Posted on 06/30/2016 10:43:43 AM PDT by Ketill Frostbeard
An Arkansas woman was taken to jail for using a switch on her great-granddaughter, who she says was misbehaving.
Police say the girl has visible welts on her arm.
Norma Toussaint, 70, says she's not a bad person, but says she did pull a switch off her front hedges, stripped the leaves and used it to punish her 12-year-old great-granddaughter.
"I went back in the house and whooped her on her arm," Toussaint said.
Upset, the girl threatened to dial 911.
"I asked, I said, 'You want to call the police on me?' And she said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Call them then,'" Toussaint said.
At least four Hot Springs police officers showed up to the home Monday morning, KARK-TV reports. According to an incident report, Toussaint and the girl both told police it stemmed from the 12-year-old not throwing away food and talking back.
"I said, 'You gonna give me some lip by what you're not going to do?' They do this to you; they think they can do anything with it and get away with it," Toussaint said.
KARK reports hundreds of people disagree with the decision to arrest the grandmother, commenting on the Facebook post about the arrest. The most-liked comments include one who said, "She has learned that she can be a brat and the grandmother or any adult can't punish her!"
Another wrote, "I had a switch used on me so many times when I was young that it kept the trees pruned in the yard."
Yet another wrote, "Reading this article just angers me. She disciplined her granddaughter. That's it. This world is backwards."
Toussant said an officer told her she should have done it on the girl's bottom, but she says she's not going to do it again.
"I don't think I want to go to jail again, but she got to learn some kind of authority, you know what I'm saying?" Toussaint said.
The great-grandmother is now facing a felony domestic battery charge. A no-contact order was also filed against her. She has more than two dozen great grandchildren, a number of whom she has helped raise. The girl is staying with another relative in the meantime.
Boy, if this was the mentality back in the day my grandma and father would be doing life without parole. Grandma used a switch, dad preferred the belt.
Psyops, southern style.
Same here. Only we had an apple tree. The warning was, “Would you like some apple tea?”
Way back in the day, maybe 1968 or so, I remember hearing in school that our parents could not spank us, or they could go to jail. (looks like the indoctrination was going on even then)
One day, I decided to put this new information to use. I can not recall what I had done, nor do I recall if my mom took the belt to me or just threatened me, but the conversation went something like this:
Me:
“I will tell my counselor and they will put you in jail”
Mom:
“You go right ahead honey” (then she raises that right eyebrow like only mothers can do and stares directly into my eyes and continues) “but you better PRAY they never let me out, it will be much worse for you then.”
LOL! I am thankful every day for her.
I’m 65 years old and to this day my momma will tell me “boy, don’t think you’re too old for a switching.”
My reply is always the same: “yes momma, I’m sorry.”
Because I know if she thinks the situation warrants it she WILL get a switch and wear it out on my backside.
Momma don’t play at all.
Grandma, should get a restraining order on the child and have no contact with her. No birthday gifts, no watching her, ect. Let the girl’s parents deal with her, and let her find out that Grandma doesn’t have to be there. Might be good for the other grandchildren to see that there are consequences for their actions.
Garbage. A red stripe from a peach switch..so what? Bruises are another matter. The problem is the idea being sold that ANY physical punishment is criminally prosecutable, including a palm of the hand vigorously applied to the ass (bare or clothed) of the misbehaving party.
Watch any mother animal discipline her offspring. The female of any species WILL apply physical discipline to her progeny, and not gentle discipline, either. Yet she will, by the same rules, give her own life to defend those same progeny.
I watched two sisters-in-law raise their kids. One didn't believe in physical chastisement....only mental. The other applied the old hand-palm as indicated. The children of the first were (and still are) huge discipline problems, though fortunately never to the point of criminality. The children of the second are successful, well-mannered adults.
Just my Mother`s words “ Go Get a switch! Now!” would strike terror into all of us kids and boy did we straighten out fast, not to mention nuns with rulers and bloodied knuckles therefrom...Nuns with rulers and class bullies was always fun to watch, better than tv. Do they put nuns in jail now?
Yeah, but it was a Cisco 4500 series.
I never deserved any of the switchen’s I got from any of those mean old ladies in my life. :p
My mother never used switches. It was whatever was handy. Hair brushes, extension cords, wire hangers and when I made the mistake of telling her it didn’t hurt, she used the skillet instead.
I remember my mom using a wooden spoon on my older brother. He made the mistake of laughing when the old spoon broke in half. He wasn’t laughing when pop got home.
a great grandmother at age 70?....doesn’t that sound very young to be a “great” grandmother especially with the great granddtr being 12?
So you have a child at 15yrs 4mos, the child has your grandchild at 15yrs 4mos, the grand child has your great-grandchild at 15yrs 4mos, and 12 years later you have a 12 year old great grandchild at the age of 58. They don’t waste time. In another 3 yrs 4mos she may be a great-great-grandmother at age 61.
How do you figure it wasn't the cop's fault. They are the ones that arrested her, and it apparently took four of them to do it.
Isn’t Hot Springs where Billy Jeff grew up?
oops. she is 70 now. so that’s all having kids at 19.
This guy I worked with told me his grandmother would send him out to find her a switch, and he would bring one back, and she would say, no I need a bigger one than that. So off he would go again, until he brought back one she was satisfied with. Then she would make him strip it of its leaves. Then he would get what was coming to him. He grew up to be an outstanding man.
Yes, his grandmother was also black like this grandmother.
The wooden spoon!!!! My mom would just make a lot of noise rummaging through the utensil drawer. It was our cue to scatter!!!
The cops were probably mandated to make the arrest since it was a domestic situation and there was injury involved. The prosecutor, however, could have declined to prosecute. As for four cops showing up, it was probably a slow day and an assault call came over. So they just took a ride over there.
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