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There is a story out of a Wisconsin about a pastor being charged with child abuse.
It seems this pastor paddled his son, literally. He has a large paddled that he used to spank his12 year old son, leaving bruises on his buttocks. The case is going to a jury trial since the judge feels there is not clear cut evidence if there was a felony committed. There must be more to this story than has been released since one of the things that we learned during our abuse investigation was that bruising indicated abuse. We were told we could spank our children but if you used an instrument other than your hand or left bruises on the child, it was considered abuse.
Interestingly, while I was doing a search to gather the facts on this story, I discovered another, very similar story. In March 2007, a pastor’s 17 year old son called authorities to report his father for paddling his 13 year old brother. When the allegations were investigated a paddled that read “Board of Correction” was recovered from the pastor’s home. It had been duct taped in two different places. This pastor was in Albany, NY.
I’m not quite sure what to make of these two stories. Should I feel better knowing that even pastors are not perfect parents? If they can make bad parenting choices, does this mean I shouldn’t feel an attack of guilt when I yell at my kids? Or should I be concerned that men who are counseling parents on child raising and being Godly people are under investigation for child abuse?
I do not agree with disciplining a child with a paddle, board or whatever you want to call it. The fact that the Albany pastor’s paddle was duct taped indicates to me that this is not the first time he has used this method of discipline. I wonder what type of discipline he councils parents to use.
I hope these men have not abused their children, and I certainly hope that they have not encouraged other parents to do what they have been accused of.
If using a paddle is considered “abuse”, then my guess is that many pastors “abuse” their kids. Most seem to be into that “spare the rod” thing.
I agree that most are probably from the school of spare the rod.
I’m much more concerned with the fact that that men who are counseling parents on child raising and being Godly people are under investigation for sexually abusing children then I am with them spanking them (I’m not condoning it – I just feel the other is a much deeper pain)
Kids are all about modelling behaviours so god help the children who go on to replicate their upbringings and the way they were chastised.