Can't Punish Your Kids Anymore?!

Wow, just wow.
I'm glad that didn't happen in the United States but I would bet it won't be long. Activist judges make me sick, how the heck is she to intrude into someone's family lfe. This is really bad, I'm glad the father is appealing.

Why was a 12 year old able to bring the case to the court in the first place??!!

One spoilt little brat!!.

That reminds me of the other day at work. A guy came in and bought his kids a PlayStation3... he was back in the store about 30 minutes later returning it because they were fighting over it. He basically said, if you don't follow through with punishment kids will never listen and learn.

And the conversation turned to how one isn't even allowed to spank their kids anymore - and some silly jokes.


I can honestly say I was never grounded. My parents had nothing to ground me from - I liked to stay home and spend my spare time reading and never got in trouble.
In fact, I think the girl in the story shouldn't have even been allowed out of the house (the mother should have kept to the punishment) to see friends - which easily allowed her to be online at their houses.

I would have spanked her,then grounded her!Darn kids are to smart for thier pants now days. I was told be my 8 year old grandchild,if I spanked her she would call CPS! She only said it once,she know better now,she will never say it again!

To me, it seems like the father was just using the trip as one more way to get back at his ex-wife through the child. He had already taken away her privileges. for some reason, he has lost the respect and authority of his daughter - he kicked her out of his home so that is why she is living with her noncustodial mother.
Sometimes, the school world is the only sane one that a child will have. Sounds like the family law judge just put the needs of the child first.
I HATE family law cases (well, most of them) - nothing satisfies the other parent except the opposition's head on a silver platter served with a goblet of their blood

Regardless of whether or not the grounding was "fair", the courts have absolutely no reason to get involved. There are parents who deny their children medical care that is generally accepted in other "circles", and they have every right to do so. There are other parents who enforce a traditional style of dress on their children, and they have every right to do so.

That doesn't mean I won't think those people are a bunch of lunatics. Doesn't matter. I'm not them. They don't tell me what to do. They have every right to dictate the actions of their minor children. They might be doing a terrible job. They might be raising good citizens. It's really none of my business. Ultimately, if their kids turn out to be total losers, we can at least toss them in prison. Freedom comes with a lot of caveats. I can accept that.

I don't care if the grounding was fair. It has no business in the court system. The judge should be spanked for wasting taxpayer resources on such nonsense.

Yes, I realize this is Canada. I don't live there, so I'll stay out of their business, too.

Absolutely right, and I live in Canada, My son didn't go to the end of the year movie, he thought he should talk back to me. not in this life time buddy. I picked him up at school. when it was time to go to the movie. he spent that time cleaning his room., I don't spank my children, but I am not a door mat. the court has no business interfering with parenting children ( with the exception of abuse or neglect)

I figured that this might start a debate so I put it here instead of breaking mews. I don't know much about Canada, but how is it that the courts can interfere in this girl being grounded by her Dad for too much internet use? Does grounding one's own child break the law up there?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369044,00.html

It sounds more, in this case, like somewhat of a custody dispute. The dad kicked her out of his house as a result of this fight, and probably her mother wanted to let her go but couldn't as the non-custodial parent.

There are a lot of things missing from the article, and you know a 12-year-old didn't come up with the idea to sue her father alone, so calling her a 'brat' being indulged by a judge is probably a little harsh. From what the judge said, that there were unusual circumstances, that the situation 'escalated' with no explanation of what that means, who knows what's actually going on here.

I agree with the sentiment that children shouldn't be willy-nilly suing their parents, but there's no evidence that's what happened.

It's sort of odd everyone just automatically took the dad's side. Maybe he is horrible and abusive for all we know, and deserved to get sued.

Then he should be charged with abuse.

Without speculating on the unknowns of this case, I have to agree with the dad too. The court has undermined his authority with his daughter. Even if her being grounded was unfair punishment - parents make mistakes. There is a very dangerous precedent being set.

Wow just wow. I keep thinking about how I was brought up as a child and I can't even imagine....I'm just speechless. I think no matter whether the punishment was fair or not the court has no right to interfere. If the court wants to decide how people can and cannot punish thier own children then the courts should raise the children themselves. They have no right what so ever and stuff like this is the exact reason I won't have children.

I agree wildfire and that is what I would tell any judge that did that to me.
"If you think you can do a better job, go for it"

This is exactly what happens under the "It takes a village" mentality.
Baloney

Government slowly, surely, steadily, encroaching on our rights, now even our rights as parents. Where will it end? We all know where. But as long as it happens a little bit at a time over a long period of time, people get used to it and do nothing. Vote Obama!

No freaking kidding. I can still hear my mom or my dad and what would happen to my if I'd done that. Frankly, I respect my parents a GREAT deal for setting boundaries for me and expecting me to behave myself. They made it much easier for me to survive as an adult because of it.

I TOTALLY agree that this sort of thing has no place in the courts but I am forced to wonder what this girl's life might be like for her to even consider something like that. It would never have occurred to me. If it had gone to court I probably would have wanted the judge to butt out. I think there should be some sanctity in a family, free from outside interference barring violence or abuse.

You know it's funny I keep hearing people complain that kids now days have no respect, that they have no disipline that thier parents should be ashamed of themselves. Well this is the reason why.
I remember a couple years ago when I was in high scool, I was working at K-Mart as part of the seasonal help and this little boy (bout maybe 3yrs old) and I don't remeber if he was with a mother or fater or both, but from the moment the steped inside and until they left that little boy was screaming his head off and you could hear him though the whole store and it was a big store. If I had even started complaining my gandmother would roll my knuckles (that hurt alot) and if I started crying with my parents my Mom would have my Dad calm carry me out of the store into our big family size van and spank me. Of course with a punishment like that it only ever happened once then it just took a threat of it from my mom and my brothers and I would turn into little Angels. People used to tell my mom that they couldn't belive how well behaved her children were and ask her how she did and she would tell them they just know better then to misbehave.


You know with a 12 yer old putting her pic on a dating website eventually she's going to want to go meet on of these guys and her dad is going to say she can't and she'll tell him well then I will just take you to court again and she's going to go off and meet the guy and 24-48 hours later and we will see her picture on the t.v. with the words "Amber Alert" underneth it and when peoople ask the father why he didn't stop his little girl from going to meet some strange guy his going to tell them "The court would let me"

THANK-YOU!!! I totally agree! all this hand holding, got to your room, time out crap has made the kids into gun toting, inmoral, non caring THUGS!!!

WE were spanked as a child, we got grounded. And i bet 90% of us have a healthy respect for athority to this day!

I have a healthy respect for authority and a good moral compass without ever having it beaten into me. My parents also never grounded me *gasp* because I never forced them to. They helped me internalize a code of discipline that prevented me from doing things that were wrong because I knew they were wrong, not because I feared the repercussions.

What a bizarre concept!

Really!

Im pretty sure spanking will not end violence and gun carrying thugs. Morals are not taught through spanking, the post eluding to that confused me.

Raising children is not black and white, spank and they will be good, not spank and they will be bad.

Teaching discipline within oneself doesnt come by hitting, either.

How much time do you actually spend around kids? I spend most weekdays with 50 to 80 of these so-called , and have survived physically and emotionally. They can be annoying and unreasonable, but who, including adults, isn't at times? It's up to adults to command authority. Yes, there are hardcore cases that can't be reached, but they're few and far between.

punishments should be decided on what works best for a particular child.
for example: my mother used to discipline my sister by making her sit under the kitchen table [basically, a time-out, but no one called it that 40 years ago ]. my sister can still remember watching mom's legs walking around in the kitchen [my sister is now 48, btw]. mom never used this for me - i asked her why once, & she said it was because i wouldn't have cared... she's right. i was also never sent to my room - again, wouldn't have bothered me.
for me, spanking was the worst punishment. my niece - parental disapproval seems to be the worst to her. all children [just like all adults] are different. a wise parent knows his/her child, & chooses punishments [& rewards, for that matter] that are appropriate to the child.

I agree. I spanked my daughter once on her hand when she was little because she was doing something dangerous and that was the only time I ever have. She listens to me and when she tries to disobey I take away the things that mean the most. Then she has to earn them back. I am strict in some ways but I am not into spanking. My father over did it with us and have a distaste for it because of that.
I would be interested in hearing more about this case. My question is why a 12 year old is spending unsupervised time on a computer? I allow my daughter to use a computer but it is strictly monitored. What kind of dating site? An adult site or a site with other 12 year olds? Not that that is safe but it seems a bit strange. If you told her not to go on dating sites once then why is she getting another opportunity to be on a computer alone much less posting anything.

SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007

These are some new ones, hilarious



Scenario:
Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957
- Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.


Scenario:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.


Scenario:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English..

Scenario:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007- BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

And in 50 years, I can only hope I don't feel so smug as to think that the way I grew up was the only right way, no matter what was wrong with it, and the way I imagine things are done now (of course, complete hyperbole) will result in a bunch of criminals and halfwits.

Not all kids are like you. Some kids need spanking.
I was spanked, NOT beaten.

spanking does not = beaten

What a bizarre concept.