Adrian Peterson Case Sparks Spanking Debate
HACKENSACK, N.J. — In study after study, as many as 8 out of 10 adults in America say that spanking is an appropriate form of discipline.?What the studies don’t show is how people define spanking and where they believe corporal punishment of children crosses a line to abuse.?Those questions have long been quietly debated, but the indictment of NFL star Adrian Peterson has raised them in a public way, even if many of those who believe in spanking find Peterson’s alleged behavior abhorrent. The story is well-known by now — the Minnesota Vikings running back has been indicted on child-abuse charges after stuffing leaves in the mouth of his 4-year-old son and beating him with a tree branch that left the boy with cuts and bruises all over his body. The incident started a conversation among opponents and defenders of corporal punishment of children by their caregivers. The issue is so uncomfortable that pediatricians, who are supposed to ask parents how they discipline and whether they spank their kids, rarely broach the topic. READ MORE HERE
What is and is not child abuse
When does physical discipline become child abuse?
By the time you finish reading this, 15 children will have been abused; In the next five minutes, 30 more; Within the next hour, 360 more; And by tonight, close to 8,000+ children will have suffered from abuse, 5 of which will die. Child abuse has increased 134% since 1980 and is now considered a worldwide epidemic. The high jump in child abuse deaths and the shocking increase in statistics highlights the frightening lack of public knowledge.
Educate Yourself -- Learn the Facts
It May Just Save a Child's Life!!