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Court: Parents May Spank
ctnow.com (Hartford Courant) ^ | November 30, 2004 | COLIN POITRAS

Posted on 11/30/2004 11:20:24 AM PST by kidd

Parents who spank their children as a form of discipline are not necessarily engaging in child abuse, even when they use a belt and leave a bruise, the state Appellate Court has said.

In a ruling released Monday, the judges recognized a parent's right to use "reasonable physical force" to discipline a child. They said that, before citing someone for physical abuse, the Department of Children and Families must take into account the circumstances surrounding the use of corporal punishment.

The judges said the agency's position that any non-accidental injury caused by a parent to a child qualifies as abuse is too narrow and in conflict with state law that allows "reasonable" corporal punishment of a child.

(Excerpt) Read more at ctnow.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; US: Connecticut; Unclassified
KEYWORDS: discipline; feverishly; parenting; spanking; theirmonkey
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To: TXBubba
I would have given him the yogurt for dinner. And just the yogurt. Okay, I probably would have told him that is all he was going to get for dinner. Wink.

Whadda know? It was yogurt for lunch. If he didn't eat it, he would go without. Needless to say, he went without.

Apf

141 posted on 11/30/2004 12:28:03 PM PST by APFel (Humanity has a poor track record of predicting its own future.)
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To: TalonDJ
Punishment in my house was of the same nature as a court room.
We ( Me and MOM) would sit at the kitchen table with the offending party (our only son)
The offense was clarified,the reason it was unaccepted behavior articulated, and a punishment decided upon
We always gave my son a choice of punishments (Gave him a sense being in control of his own destiny)
However, the lesser of the punishments were always extended groundings, removal of privileges, etc, that my son almost always picked a spanking just to get it over with.
If he chose a spanking he was told to go to his room and prepare, Mom and I would always administer the swats coolly and calmly (Never when either of us were pi$$ed)
The was a limit of three swats.
He's 20 years old now and a sophomore at the Citadel
He's a VERY respectful and well behaved young man
I'm proud of him
142 posted on 11/30/2004 12:28:15 PM PST by Robe (Rome did not create a great empire by talking, they did it by killing all those who opposed them)
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Comment #143 Removed by Moderator

To: AnAmericanMother

I think I'm beginning to see why you were disciplined the way you say. I think you just may be a little bit of a glutton for punishment.


144 posted on 11/30/2004 12:29:11 PM PST by American_Centurion (I am the martyrs' bane.)
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To: American_Centurion

Hey, I've been on Usenet for 12 years. My skin can stop bullets. ;)


145 posted on 11/30/2004 12:29:25 PM PST by MaineRepublic (Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish. -- Euripides)
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To: kidd
That this was even in the court system speaks volumes about the decline of our society. Government continues to invade the private lives of the American people. I sincerely hope and pray that President Bush and Congress have the courage and will to change this.
146 posted on 11/30/2004 12:29:28 PM PST by SaveTheChief ("It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech." - Senator Zell Miller)
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To: MaineRepublic

Now how do you expect to have a civil dicussion with people if you start off by calling their parents anb themselves 'trash'? Call me crazy, but some people might be offended by that.


147 posted on 11/30/2004 12:29:32 PM PST by TalonDJ (Wanted: Tagline, must be witty, insightful, and completely unique.)
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To: Prime Choice
Zounds. Could it be that we had the same parents?

Some of my other favorite lines:

Mom: Eat your beans.

Me: I'm not hungry.

Mom: Think of all the starving kids in China.

Me: Name me one. (or, Then send them my beans... here's a quarter for the postage.)

148 posted on 11/30/2004 12:29:44 PM PST by Labyrinthos
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To: AnAmericanMother; TalonDJ

That is what I was trying to say. You know, I don't remember my parents ever yelling at me either...as punishment. And although I remember getting spankings I never had a sick to my stomach fear. But that is because my parents didn't abuse me. They disciplined me and I knew when I got my spanking exactly why I was getting it.


149 posted on 11/30/2004 12:30:27 PM PST by TXBubba ( Democrats: If they don't abort you then they will tax you to death.)
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To: Labyrinthos
Where do you get off deciding what's acceptable and what's not. If that mother thought her kid need a slap or two or ten across the face, then who are you to say she was abusive?

For starters, the example given wasn't a smack, it was a full-on wailing of a toddler. If the ADULT had received that it would have been seriously risking injury.

150 posted on 11/30/2004 12:30:46 PM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: AnAmericanMother

disregard last, intended for someone else.

My fault.


151 posted on 11/30/2004 12:30:49 PM PST by American_Centurion (I am the martyrs' bane.)
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To: kidd
The judges recognized a parent's right to use "reasonable physical force" to discipline a child.

But was the dreaded 'wooden spoon' sanctioned as an instrument of "discipline"?

Mothers of Italian descent would be most affected...:-)

152 posted on 11/30/2004 12:31:28 PM PST by F16Fighter
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To: Robe
Sounds like different implementation but the same sound principles.
153 posted on 11/30/2004 12:32:17 PM PST by TalonDJ (Wanted: Tagline, must be witty, insightful, and completely unique.)
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To: TalonDJ

I tend to make abrasive statements that will elicit dialogue.

When I see kids today still being hit, it is usually in trailer parks, or the families look pretty poor and ignorant. I believe you can effectively discipline a child without resorting to hitting. It requires more effort on the part of parents than hitting, but it is just as, if not more effective.


154 posted on 11/30/2004 12:32:26 PM PST by MaineRepublic (Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish. -- Euripides)
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To: 2Jedismom

Hey 2J! When do you slip in here :)


155 posted on 11/30/2004 12:33:09 PM PST by TalonDJ (Wanted: Tagline, must be witty, insightful, and completely unique.)
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To: American_Centurion

No sweat. I figured it wasn't intended for me . . . :-D


156 posted on 11/30/2004 12:33:51 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
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To: crazy man michael

I think the punishment varies with child and will change with ages. Like I said in the earlier post. My son now responds to time outs whereas they did not work at age 2. Also, I understand that emergency room folks can tell if a bruise was caused by abuse (fist) etc. Worried once because my son had a big bruise from a fall. Mentioned it to a nurse friend and she assured me they can tell the abusive ones from the accident ones.


157 posted on 11/30/2004 12:34:14 PM PST by TXBubba ( Democrats: If they don't abort you then they will tax you to death.)
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To: TXBubba

No, that was when she found a social worker to complain to.


158 posted on 11/30/2004 12:35:24 PM PST by eccentric (aka baldwidow)
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To: VRWCmember

Why do people on this forum get *so* defensive and up in arms at the heretical suggestion that just maybe, spanking and hitting (same thing) are not the optimal way to discipline children? Is it really that hard to put down the defensiveness for a moment to think about the issue rationally and reasonably?

Just for the record: Being anti-corporal punishment isn't strictly a liberal domain. I live in a *very* conservative community. But we are also "compassionate conservatives," which means that we think seriously about the negative effects of spanking and work hard to come up with alternative, more compassionate and sane ways to instill our values in our children. In my community there are also many parenting groups and lectures being offered all the time to help parents develop better skills. Almost all my friends are conservative and most of them disagree with spanking as a discipline tool.


159 posted on 11/30/2004 12:35:40 PM PST by blurb
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To: VRWCmember; hobbes1; TheGrimReaper

You are BAAAAAAAAAD...........I don't think Mr. Spanky would go over real well on this thread.


160 posted on 11/30/2004 12:36:51 PM PST by Gabz (Tapping foot impatiently waiting for galster to register and start posting at FR)
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