Paddling A 6-Year Old

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On Monday a story broke about a 6-year-old girl being paddled because she accidentally caused $50 in damage to a computer.

In Florida, of course.

The principal called the Mom in and paddled the wailing child in front of her. The Mom filmed it on her cell phone. She was afraid to intervene and stop the punishment.

It’s a tad horrifying to me here in 2021, but back in 1970, I was the 6-year old being paddled.

Pretty much every damn day!

Back then, the nun would line us up and paddle us, making us say, “Sorry, Sister,” just so she could say, “Sorry is not enough.”

I have strong feelings about it. I never hit my own children. I certainly don’t want someone else doing it.

I also feel that you can reach and teach children through other means.

Think about what getting hit teaches a child.

1). Violence is the answer.

2). You’re worthless.

3). Humiliation 

I distinctly recall some of those ‘spankings’.

The nun actually broke the paddle on a classmate when I was in 2nd grade.

A few of us were also further humiliated in taking the paddle with our damn pants down!

How horrific is that??

To be a child, standing at the front of the room, with your underwear showing to all your classmates.

I distinctly recall the names of those nuns who pummeled me.

I do not recall any of the things I did to deserve the punishment.

I do know exactly when it stopped though...

...3rd grade.

I was talking to a classmate and I saw his eyes grow wide.

I turned my head at the same moment as the crazy, bitter, bitch nun swung from the hip.

She made contact with her ring cutting me right below the eye.

I was bleeding like a stuck pig.

There was no hiding that one!

I got home and Mom asked me what happened. I had never ever told them about being whacked by the nun, but what choice did I have then?

I told Mom what went down.

The next day, Mom showed up at the school.

She went off!

And that was that.

I never got hit again.

It’s a crazy subject. I know that there are a lot of people out there who think that kids learn from being beat.

When Adrian Peterson was lambasted a few years back for whipping his child (fairly brutally) a whole lot of people came out of the woodwork to defend the right to discipline his own kid anyway he saw fit.

You can’t convince me.

A person in authority should be able to get a point across without bashing someone.

And man...

...don’t let my mother hear about it!

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