Parent's Right To Spank Lies At Heart Of Custody Case

Scripps-McClatchy ^ | June 17, 2002 | Mereva Brown

[southern rock]

"We don't sue social workers for making mistakes," said McLinden's attorney,

Exactly. We should imprison them for 25 to life instead. What is the penalty for kidnapping and false imprisonment, anyway?

The existance of these people in a supposedly free society is a cruel joke. They should all suffer the consequences of their actions.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

What's worse than a government "mistake' is when they refuse to admit they've made one. Rather than do that, they go on acting as if they're right, even when they know they're not. I hope this woman wins a bundle.

[callisto]

Someone has to say it so I'll put on my asbestos flamesuit first.

There comes a time in a child's life when a swat on the "bumper" will go very far in teaching the child the difference between right and wrong. The last time my 12 year old needed a spanking was during preschool. She swiftly received one and the behavior problem has been nonexistent since. Some children don't respond as readily as mine, but it takes consistency on the parents part.

[SCalGal]

And if they err and put a child into a dangerous situation, the child could die.

[Pietro]

"These government workers are trying to do a very difficult job"

That's probably true, but the problem is that the CPS is a gov. bureaucracy that smashes people's rights and parental authority indescriminately. It has the potential to cause great damamge, and let's face it alot of the people in those agencies get a power rush forcing people to jump through hoops.

I'm not saying these agencies are unnecessary, but the scandals they create in every major city are legion. They need to be on a very short leash. And God help anyone that winds up in their net.

[samuel_adams_us]

And if they do make a mistake they are only justifying their jobs. Problem in this country is that parents are no longer allowed to discipline their children because of the freaks out there in our government!

[savedbygrace]

"The requested injunctive relief doesn't sound much different from what the law is," Hunt said. "And we follow the law."

Apparently, the Court of Appeals disagrees with you, Mr. Hunt.

[valkyrieanne]

It's not about "the right to spank." It's about the "right" to spank with an object (in this case a belt) so hard that the child is injured. The law of the state in question clearly states that parents have a right to spank their children on the rear with an open hand. This means you don't get to punch your child in the face, whip them with electrical cords, hit them with sticks, etc.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

If they error and leave a child in a potentially dangerous environment, then the child could die.

You are right if the total environment surrounding the kid is taken into context. Is the mother or father hitting him or her all over the body with a belt, or just on the behind? Is the house dirty, or the parents neglectful? Is there a pattern of abuse and punishment with no justification for it? Or was this mother just disciplining her son because he deserved it?

A complete investigation would have turned up the answers to those questions and then the logical conclusion reached should have been what the state appellate court ruled- this mother was not acting irresponsibly.

She has a good case, and will probably receive some compensation for having her son removed unjustifiably for two years.

[southern rock]

If they error and leave a child in a potentially dangerous environment, then the child could die.

It's not the government's children! They have no authority to remove a child from parental custody.

The ONLY time a child should not be removed from their parent's custody, is if the parents are in prison. I'll say it again. The ONLY time a child should not be removed from their parent's custody, is if the parents are in prison.
Think about that for a minute. If the parents are NOT in prison, that, by definition, means that the parents HAVE NOT BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME. If the parents HAVE NOT BEEN CONVICTED OF ANYTHING, then what right does the state have to punish the parents by the termination of parental rights?? If the social services (SS - good name for them) has evidence of a real crime, then arrest the parents, and get a CONVICTION. Then you can take the children, if both natural parents have been convicted, and no other natural relatives exist.

No arrest = no evidence = no interference with parental rights.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

"The requested injunctive relief doesn't sound much different from what the law is," Hunt said. "And we follow the law."

The clue meter is reading zero on this one.  If they had been following the law, this wouldn't have happened.

[Wm Bach]

The sting of a belt on the rump is okay, a punch in the face is just way out of there. See the difference?

[callisto]

It's about the "right" to spank with an object (in this case a belt) so hard that the child is injured.

My grandmother used to have a hickory tree in the backyard. When one the grandkids did something egreciously wrong she simply pulled a switch off the tree and swatted the offender on the back of the legs. Naturally the switching left a whelp, but it went away after a while, and the bad behavior went away much faster. To be honest, she really didn't have to switch anyone very often since we all knew the sting of the switch and obeyed accordingly. For most of my childhood all she needed to do at the sign of misbahevior was point to the tree. Rather effective IMO.

[SCalGal]

My grandmother was fond of peach tree switches. They had the same effect, and we were VERY well behaved after she would mention the tree. Did your grandmother make you go cut the switch yourself?

[BibChr]

Good for her. I hope she wins.

In many cases, it isn't only "parents' rights" — it's freedom of religion. Anyone who believes the Bible believes in corporal punishment as a virtual requirement for loving parents, not a mere option.

Dan
Biblical Christianity message board

[KentuckyWoman]

No arrest = no evidence = no interference with parental rights.

What you said!!

CPS is an absymal joke! The more children they 'remove' from their homes, the bigger their budgets get. There are entirely too many instances of children who were only being properly disciplined being taking away from loving parents. From what I read in this story, this young man had been in trouble at school before this incident and then tried to get back at his mother when she finally cracked down on him. Maybe she should have stared teaching him right from wrong when he was younger instead of waiting until he started stealing, etc. before trying to reign him in.

Spare the rod and spoil the child...now where have I heard that????

[Teacher317]

If they error and leave a child in a potentially dangerous environment, then the child could die.

Sorry, but that argument doesn't fly. The presence of guns, knives, household chemicals, razors, nearby traffic... added to parental actions taken out of context, overzealous CPS agents, abusers of the system, and/or unethical CPS agents... can quickly make EVERY home a "potentially dangerous environment".

[KentuckyWoman]

Wish I had a dollar for every stripe my mother put on the back of my legs when I was little!! LOL She not only had lots of trees handy but she kept one of those little thingys that you use to stir paint with. Goodness, but did that thing ever STING!!! Needless to say, such a lesson was generally an INSTANT attitude adjustment!!