Posted on 06/03/2005 6:25:19 AM PDT by Constitutionalist Conservative
Angry Brookline parents, beware.
Town Meeting passed a nonbinding resolution last week by a narrow margin, encouraging Brookline residents to refrain from using corporal punishment on children.
The resolution, which was debated at Town Meeting two times last year and drew national media attention, encourages parents and caregivers not to use corporal punishment on children, but instead to use alternate nonviolent means of discipline.
Corporal punishment, according to the resolution, is "intentional infliction of physical pain for the purpose of punishment."
Amid some sniping by Town Meeting members, politicians and the petitioner about the article appearing before Town Meeting for a third time, the resolution passed by the slim margin of 89-80.
Before the meeting, a few people stood in the rain handing out stickers that read, "Kids' Safe Zone," with a no-spanking symbol.
"Well, I was relieved and certainly pleased and a little bit surprised," said Ron Goldman, the resolution's petitioner and a Brookline resident. Goldman, who has no children, is an engineering consultant and has a Ph.D. in psychology. He said he was concerned the town boards who requested no action on the resolution would have influenced more of the legislative body's vote. "I hope this contributes to raising awareness. That was the intention."
The resolution also encourages "the appropriate town groups such as the Advisory Council for Public Health and the PTOs explore how they can raise awareness of this issue."
This week, some of those officials were not aware that the resolution included their groups, and others were not sure yet how their group may act.
"It's too soon to tell," said Alan Balsam, director of public health. "I think that the advisory council [for public health] will take it seriously, but where it goes beyond that I'm not sure."
Balsam said he anticipated his group may discuss it at an upcoming meeting in the fall.
Runkle School PTO President Christina Suh said she also thought the PTO may discuss it at an upcoming meeting.
"As a PTO, we'd probably discuss it at a board meeting, along with other topics of concern or potential topics for a speaker," she said.
At the Lincoln School, PTO President Beth Kantz said she thinks one of the many forums the school offers could be a good opportunity for discussion.
"The school's philosophy certainly mirrors one that is not supportive of corporal punishment," Kantz said. "I think the PTOs can provide some other [forums] to try to get together to try to learn from each other."
At the Lincoln School, Kantz said the PTO hosts regular Friday coffees for parents and teacher to foster discussion on different topics, as well as other forums, which could serve as discussion points for this issue.
Goldman, meanwhile, said the Board of Selectmen uses a "double standard" for making judgments on what articles to consider favorably at Town Meeting, and said the selectmen and the Advisory Committee made "weak arguments" for suggesting no action on his resolution.
"There is no crisis going on right now ... in regard to corporal punishment," said Ronny Sydney, member of the Advisory Committee. "I don't think this is an issue that is very current or a problem in the town of Brookline."
But Goldman maintained that any instance of corporal punishment justifies a call to action.
"I'm not saying this happens every day, but if it happens once, it's once too many. I think by passing this, we're already making a very strong statement to the community and outside Brookline that this is, corporal punishment, is something we don't encourage, in fact discourage and suggest other alternatives," Goldman said.
During a phone interview Friday, Goldman said he might champion another children's rights issue, but said he did not intend to return to Town Meeting.
No surprise that this comes from Massachusetts. My sympathies to fellow FReepers who live there.
Lotsa read meat in this one. Have at it!
These people need dope-slaps.
Okay ... so what does the "no-spanking symbol" look like?
The state and local governments want to tell you how to raise and discipline your kids and then want to hold you accountable if the kid screws up. maybe the parents should just pack the kids clothes up and take them all to city hall at the same time and tell the mayor to raise them.
And still they wonder what's wrong with our youth today, teen pregnancies, school shootings, underage drinking, kids running wild, kids killing kids, grandparents, parents, etc., etc., etc.
Duh!
No spanking. Dasher, you dominatrix business in Massachusetts will certainly suffer.
I'd like to interview the aged parents of the council members who argued for and passed this nonsense. I think they didn't spank their children enough. Next, it will be illegal to spank children within the city limits and children will be dropping dimes on their parents.
For Thag's and Skooz's sake, I think they are limiting this prohibition to kids.
*thwack* *thwack*
Thag reporting for spanking, ma'am!
*thwack* *thwack*
WE are all bad kids at heart. Where do you think the spanking fetish starts from?
Okay...What is it about Yankees that drives them to try to tell everyone else how to run their lives? They screwed up their own backyard and made it a de facto communist state, now they are branching out to the south and midwest. I really do not get it!
Okay...What is it about Yankees that drives them to try to tell everyone else how to run their lives? They screwed up their own backyard and made it a de facto communist state, now they are branching out to the south and midwest. I really do not get it!
Thank goodness.
Some pleasures just do NOT need to be regulated.
And I've been a bad boy. A very bad boy.
I hear it was designed by Wacko Jacko.
I'll bet you have!! =:~)
Actually, I have been remarkably good lately. But, only be "bad" merits a spanking.
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