Judge Gives Choice: $500 Fine or a Spanking

Sounds to me like this kid would've had many problems even if his mom didn't spank him. I don't know the situation but I would guess that she verbally demeaned him too.
Any form of punishment given with obvious emotional hostility behind it is going to harm a child.

reply to post by mysterychicken


I feel bad for the guy really. He calmed down for a while when I was dating his sister. Not that I was exactly a role-model at the time myself, but I payed attention to him, and tried to talk sense to him without being judgemental. Even as he got a little older, he tried to do the right thing, but it was too easy for him to slip off the very weak foundation he had been given to work with. Just a damn shame really.

reply to post by jackinthebox


Yes, it's sad when someone doesn't get a fair shake at life. Some reach adulthood and are able to rise above it. Some have a great start and turn out tragically. The human soul is both resilient and fragile.

Re: spanking and parenting

I think whatever discipline a person chooses for their child should be done from a place of love and truly trying to help that child grow up to be a good adult. I think if you stick to that and use a disciplinary tool that is effective (right tool for the right job) your kids will be pretty much okay. No guarantees though. Sometimes no matter what you do people will be who they are and have free will. Even the best parents sometimes have messed up kids.

[edit on 7-6-2008 by mysterychicken]

Screw this spanking crap..

I learned from the best how to discipline someone.. I use water torture.

Originally posted by jackinthebox
reply to post by xxpigxx

 

You have drawn an invalid comparison. By that logic, anyone who was never spanked would be in prison.

It's a possibility. I was spanked when I was younger, and so far I have been a good person and have never committed any crimes whatsoever. A friend of mine I know for a fact was never spanked, and he is a deviant, always breaking the law.

Any way, how did this thread get so off topic? It's about a judge spanking ADULTS in a courtroom, not about children getting spanked. Let's get back on topic please.

[edit on 7-6-2008 by AgentScmidt]

reply to post by AgentScmidt


Spanking adults? The person in question is 14. That's a child as far as I know.

ANYONE WHO IS INTO BEATING A CHILD THAT ISNT THERES IS A BAD PERSON. PARENTS ONLY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR CHILD. I WAS SO MAD TO HEAR ABOUT THIS, IT IS JUST SICK TO HEAR. PEOPLE NEED TO ALSO REALIZE THAT THEIR ARE PLENTY OF VIGALANTES OUT THEIR THAT WILL TAKE THEIR OWN ACTION AGAINST JUDGES, POLICE, TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO IS INTO BEATING KIDS. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SO I WOULD WATCH WHO YOU HIT.

AS WELL, THESE KIDS ARE ONLY KIDS FOR A WHILE, WHEN THEY GROW UP, THE PEOPLE WHO PADDLED THEM ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE.

reply to post by mysterychicken


Some would argue that due to our world being so maliciously twisted by corporate goals, our children are damned into an early abandonment of their childhood quest for parental guidance, instead allowing themselves to be guided by corporate campaigns. Thus they have forfeited their childhood status in society (don't let it happen to your kids, turn TV off and spend quality time with them. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to throw the TV away..).


Back on track... The decision to spank or not is well and truly out of any judges hands. In today’s world of "political correctness" which makes people weak, confused and vulnerable by design, spanking is a very sensitive issue. This judge is making the spanking decision for other peoples children, they're not his children, and therefore he is most certainly violating parents’ rights to ensure their children are not spanked, if that is their choice. To rephrase, he is taking their parental choice away from them, which is not his to take.

Personally, I am sometimes tempted to use spanking to make my 2-year-old daughter take me seriously. But, I remember when I used to get spanked when I was a child. It didn't make me regret what I had done. It made me angry. I remember wishing I were stronger so that I could affectively avenge the assault by administering a beating back. It made my blood boil with rage and I really wanted to see my own parents bloody and sorry. Infact, I forgot my own infringement.
That to me now is so sad, I never want my daughter to feel that way towards me.
Just to be clear, my parents weren't abusive. Their approach to corporal punishment was well formulated and administered purposefully. They were doing what they thought was positive and constructive. They thought they were doing the best thing to help ensure my success and happiness in life.
It's my belief, they were mistaken.

reply to post by Recouper


Indeed. Children should not be made to feel foolish for their mistakes. Spanking is infliction of shame and embarrasment. While this may even actually be appropriate in some circumstances, it is far better to let children know that they are allowed to make mistakes, so long as they learn from them.

Sometimes you don't learn something the first time around either. Kids can forget things too. Don't make them feel stupid for it. But if you "smack first" they won't bother to ask questions later. They will become resentful robots. Fear teaches nothing.

EDIT to add: And there is a big difference between respect and fear.



[edit on 6/9/0808 by jackinthebox]

The judge clearly did not make the decision to spank the child. If the parent thinks they can do a better job they can forfeit the 500 dollars and administer their own punishment. If the parents agree that spanking is the best option than the judge will make sure it's done. What's the problem? I see nothing wrong with that.

Well upon thinking about the topic in more depth I have made a decision. In my household, the spankings will stand. I have found them to be a effective tool for child rearing, my son loves me more than anyone on this planet, he is not injured and apparently my form of punishment and discipline is very effective.
A cut and past from another thread will follow to explain further.

My son is 6 years old and is a functioning autistic.
Before my divorce my wife was the primary caretaker of my son, she was a little soft on him because of his autism and he was supposedly a real handful. Well when she decided to leave me, she left the boy as well, so when we went to court I was able to convince the judge to give me custody of our son.
I was thrilled.
You see when she first left I thought how am I going to raise this boy without his mother, after all he is autistic and she told me how bad he can be. And she was the expert right?
Having not been real read up on autism I treated him like I was as a child.
Now because my son was at the time non verbal I just observed his behavior and I came to the conclusion that he understood a lot more than his mother gave him credit for, and so when he would act out I would tell him that if he did not behave he was going to get a spanking. And so the spankings began
It took me about 2 weeks and the vast majority of his "typical autistic" behaviors went the way of the dodo.
Now a just little over a year later my son is not only vocal and well behaved but has begun to really learn how to read. Most of his "symptoms" are no longer evident, and he is extremely affectionate.
Apparently real and consistent loving discipline is a cure for quite a number of ills. I remember his pre-k teacher noting how much better behaved and receptive to instruction and his early speech skills had improved about a month after his mother left and I was able to take a more hands on approach to my sons rearing...

For my money...the proof is in the pudding.

Update:

Apparently their son was spanked as well

Judge Garza says the family contacted him to take the discipline over dishing out $500 dollars.

It was the balance reportedly left unpaid for more than a year.

“They asked to come back and exercise the discipline on her son after they had decided to pay," said Judge Garza.

The judge says Leroy Garcia's signature proves he willingly opted for what's described on paper as board of education five times strong.

And while the family says they're suffering, the judge says he's simply empowering parents to exercise discipline backed by family law.

Link

BRAVO for the judge!

I will be voting for him

1st he gave them a choice 2nd i was spanked alot and i needed it the school called cps cause i had marks on my backside it heals it also kept me from doing stupid stuff and ending up in jail i thank my parenets every day i took spankings for my brother who has been brain washed by shrinks to think he was abused cause he took one bad spanking for him and friends broke into the school and vandlized it he needed and he hasnt
done anything that stupid again i dont feel abused and took more and worse spankings than he ever had

Originally posted by ThePiemaker
Spanking doesn't necessarily teach kids not do something, it just teaches them not to do it while the parent is around. I think it's a problem when you a raise kid who only "behaves" but doesn't actually like being nice/good.

It also teaches a child that they should physically abuse someone in order to make them comply.

Out of curiosity I wonder if the same moral code is used for adults with learning difficulties or a mental age of a child.

If so a Muslim could then justify abusing his wife in the name of justifiable chastisement if he claims she's stupid or she's yet another child bride.