Not sure of the entire story but it looks like he took a spanking to far for his 4 yr old. That being said a lot of parents have used switches to spank and that does not make them bad people or parents.

Need more details. I have had many whooping with a twig.

I picked my own switches when I was younger.
I can say I earned every spanking I got.


That story needs more details.

Spanking = He is a good man
Beating = He needs to go to prison

If you've seen the pics of the little 4 year old, you'd say it was a hell of a beating.

AP's son

You can decide.

He even said in the call to the child's mother that he got him one time on the testicles, kid must have been naked.

I said it in the football forum and I'll say it here,

If you draw blood and leave bruises then that is abuse.

That's why I posted it. My grandmothers always threatened to use switches on me but my parents would get ahold of me before it got that far so I've never been hit with a switch. I would assume that a switch would leave marks like that. I know a lot of older folks used switches and that did not make them bad people. It does look excessive for a 4 year old.

The pictures look bad but if there were pictures of every beating I ever had my parents would be in Prison. I will say this and ya'll can fry me but what does it teach the kid if you prosecute his Dad for discipline. It went to far but prosecuting him to me takes it way to much farther.

What does it teach the kid to whip him like that for pushing another kid? Why have a special room set aside for punishment and why make the child hold the leaves in his mouth while you whip him? There is believed to be a pattern of abuse by Peterson so I see no problem with what they are doing. If something isn't addressed then that kid grows up to beat his kids or maybe start knocking women out in elevators.

Just because our parents did something to us doesn't make it right. I took a few whippings that left some marks. I dreaded the speech my Dad was going to give me before the whipping more than the whipping. He was a master at Psychological Warfare but sometimes I think the speech was so he could calm down before trying to beat some smarts into my thick skull.

X2

The kid is 4! When I first heard the story I thought it was a 17 year old kid or something.
To top it off, another one of his baby Momma beat another of his kids to death last year right?

Thanks for the picture. That is too far. To me that is worse than what Ray Rice did.

I got spanked as a kid: Hand, belt, switch, but never was there any blood or even marks more than ~15 mins after it was over.

I disagree completely. Peterson was trying to be a father. Rice was trying to be a thug. Intent is the difference.

I agree.

I can remember a switching from my great grandmother that didn't leave big whelps or blood. I don't beat up old ladies now and I like to think I grew up not getting into any big trouble because of the beatings I took and I knew would be waiting on me at home.

X3. And I didn't dare come back with a substandard one.

I've never had to resort to physical violence to ever get my son to understand what he did was wrong, why it was wrong and why he shouldn't do it again. Never.

X4 my grandma use to tear my legs up with a peach tree limb.

How do you give a child a whooping without leaving a bruise thats near impossible.

I have two boys that I whip and I had loving parents who whipped my tail too.
If you whip with a switch, it's gonna leave welps, and a belt will leave hickey marks. Very fine line here certainly, but more whippings are needed today, not less IMO.

Peterson has been indicted.

It's not necessarily how the injury looks, but how many marks there were. Looks like he got carried away.

Correct Reb, Peterson was probably very angry and went too far, bet his momma and/or granny did that to him.

Here's one I like to tell on switchins' , think about this one, in elementary and JR High school I had a bus driver that used switches on the bus! Yep, he'd light the trouble makers up right on the bus, he didn't take you to the principals office. He'd be in prison for a loooooong time doing something like that now.

Last year Peterson's 2yr old son was BEATEN to DEATH. The kid was at his mothers house. Is DEATH enough beating for you discipline tough guys.

You need to read the story and look at the pictures. He hit the kid in the balls. Is that okay with you tough guys. Hitting a kid in the balls with a switch that you are swinging hard enough to break the skin. He is a great dad, just looking out for what is best for his son.

Any one that sees the pictures and reads what happened to a 4 YEAR OLD and is okay with it is phucked in the head....that is just my opinion. YMMV. If your first reaction to misbehavior by your child is to beat them then you have real mental issues. Physical violence should be your last option if you are incapable of controlling your child any other way. Half of y'all would be more pissed if someone beat their dog like he beat that child. If you are so angry at a child that you beat him like this one was then you need to walk away.

Anybody that thinks what Peterson did to his 4 year old child is right has something wrong with them. I don't care if your mama, daddy, grandma or grandpa whipped/beat you with everything within reach from a belt to a limb, it doesn't make it right. That is crossing the line from family discipline to family violence and if it is part of your choice to discipline a child like that you need to be in jail also.

Ive never had to whip my kid like that. But growing up my parents would use a switch. It dont take much to break the skin with a switch. Ive had it done b4. A thin switch will wrap around a few times and leave some marks. A green privet is the worse.

Momma and Daddy never heard of time out. He wore us out and it still makes me walk the right line even today.

they should stay out of his buisness. any switch is going to leave marks like that. theres nothing wrong with this in alot of parents eyes. you have to discipline at an early age to get good results. I personally use a belt, if he wants to use a switch thats his own buisness.

There are a lot of opinions on this one. I'm neutral until I get more facts if/when they ever come out. It makes me wonder what they would do to my middle school shop teacher today, Mr. McBride? He had a assortment of paddles, most resembled a small boat paddle. Some had holes drilled in them to increase velocity. If someone was disciplined for anything by other teachers they'd send them to the shop for punishment. He'd have boys and girls bend over and take hold of a workbench, and the number of licks depended on the offense. I've seen him lift people's feet of the ground with double handed swings! He was/is a good man and straightened a lot of kids out. One thing for sure was you rarely saw someone come back for more! I never got my ass whupped by him but did build a few paddles

In my days growing up I've had to pick my own switches, had a wooden spoon broke over my arse, and many well deserved belt lashing. Hand spanking hurts your hand as much as the other person.

Had a buddy and his brother both told to go pick switches cause they woudln't quit arguing. My buddy picked a good finger thick switch but his brother picked some tiny weak switch. When they got back to their dad he saw what had happened and told them to beat each other!

My father used a belt on us and I ALWAYS had blue stripes on my legs and butt. And I EARNED it many times.

I got the belt, the hairbrush, the switch - whatever was handy and I'm sure some of them left marks...but I deserved it every time I got it! That being said, I'm pretty sure when I was 4 I probably only got a light slap on the butt with the hand, not a full swing of a switch or any other objects. The good spankings came as I was truly old enough to know better.

Yes, good point!

I have defended some child abuse claims against black males. It is ingrained in them from their upbringing to "whoop" the kids. They don't wait for them to get older either. It can be a big problem. They are much more violent as a whole when it comes to discipline then you can ever imagine. There is a line between discipline and abuse. I have seen it crossed to the point of death.

Think about it like this. Would you tolerate that abuse to your child from someone other than you? If your child came home from school with those marks, would you be okay with it? Simply because someone is your child doesn't allow you to do something to them that would be criminal if done by someone else.

I am not anti spanking or switching. My son has been spanked plenty of times. But, again, there is a difference in discipline and abuse. Knowing how hard to hit, when to stop and what is age appropriate is the key.

I don't know all the facts on this one so that will have to wait. As for Spankings and Whoopins Yes there should be more of them going around. My cousin was a good example of one that needed the discipline. His dad would talk to him, Put in Time out, and Take away his video games. Well that didn't work and the direction he was heading was Prison. My uncle sent him to live with me and My dad. My dad was a Hard arse Vietnam vet and retired Chief of Police and he would whip that boy and punish him with psychical labor. This last Saturday My cousin got married, has a baby girl and a house that he bought for his family. If it wasn't for My dads punishments he would have been in Jail and he will tell you that also. There is a saying going around on the news right now And it is The woosafacation of America. No keeping score in games, no tag on play grounds, For fear that someones feelings get hurt. Life is tough and you have to roll with the punches. As for Punishment it teaches, for every action there will be a reaction and consequences.

I know this for a fact, kids aren't afraid of adults anymore BECAUSE adults don't scare them. Teachers don't get respect because they " can't " spank. Parents don't get respect because they "don't" spank. Spanking in school and at home has declined over the last two decades, and so has children's respect for their elders and authority. If you have a child that has never required a good ol' fashioned butt whipping, then you are in the EXTREME minority, and wouldn't understand. I'm not saying Peterson was right or wrong, just that some spanking is needed to instill fear and respect in a child.

Fear and respect are not the same thing.

I think they DO go hand in hand. Most children fear their parents first, then learn to respect them. I feared my drill sergeant in basic before I respected him. I fear God and I certainly respect him.

But, fear doesn't equal respect. They are not the same. Victims of abuse fear their abusers, but they don't respect them.

Second investigation underway about a different child:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-foot...isciplining-him

From the story:

According to KHOU, Peterson explained to the mother he disciplined his son for cursing at a sibling. No charges were ever filed.

Randy Burton, a former chief prosecutor of family crimes in Harris County, Tex., told KHOU: "It's absolutely criminal. "You break the skin, you have bleeding, much less permanent scars, that is a crime."

UPDATE: Attorney says second report "not true" -- http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-foot...hild-abuse-case

We're talking about the raising of a child, not adults in fear of their lives. Totally different situation because of the intent of the person instilling fear. An armed robber doesn't want me to respect him, just fear his weapon. A child's first response to most things is fear, then respect comes later. Every child I know is scared to death of fire and loud noises when they're little, but eventually they learn to respect heat and noise. I'm just saying that in the raising of children now days that fear is a missing ingredient. I've seen kids hit their mom and dad in the grocery store, and I would never have thought about hitting my mom or dad when I was little. I never would have talked back to my teacher when I was a kid either.
What's changed?