It's common for unhealthy cycles to bound in people's lives. Whether that be alcohol abuse during difficult times, finding oneself in abusive relationships, or becoming promiscuous after break-ups, even if we know deep down the cycles aren't healthy for us, it's often times very difficult to break these very cycles. As difficult as it might be to do this, however, if we don't eventually break these unhealthy cycles, it becomes increasingly likely that these unhealthy cycles will take control of and ultimately destroy our lives.
Unfortunately, Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson and his children find themselves in a similar situation. Based on friends' and family's testimonies, it seems about as likely that Adrian Peterson's father beat him as a child as it does that the earth revolves around the sun. Since Adrian feels this harsh form of discipline helped him become the person he is today and he is ignorant of any alternatives, he's beat his kids in a similar manner, thinking it will have the same supposed positive effect on them.
When details of Adrian Peterson's child abuse allegations emerged, he had many immediate defenders, saying, "That's not abuse; that's just discipline" or "I sure got my share of whoopings back in the day. That's just how things are." The problem with this argument is the fact society evolves, and with that, people are expected to evolve as well. There was a time when African-Americans were viewed as 2/3 of a person, weren't allowed to vote, weren't even allowed to share water fountains with Anglo-Americans. However, changes were made, we evolved as a society, and while racism is still present, we've done a lot in an attempt to limit it and hope that it continues to decrease over time. Similar progress has been made with regard to women's rights, gays' rights, non-Christian's rights, etc. So, yes, while some trends, traditions, and cycles may have existed for some time, that doesn't make them right and it takes a stronger person to break that cycle than to continue it.
That brings us to the cycle of corporal punishment and the line between discipline and abuse. Corporal punishment has been an increasingly controversial issue. While a majority of parents still spank their children, that number has declined through the years, perhaps because a majority of studies say something similar - "Spanking isn't very effective" and "There are better ways to discipline a child than spanking."
In a fairly recent study conducted by Gershoff and Grogan-Kaylor, it found the following results:
"In one set of analyses with young children in the laboratory, time outs worked just as well as spanking for (immediate) subsequent compliance on 30 tasks assigned by the mother. Long-term compliance is decreased after spanking."
The study also reported this:
"Spanking predicted increases in children's aggression over and above initial levels [of aggressive behavior]" and "in none of these longitudinal studies did spanking predict reductions in children's aggression over time."
Still, it seems that most parents don't have a problem with spanking, so long as it doesn't result in physical injury, which would constitute as child abuse, and that's why the Adrian Peterson case has been such a hot and divisive issue. While many people have defended his actions by saying he was merely disciplining his kid(s) with spankings, he went above and beyond just spanking and ended up physically injuring his kid(s), to the point where he (they) needed medical attention.
As CBS Minnesota reported:
"The police report said the boy told the doctor Peterson had hit him with a branch from a tree. The doctor told investigators that the boy had a number of lacerations on his thighs, along with bruise-like marks on his lower back and buttocks and cuts on his hand. The police report says the doctor described some of the marks as open wounds and termed it 'child abuse.' Another examiner agreed, calling the cuts 'extensive.'"
If those reports are accurate, and judging by the photos, they are, that isn't simply a "spanking;" that's abuse.
To his credit, it appears that through his post-story comments, Peterson seems at least somewhat cognizant that what he did was wrong, has sought counseling, and now acknowledges that there are better forms of discipline than what he subjected his son(s) to. The question now is, can Adrian Peterson break that unhealthy cycle? While he was beating his kids, while he may have felt partially wrong about it, it was the only way he knew how to go about matters. Since he subjected his kids to the same abusive treatment his father subjected him to growing up, unless he alters course, his own kids will be much more likely to subject their kids to abuse, and the cycle will continue until someone finally puts an end to it. The problem for him is, if the courts convict him, it'll be too late to change course, and he'll be unable to try and form a healthier bond with his children. While I sincerely hope he learns from his actions and improves as a person because of it, I also sincerely hope his kids are never subject to any kind of abuse again and go on to live a long, happy, and healthy life. Many people may continue to defend the Pro Bowl running back's actions. I, myself, will continue to defend the defenseless - his children.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/vikings/2014/09/15/adrian-peterson-second-child-abuse-accusation-houston/15694615/
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/09/177641-see-photos-got-star-rb-adrian-peterson-indicted-child-abuse-decide-went-far/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201309/research-spanking-it-s-bad-all-kids
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/16/the-adrian-peterson-beating-and-the-christian-right-s-love-of-corporal-punishment.html
http://thebiglead.com/2014/09/12/adrian-peterson-alleged-photos-of-boys-legs-show-extensive-cuts/
Unfortunately, Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson and his children find themselves in a similar situation. Based on friends' and family's testimonies, it seems about as likely that Adrian Peterson's father beat him as a child as it does that the earth revolves around the sun. Since Adrian feels this harsh form of discipline helped him become the person he is today and he is ignorant of any alternatives, he's beat his kids in a similar manner, thinking it will have the same supposed positive effect on them.
When details of Adrian Peterson's child abuse allegations emerged, he had many immediate defenders, saying, "That's not abuse; that's just discipline" or "I sure got my share of whoopings back in the day. That's just how things are." The problem with this argument is the fact society evolves, and with that, people are expected to evolve as well. There was a time when African-Americans were viewed as 2/3 of a person, weren't allowed to vote, weren't even allowed to share water fountains with Anglo-Americans. However, changes were made, we evolved as a society, and while racism is still present, we've done a lot in an attempt to limit it and hope that it continues to decrease over time. Similar progress has been made with regard to women's rights, gays' rights, non-Christian's rights, etc. So, yes, while some trends, traditions, and cycles may have existed for some time, that doesn't make them right and it takes a stronger person to break that cycle than to continue it.
That brings us to the cycle of corporal punishment and the line between discipline and abuse. Corporal punishment has been an increasingly controversial issue. While a majority of parents still spank their children, that number has declined through the years, perhaps because a majority of studies say something similar - "Spanking isn't very effective" and "There are better ways to discipline a child than spanking."
In a fairly recent study conducted by Gershoff and Grogan-Kaylor, it found the following results:
"In one set of analyses with young children in the laboratory, time outs worked just as well as spanking for (immediate) subsequent compliance on 30 tasks assigned by the mother. Long-term compliance is decreased after spanking."
The study also reported this:
"Spanking predicted increases in children's aggression over and above initial levels [of aggressive behavior]" and "in none of these longitudinal studies did spanking predict reductions in children's aggression over time."
Still, it seems that most parents don't have a problem with spanking, so long as it doesn't result in physical injury, which would constitute as child abuse, and that's why the Adrian Peterson case has been such a hot and divisive issue. While many people have defended his actions by saying he was merely disciplining his kid(s) with spankings, he went above and beyond just spanking and ended up physically injuring his kid(s), to the point where he (they) needed medical attention.
As CBS Minnesota reported:
"The police report said the boy told the doctor Peterson had hit him with a branch from a tree. The doctor told investigators that the boy had a number of lacerations on his thighs, along with bruise-like marks on his lower back and buttocks and cuts on his hand. The police report says the doctor described some of the marks as open wounds and termed it 'child abuse.' Another examiner agreed, calling the cuts 'extensive.'"
If those reports are accurate, and judging by the photos, they are, that isn't simply a "spanking;" that's abuse.
To his credit, it appears that through his post-story comments, Peterson seems at least somewhat cognizant that what he did was wrong, has sought counseling, and now acknowledges that there are better forms of discipline than what he subjected his son(s) to. The question now is, can Adrian Peterson break that unhealthy cycle? While he was beating his kids, while he may have felt partially wrong about it, it was the only way he knew how to go about matters. Since he subjected his kids to the same abusive treatment his father subjected him to growing up, unless he alters course, his own kids will be much more likely to subject their kids to abuse, and the cycle will continue until someone finally puts an end to it. The problem for him is, if the courts convict him, it'll be too late to change course, and he'll be unable to try and form a healthier bond with his children. While I sincerely hope he learns from his actions and improves as a person because of it, I also sincerely hope his kids are never subject to any kind of abuse again and go on to live a long, happy, and healthy life. Many people may continue to defend the Pro Bowl running back's actions. I, myself, will continue to defend the defenseless - his children.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/vikings/2014/09/15/adrian-peterson-second-child-abuse-accusation-houston/15694615/
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/09/177641-see-photos-got-star-rb-adrian-peterson-indicted-child-abuse-decide-went-far/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201309/research-spanking-it-s-bad-all-kids
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/16/the-adrian-peterson-beating-and-the-christian-right-s-love-of-corporal-punishment.html
http://thebiglead.com/2014/09/12/adrian-peterson-alleged-photos-of-boys-legs-show-extensive-cuts/
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