believe there can be a middle ground reached that is useful for both children and parents in helping maintain a strict, but loving household.
Parsa Rafatian is a sophomore from Oxford.
