Adrian Peterson Case Brings Corporal Punishment of Kids Front and Center
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Child abuse allegations against Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson has sparked vigorous debate about the use of corporal punishment on children.
Many child advocates say physical discipline is wrong, while some parents defend their actions, saying spankings can be appropriate under certain circumstances.
Corporal punishment is legal in Pennsylvania, as in most states.
But, some experts point out, there's a thin line between a spanking and abuse.
"We ask what was the pain that was inflicted, was there an injury, and what was the parent trying to do here," says Frank Cervone, executive director of the Support Center for Child Advocates, based in Philadelphia. He says there are no legal guidelines for corporal punishment, but the main question child welfare judges ask is whether the discipline is reasonable.
"We're not allowed to make a child bleed, we're not allowed to cause severe pain, and certainly we're not allowed to break a child's bone," notes Cervone. "All of those are criminal acts."
And, Cervone notes, there are other ways to discipline children.
"What many kids are learning from being beaten is that beating a child is the way to respond," he says.
Alternative forms of discipline include positive reinforcement and timeouts.
"We had a father who spanked us," says Richard Greenberg, a.k.a. "The Common Sense Dad" and author of Raising Children Who Other People Want to Be Around: Five Common Sense Musts from a Father's Point of View. Greenberg and his wife raised four children and he used corporal punishment -- but only, he says, when appropriate.
"Each parent has to decide for themselves how they want to relate to their child," says Greenberg. "No one likes to hit their children, and no one believes their children should be hit. But every once in a while you have to make a point."
Dr. Rick Frei, a psychology professor at Community College of Philadelphia, supervised students who completed a survey of 750 people roughly three years ago on Philadelphians' attitudes toward physical discipline of children.
"We found that (among) children who received corporal punishment and their parents were actively involved in their lives," Frei tells KYW Newsradio, "the effects of corporal punishment was not as harsh as those kids whose only interaction with their parents was corporal punishment."
