Georgia Man arrested for child cruelty

[Leagon]

it's a bit ridiculous to me. there are ways to effectively instill discipline that don't involve doing this crap in the middle of the night. not sure i think the guy needs to be arrested tho.

This. It's extreme, but the arrest is extreme as well. Just tell the dad to knock it off.

When I would miss the bus in high school, my dad would always threaten that, next time, I'd have to walk the 10+ miles to school in the Vegas heat and he'd drive behind me every mile to make sure I did it.

He never followed through, but I know it was only because he knew he'd go to jail over it. To him it was a perfectly reasonable punishment for a person to give if they wanted to raise a man.

 

[Panky Rang]

The world is run by a bunch of bitches

 

[mesomorph]

I do not want the .gov telling me how to discipline my child.

LOL. OK.

Because you own him/her.

 

[Matt4786]

I don't know that you can say that is a universal truth. Not all people respond to the same thing. It's possible that one kid might respond to a lecture, another needs privileges revoked, and another might need some sort of discipline like this.

Fair enough. I think you need the right blend of sticks and carrots, depending on the individual.

I generally try to generally take a positive position where I incentivize good behavior with gifts/privileges, and remove the gifts when there's bad behavior and explain why I am doing it and how to get them back.

I find that if I get mad or act like a hardass sparingly, it's a lot more effective than if I try to use that approach on everything because they know shit just got real.

But to completely counter my own point, I was one of those kids that this strategy didn't work on. I was so stubborn that they could take away everything, and I would just sit and read a book if only to spite them.

 

[dirtypablo]

LOL. OK.

Because you own him/her.

They're your responsibility and if they screw up you can be held liable.

Where does it end? What if the government decides you cant make your kid do any chores?

 

[D Train]

LOL. OK.

Because you own him/her.

Don't be an ass. Of course I don't own him, but I don't need the government telling me how to parent. I'm quite capable of that on my own.

 

[irish_thug]

He's teaching his son a valuable lesson, accountability. You do what you are told, or there are consequences. He didn't beat him, he made him carry a rock. Not likely to be the way I would discipline my kids, but I, and many others, have experienced far worse.

 

[weich]

Fair enough. I think you need the right blend of sticks and carrots, depending on the individual.

I generally try to generally take a positive position where I incentivize good behavior with gifts/privileges, and remove the gifts when there's bad behavior and explain why I am doing it and how to get them back.

I find that if I get mad or act like a hardass sparingly, it's a lot more effective than if I try to use that approach on everything because they know shit just got real.

I agree with you. I just think there are scenarios where things escalate to a punishment like this.

I don't think walking around with a 23 pound slab is all that rough.

Would/should a farmer be arrested if they punished their son by having them unload a wagon of hay bales by themselves? I think that is in the same ball park.

 

[mesomorph]

Don't be an ass. Of course I don't own him, but I don't need the government telling me how to parent. I'm quite capable of that on my own.

Everyone thinks that.

I don't know if you need the government stepping in but some people obviously do.

 

[Oblivian]

Play stupid games, get stupid prizes.

 

[Ayin]

This father is likely furious that he's been arrested, and will no doubt get a lot of support, but walking, exhausted, under load, AND ALONE on the side of the street at 3 AM... If this kid had of been hit by the delivery driver who spotted him the vast majority would be willing to come out and say how absolutely stupid this was.

And it was stupid.

 

[drstrangelov]

They're your responsibility and if they screw up you can be held liable.

Where does it end? What if the government decides you cant make your kid do any chores?

It has to start somewhere though, even if the parameters for intervention are narrow, they do serve a purpose and need to exist.

Just for discussion's sake, if all aspects of this story are the same, except the father is a meth head with a long history of drug arrests, larceny and assorted scummy but nonviolent crimes, would this punishment seem dangerous?

 

[Leagon]

Fair enough. I think you need the right blend of sticks and carrots, depending on the individual.

I generally try to generally take a positive position where I incentivize good behavior with gifts/privileges, and remove the gifts when there's bad behavior and explain why I am doing it and how to get them back.

I find that if I get mad or act like a hardass sparingly, it's a lot more effective than if I try to use that approach on everything because they know shit just got real.

But to completely counter my own point, I was one of those kids that this strategy didn't work on. I was so stubborn that they could take away everything, and I would just sit and read a book if only to spite them.

Haha...I was like you. Honestly, I think most kids are. It takes a pretty docile kid to completely fold just because he can't use his Ipod. I also think that it sends the message that, as long as you're good, life will reward you (which is idealistic at best).

It's also not an option for poor parents. When I was growing up, I never had any toys to begin with, so there was nothing my parents could take from me but library books (then I'd just write my own stories). Much more effective to beat my ass or make me do senseless labor.

The message was, "Even if you're good, life will give you nothing. And don't fuck up or life will take the little you have and put a belt to your ass."

 

[nostradumbass]

So the gov't that puts people in prisons to get raped and surrounded by gang violence for non-violent crimes has now decided that making your kid workout as a punishment is excessive? Fantastic!

 

[Shael]

My parents punished me plenty, I don't resent them for it one bit.

 

[Bukowski82]

Before clicking, I was 100% certain this man would be in the Military. One thing that always struck me about going around on a Military base was how awful people were to their kids. It almost became something of a joke with myself and the people I knew... And not even the Military Individual, but often times the Spouse as well. They would treat their children as if they were in the Military as well... I find that reprehensible. Let kids be kids. It's fine to set boundaries and enforce discipline, but something like this is absurd. I hope he gets made an example of...

I have the utmost respect for all Military, past and present... But I don't understand what appears to be an epidemic of child abuse that I've seen reported, in the news or firsthand. Blows my mind.

 

[Matt4786]

Haha...I was like you. Honestly, I think most kids are. It takes a pretty docile kid to completely fold just because he can't use his Ipod. I also think that it sends the message that, as long as you're good, life will reward you (which is idealistic at best).

It's also not an option for poor parents. When I was growing up, I never had any toys to begin with, so there was nothing my parents could take from me but library books (then I'd just write my own stories). Much more effective to beat my ass or make me do senseless labor.

The message was, "Even if you're good, life will give you nothing. And don't fuck up or life will take the little you have and put a belt to your ass."

I probably could've use a few more ass beatings myself TBH. I guess it is kid dependent. I didn't have many toys either, but I knew books were a loophole because my parents would never promote ignorance.

But regarding life, I think the takeaway approach teaches a similar lesson. Acting like a dick at work? You just lost your job! Treating your wife like crap? She's now sucking someone else's dick! Etc...

I think your lesson arrives at a similar conclusion, but from the opposite direction, so maybe teaching it both ways is best.

Thinking more about this, I think a better physical punishment is forcing him to work out with you It instills discipline and you could spend more time with him, making sure he's acting right.

 

[Jack Handy jr]

That is NOT child cruelty.

If you disagree I have no choice but to believe you're too soft to last in this world.

cruelty no, but not well thought out. if he is former military and he didn't want to draw undue attention that a kid carrying a brick down the road in Georgia heat would bring he could have simply gave the kid a new pair of jungle boots, filled one of his old rucks to about 75lbs, then let the kid hump it a few miles. Road marching in Georgia heat, with 75+ pounds on your back is punishment enough.

 

[Ayin]

So the gov't that puts people in prisons to get raped and surrounded by gang violence for non-violent crimes has now decided that making your kid workout as a punishment is excessive? Fantastic!

How big were you at 16? Were you 4'2"? I wasn't. Without the rest of the data, normal size for a kid about that height seems to be in the 80lb range. That puts that 25lb stone at about 1/3 of his bodyweight.

You carry 1/3 of your bodyweight for miles? Because I "workout", and I sure don't, especially not at night. Alone. On the side of the @#$%ing road. Infact, doing that would be stupid. Flat out stupid.

And forcing your 4'2" 16 year old to do it is even more stupid. Because it's not just choosing to endanger your own idiot self, it's endangering theirs.


I used to walk miles at that age as well. Often at night. Sometimes carrying a pack that weighed quite a bit on the side of the road. It wasn't smart, it was probably even dangerous, but it was still far more safe than this.

 

[Leagon]

I probably could've use a few more ass beatings myself TBH. I guess it is kid dependent. I didn't have many toys either, but I knew books were a loophole because my parents would never promote ignorance.

But regarding life, I think the takeaway approach teaches a similar lesson. Acting like a dick at work? You just lost your job! Treating your wife like crap? She's now sucking someone else's dick! Etc...

I think your lesson arrives at a similar conclusion, but from the opposite direction, so maybe teaching it both ways is best.

Thinking more about this, I think a better physical punishment is forcing him to work out with you It instills discipline and you could spend more time with him, making sure he's acting right.

All good points. Lol @ wife going after other D. It's a lesson kids need to learn!

And though it felt like I was getting my ass beat around every corner, I can look back in hindsight and see that my parents did it pretty sparingly. My parents used lots of non-violent physical punishments. Labor was common too.

I don't understand how people raise kids at all. When I try to dissect what my parents did, where they succeeded, where they failed, etc... fuckin too many variables, man. Too many situations where five different approaches are all valid.