Domestic Violence Against Children- GO Sally, GO!

Assemblymember Sally Lieber, this is the best present you could have given us right at the start 2007! We've been waiting for so long for someone to have enough backbone to introduce a bill such as this- legislation to make spanking illegal! I think the consciousness on our planet may have just been raised a bit. This discussion, this debate, this issue is something we can no longer ignore. Raising awareness on violence of all forms and having discussions on how to transcend it can only mean that there's hope for the human race after all.

Ahhh, but opposers say it's another governmental intrusion on privacy...so I guess they think we should sanction assault and battery of babies as long as we do it at home. Let's see, domestic violence against a spouse or partner is against the law, but...beating babies, nah, that's OK. Oh and I'm sorry, Assemblymember Chuck DeVore, no it's not along the same lines as passing a bill that every parent has to read to their child for 30 minutes every night. No, duh. Honestly? Is that the best comeback you could think up?

We've come far enough along the research trail to know that violence is not the best way to teach and guide children. OH, and long term...it also doesn't work. 1986 research proved that a decade ago.

Psychology Today, Nov 1986

What did they discover? In both the long and short term, physical discipline proved unsuccessful. Babies who were physically punished by their mothers were more likely to grasp breakable objects and were least likely to obey restrictions, reaching for the forbidden objects again and again. And when given a test measuring infant development seven months later, these babies scored lower than did those who received no or low discipline.

Hmmm, seems like a no brainer these days. Parents try to teach their kids hitting is not OK, but...umm..it's OK for the parents to hit the kids. Smart parenting, that.

The sad thing is that we still have to have legislation such as this to make people aware of the fact that violence should not be accepted in our society (of course, we're still working on that whole "war" thing). Sad, sad. It matters not that the violence occurs inside your home or at the mall, violence is violence, hitting is hitting. Big people hitting big people lands one in court. Big people hitting little people should have equal if not more serious repercussions.

In the words of the two year old who lives in this house, hitting is "Not Nice".

It really can't get any clearer than that.

Go Sally! YOU GO GIRL!!