leather beltAs if the story of the Texas judge caught on videobeating his teenage daughter with a belt wasn't disturbing enough, in researching the man's version of corporal punishment, I've come across a trend that leaves me cold. There are parents who believe thatspanking teenagers is OK because big kids makebigger mistakes.
Excuse me for going there, but say whaaaaat? If you haven't already guessed, I'm not up for spanking any kid at any age. Just last night I sat in my bathroom at 2:45 a.m. with a wailing 6-year-old. Her exhaustion had prompted a temper tantrum, and my exhaustion meant I was particularly unprepared to deal with said tantrum. You'll never guess what jumped into my head that that moment.
The video of Judge William Adams beating his teenage daughter that I'd seen yesterday morning (well, I saw part of it; I had to turn it off as he continued to unleash abuse both physical and emotional against his own child) popped right into my head. Looking at my daughter's tear-stained face through eyes clouded by sleep, I softened. I knew her tantrum was over something patently ridiculous, and yetI couldn't imagine raising a hand to her.

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