Michael Pearl, "To Train Up A Child", and Corporal Punishment [View all]

[moriah]

Okay. I'm not a parent. I'll say that right now. Nor was I an abused child.

But the people on here who are suggesting that spanking is appropriate for young children need to realize the results that happen when you tell parents it's not only appropriate, but necessary, to utilize corporal punishment to "train" their children.

Here's a quote from their book.

"A seven-month-old boy had, upon failing to get his way, stiffened clenched his fists, bared his toothless gums and called down damnation on the whole place. At a time like that, the angry expression on a baby’s face can resemble that of one instigating a riot. The young mother, wanting to do the right thing, stood there in helpless consternation, apologetically shrugged her shoulders and said, “What can I do?” My incredulous nine-year-old whipped back, “Switch him.” The mother responded, “I can’t, he’s too little.” With the wisdom of a veteran who had been on the little end of the switch, my daughter answered, “If he is old enough to pitch a fit, he is old enough to be spanked.”

On whipping a three year-old until he is "totally broken" (page 59):

"She then administers about ten slow, patient licks on his bare legs. He cries in pain. If he continues to show defiance by jerking around and defending himself, or by expressing anger, then she will wait a moment and again lecture him and again spank him. When it is obvious he is totally broken, she will hand him the rag and very calmly say, “Johnny, clean up your mess.” He should very contritely wipe up the water."

On "switching" babies who are crying and not sleeping (page 60):

"But what of the grouch who would rather complain than sleep? Get tough. Be firm with him. Never put him down and then allow him to get up. If, after putting him down, you remember he just woke up, do not reward his complaining by allowing him to get up.For the sake of consistency in training, you must follow through. He may not be able to sleep, but he can be trained to lie there quietly. He will very quickly come to know that any time he is laid down there is no alternative but to stay put. To get up is to be on the firing line and get switched back down."

Given that this person seems to think it's fine for their nine year old to tell another mother to switch a 7 month old for crying... spanking a baby for failing to go to sleep on command?

There's more. They recommend the following:

-- Using plastic tubing to beat children, since it is “too light to cause damage to the muscle or the bone”
-- Wearing the plastic tubing around the parent’s neck as a constant reminder to obey
-- “Swatting” babies as young as six months old with instruments such as “a 12-inch willowy branch,” thinner plastic tubing or a wooden spoon
-- “Blanket training” babies by hitting them with an instrument if they try to crawl off a blanket on the floor
-- Beating older children with rulers, paddles, belts and larger tree branches
-- “Training” children with pain before they even disobey, in order to teach total obedience
-- Giving cold water baths, putting children outside in cold weather and withholding meals as discipline
-- Hosing off children who have potty training accidents
-- Inflicting punishment until a child is “without breath to complain”

But here's the results of these practices.

http://www.babble.com/mom/to-train-up-a-child-teaches-punishment-that-kills-kids/

http://www.examiner.com/article/another-couple-found-guilty-of-murder-for-parenting-by-to-train-up-a-child

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This may seem like the extremes, and that no parent in their right mind would ever murder their child trying to discipline them. But when people are taught that this is acceptable, and even necessary, this is what results.

Because corporal punishment simply doesn't work.