A Quick Topic.

On my friend's blog, he recently posted on corporal punishment in schools:

http://jdwright.us/index.php/archives/2005/03/09/corporal-punishment-in-schools/

For clarity, the definition I found states:

“Any kind of physical discipline, including a range of behaviors from spanking and hitting to injuring children.”
(http://ucl.broward.edu/pathfinders/Corporal_Punishment.htm)

I am sure there are other definitions out there, and I know that most often this term is used describing only the act of spanking - but I do find it a bit frightening to see the hitting and injuring of children part in there.

Either way, my friend was talking about a personal experience he had while attending a Christian school in which he was spanked because of his difficulty memorizing Scripture. He spoke that the entire time this was happening, the people doing the punishing were praying for him.

In my honest opinion, this situation did not warrant punishment. In essence, memorizing Scripture as an assignment is no different than any other subject - and the student's difficulty in accomplishing the task is not something demanding punishment. People have difficulty completing assignments and should not be reprimanded for that. If, however, my friend had been blatantly acting out and refusing to do the assignment, even after some sort of verbal warning (which should always come first) was not accepted, then and only then should this have happened.

When my father spanked me as a child, it was because I did something that required that type of punishment. And I was not spanked often (in fact, I can count the entire amount in my life on one hand). After he spanked me, he would also always tell me that he still loved me and that what happened was because of my actions. This, I believe, is a proper way to discipline a child.

What this all comes down to is my belief that we are often times shifting the blame to places where it is not deserved. When something bad happens (as my friend mentioned, the Columbine tragedy) we immediately have to have someone to blame, and that blame often focuses itself onto the parents (in events where the actions were taken by minors). This is unacceptable. A parent can only go so far in assuring that their children follow the "right path" and that their mindset is focused on things of a non-threatening nature. We should not immediately blame a parent unless it is found that they were either directly responsible, an accessory to the fact, or completely devoid of influence upon the child.

I also believe, however, that we do not discipline our children like we should anymore. When I was in high school, I saw things happen that even then (before I became a believer in Christ and my viewpoints became a bit more conservative) I thought were completely unacceptable. Things I would never want my children to do. Even today - things have gotten worse. We no longer demand our children's respect and set ourselves as an authority figure in their lives. This, I know, can be done effectively and with complete love and compassion. It can also be done while respecting the child as a person and giving them the free space they desire. I know this because it was how I was raised...and I think I turned out very well.

What's my ultimate conclusion? Parents need to take responsibility for their children - which means they need to be willing to discipline them and love them (both important aspects in raising a child). When something happens (whether tragic or not) the focal point and blame should not be immediately put upon the parents - but those who chose to act the way they did.