this pattern of using violence against someone you deem 'weaker' than you is sickening. if a 4-year old pushes another child (and is swearing), they had to have gotten that from somewhere- they are either emulating what they see in their own family, or at school.
i hear young kids yelling how things are 'theirs' all the time, and they hit and push. how often do parents emphasize sharing as an actual value? when a child pushes another child because they want something for themselves, does an adult figure step in and ask where they got the idea that NOT sharing was good? i have actually asked this to children (with the parents there) and the kids look as if they didn't realize sharing was a concept.
it's imperative we speak clearly and in a frank (age-appropriate) manner with children. 'because i said so' is not a proper response, when they ask why they can't do or have something. there's no association as to WHY they cannot do the thing you are saying they cannot do- and this is actually repeating the very behavior that cops love to display.
when you beat a child, the claim is that it's done to 'correct' behavior. how exactly do you 'correct' someone's behavior when there's no moral awareness to it? if you have to beat a child as hard as mr. peterson did with his child, there's something suspicious about the parenting style on his end. his claim was that he had to beat him that hard because he didn't cry... again, this is expecting children to be robots, and to respond in the same way to pain. he treated his son as if he were a slave... as if he were property, as opposed to a nuanced human being. he took the leaves of the branch he hit the child with, and stuffed the leaves in the child's mouth. how is this 'diciplining' out of love?
THE PHOTOS WHICH WERE RELEASED WERE A WEEK LATER FROM THE DAY THE BEATINGS ACTUALLY HAPPENED... how could anyone defend what happened to this poor child? the greatest (and saddest) irony to this is that this is the same person whose two-year old son died as a result of abuse- the son's mother allowed her most current partner to murder their child. and peterson is perpetuating the pattern with those who are still living.
the defense of peterson (due to his celebrity status) needs to cease as well. people have been saying he is hounded because he is a football player. people are saying he is successful BECAUSE he was beaten as a child. people have been blaming the mother for the 'witch hunt' against him. are you kidding me? was she supposed to be silent about what happened? was the doctor supposed to be silent? people focus far too much on material wealth and idol worship than actual mental and spiritual health, and positive relationships within families.
