I found this video to be really harsh and difficult to watch. The discipline was way too harsh and I believe physical discipline should never be use as it can weaken the bond between the children and parents, lowering the children self esteem, and it can also encourage children to be dishonest and link them to antisocial behavior. This video showed a breakout of battered child syndrome as well as child abuse. Thanks,TonyTran123
Yes Tony this video was very hard to watch. Did you happen to hear the Judge say to his daughter, "You caused this" this is a recurring theme for wife beaters and abusers; they blame their victims for their brutish behavior. He beat his disabled daughter with a belt because she downloaded video games and music on her computer, can you believe it? The statute of limitations on child abuse is only 5 years this law should have no statute of limitations at all.
Hi Beverly, I didn't hear any where in the video that the 16 year old girl was disabled. I agree that the video showed abuse and did not show corporal punishment. However, in a 7 minute 35 second video I wouldn't not equate "you caused this" as someone who beats his wife. He might well beat his wife but I wouldn't come to that conclusion from this one short video.
Hi Marlene, No it was not in the video that the daughter has cerebral palsy but when I googled the Judge I found that out. When He said to his daughter "you caused this" I meant that abusers often blame their victims for "making" the abuser beat them whether it is their daughter or son or wife. Although one can't conclude from the video that the Judge was a wife beater as well, violence to one member of the family often spills over to all members of the family. And as a matter of fact he is a drug user and he did beat his wife. Beverly123
This was a horrible video to watch, I can't imagine ever treating my own child like that over nothing. He is obviously a control freak along with his wife, they must enjoy treating their child like that. debbie123
This is one of the most despicable and disgusting videos that I have seen for a long time. At first I believed that these parents were ignorant, uneducated, sadists; but the father is supposed to be a judge. Isn't this behavior illegal? How can a man who engages in criminal activity remain in the position of Judge? This scumbag deserves to go to jail and let some of the inmates he sent there provide a little rough justice of their own. I did a little research on this cretin and discovered that he was a Judge in Texas (that figures)and believe it or not is a family court judge hearing family law, child abuse, and domestic violence cases. How would you like to be a child in his court who is the victim of parental abuse? He is not being charged for beating his daughter, who has cerebral palsy, because the statute of limitation on child abuse is only five years, this is another case of government failing to protect those who can't protect themselves.
You took the words right out of my mouth Beverly. I guess I'm a firm believer in Hammurabi's code of laws. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. This miserable human being in his puny self-important tries to justify to himself that his own daughter was the cause of her own abuse. I think this man believes that one day his daughter will come back and thank him for his punishment. This is a sick man, he needs to be put away.
There is a big difference between corporal punishment and physical abuse. This video clearly showed physical abuse and did not show corporal punishment as it is intended by most parents who believe in corporal punishment. All pediatric, psychiatric organization in the United States and Europe say that corporal punishment is bad for children. They say that corporal punishment may lower self esteem, that children who are spanked report being more anger as adults, that corporal punishment is associated with more spousal abuse, increased substance abuse, and higher rates of crime. My critique of these organizations is their use of words like "may lower," and "associated with." I would take them more seriously if they would say "spanking causes crime" or "spanking causes alcoholism." They do not. Anyone who has read anything concerning the association versus a causation issue knows that it is extremely hard (not impossible) to prove a causation. Therefore, it is best to wait until all the evidence is in before throwing corporal punishment out as a form of punishment. Another critique concerning these organizations is their definition of corporal punishment. Is a small pat to the butt corporal punishment and does a small pat to the butt cause children to murder? I don't think anyone would agree. The only thing we can all agree with is that this video does not show normal corporal punishment. It shows violence and abuse. Thanks "Marlene Bello 123"
I personally would consider this corporal punishment as well as child abuse. Corporal punishment is defined as physical punishment, such as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime. Although I completely disagree with the judge and find him a complete scumbag, I would say that this is corporal punishment because apparently what she did was considered a crime in his house. This man should no longer be allowed to continue practicing as a judge.
This is a horrible video. This I would consider physical abuse not corporal punishment. This girl was beaten with a belt over some video games on her computer. No child deserves to be beaten like that. It was hard to listen to this video let alone sit here and watch this happen to her. to think this man is a judge is sickening. If this is how he treat his own daughter what happens within his court room? If he believes his child is delinquent for playing video games what kind of punishment does he give the children that go into his court room? Sad to see that this man is a juge and should be removed.
You are correct that this is physical abuse not corporal punishment. There is no amount of explaining or defending that could make me believe otherwise. Yes punishment maybe warranted but not abuse. It is scary to think this man is a judge. Think of being his daughter. She probably realizes no one will believe her. Since the mother appears to be of the same mindset as the father she does not have any support from her either. I agree this man should be removed from the bench. I think he should also be charged with child endangerment and have to have extensive counseling at the very least. haj123
I agree with he should be removed from the bench. But i also belive he should be charged. And if it keeps hapening, hopefully a responsibile family member can take custody.
This video made me completely sick to my stomach. Nobody should be punished the way this little girl was punished, especially over something as stupid as putting a game on her computer. There are many other ways to punish her. I completely believe that children should obey rules but no child should be physically abused. I agree with spanking your child but never with any weapon or other thing to hurt them. I think most children especially being her age if lightly spanked would stop what she was doing out of sheer embarrassment. You don't have to hurt someone to change their behavior. If her downloading a game was such a big deal, he could have simply grounded her from her computer. I personally would love to see this man rot in prison or get my hands on him.
I agree. Punishing a child by beating her with a belt is highly cruel and very obscure over something so little as a video game. And not only her father, a judge, that was beating her but also her mother was encouraging it too.. I can only imagine the emotional abuse done to this poor little girl..
The emotional scars left on this girl are bound to be life long. She has a disablility which is a challenge and then to have her parents who shouldlove and protect her from harm no matter what end up abusing her is unthinkable. Her disability may burden her parents and she sees their frustration for having to deal with it. Her self esteem has got to be so low and she may even have thoughts of suicide. Having your father be a judge would also make you think no one else will believe you. So sad. haj123
I agree with what you said, "you don't have to hurt someone to change their behavior". And in reality, I don't belive it changes their behavior the way anyone wants, if anything they rebel and act out more.
This video is sad, but unfortunately, a very common problem throughout history. I believe there's a fine line between beating and spanking your child. I was raised in a family that spanked, but I never felt physically abused. I strongly believe that punishments should always fit the "crimes" (or in this case disobedience to one's parents.)
From a criminologist's stand point, I think we need to overlook the fact that the father was a judge, and see him for what he was in the confines of the situation... a DAD. A dad who made a very very big mistake, and whose abuse towards his daughter has been publicized. His form of punishment did not fit her crime (because let us not forget that she DID download something from the internet that wasn't paid for and essentially stole the game or music.) So while her "crimes" were definitely punishable, she probably should have been grounded for disobeying her parents. I'll play devil's advocate and go so far as to say even a SPANKING would have sufficed. (Although personally I think after puberty parents need to stop spanking teens altogether.) And that her downloading of "stolen" property should have been turned into the authorities. My problem with that however, is when I was speeding at seventeen, I was ultimately breaking the law just as much as she was, and what followed my speeding was the inevitable accident, and while my parents clearly showed their displeasure in my actions, I wasn't BEATEN for them. I got my ticket, I paid it, and I learned a lesson, all while knowing in my heart that my parents were going to love me no matter what. And THAT is the REAL lesson that needs to be learned between a parent and a child. Thanks for reading my post, Rachael_Speciale123
I agree with the other comments that this video was very disturbing and difficult to watch. Some of you did additional research and found out that this girl was disabled which just sickens me more. I believe in firm punishment but this crosses the line. The downloading of the game and music should be addressed, unless it is paid for that is usually illegal. The parents have a right to be upset tht the girl disobeyed them. Grounding her from the computer and making her do additional chores ect. would be understood. I feel that spanking a teenager is not acceptable. That being said this was not spanking it was beating and should never happen to any age of a child. The child should be removed from the home. It is clear that both the father and mother are unfit. Anyone who feel that this was appropriate punishment is in need of intense counseling they are a threat to the safety of this child. They both appear to have anger issues and become more enraged as the girl refuses to lay on the bed the way they want her to. I think that both should be charged with endangering this child and given strict punishments. Thanks holly123
This video was extremely hard to watch. It made me shake, made my blood boil, and almost made me cry. the fact that this man is a law enforcenment official and should be setting an example, not acting like a barbarian! And to top it off, this 16 year old has cerebral palsy. She was beaten for downloading games and music on the computer. In my opinion, using a method like this to raise a child will only backfire. They will angrier and one day turn around on the person who is abusin them. This also destroys the bond between the child and her parents, not only did the father do it, but the mother was in on it as well. If u slap your childs hand when they are young and are just learning whats dangerous, that i can understand. Even spanking them for doing something dangerous after they know not to, I can understand. But I do not understand this type of abuse and i completely believe that it does absolutely no good, only bad. I almost feel sorry for that man. What kind of bad childhood could he have suffered to turn out like that? or is it just a power-trip gone to his head because he is a judge? Regardless he deserves to be punished. And neither one of those parents need to ever again reproduce. Thanks LoganNash123
I absolutely agree with you that these parents' views of appropriate punishment were completely twisted. They do need to be punished. Harshly. They also need some serious therapy. They might genuinely think that what they did was acceptable behavior.
Well that was tough to watch. As a parent this video has me so enraged, I'm seeing red. That was totally out of line for him to use such excessive punishment. This so-called man has probably done serious psychological harm to this girl. Abuse can drive a wedge even further between parents and children and cause the children to act out even more. The mother was just as bad. She stands by and does nothing as this is going on. She is just enabling, but maybe it's because she's too frightened to say anything. I know a lot of parents who believe in a stern style of punishment, but this is way over the top. This man should be locked away. CarsonCole 123
I would agree! I could not imaging having this done to me because I was playing a game on the computer when I was suppose to be doing homework. I about didnt even finsih watching this video!! I agree with you one hundred percent. That man should be locked away from the rest of his life, along with the mother who just stood there and watched, and even took the belt to her daughter that one time. At least the mother was not as mean as her father to hit her with the belt on her back and on her legs. They both need to be put in prison for a long time or even for the rest of their lifes. Kelsi123
I would agree that perhaps the mother is too afraid to against her husband. I've had situations like that where I disagree with husband's method of punishment for our three year old. He actually believes in spanking and I completely disagree. He was spanked as a child and I never was so perhaps this is where our differences come from. Many times, if he has spanked our child for what I feel is not even close to a good reason (then again when is it a good reason) I will get upset with him and it has caused arguments. The arguments themselves are damaging enough if a child has to hear it. I can understand though that perhaps the wife is afraid to say anything. Regardless, she should stand up for her child if she thinks her husband is out of line. It seems though that they were feeding off of each others actions. The extent of this abuse is disgusting and yes, they should be punished in some form. Vanessa123
I too agree that the mother was afraid of her husband. It seemed as if there was some nervousness in her voice. I was spanked with a belt as a child and it definitely got my father's point across that I was not suppose to be doing whatever it was he deemed 'bad' but it did not altogether stop me from doing it again. I became more secretive and it most definitely harmed our parent/child bond and relationship. Even though I was not beat, it took a toll on my emotions and there were times that I was scared to even ask him a question. Actions like those we saw in the video, I feel, will leave a very negative impact on this young girl that could effect her for her whole life. Crystal 123
This video literally made me cry. I could not imagine having my parents smack me with a belt like her parents just did, especially her father. It makes me sick. For me it was a lot harder to watch a video like this due to my son being abused when he was just 2 1/2 months old. While I was at work, my ex had hit my son across his face when I was not there. It was very hard for me as his mother to get over this. Due to my son being hit and bruised very badly, he was put in the hospital for weeks, DCFS was brought in, and just for a safety plan I was not even allowed at the hospital at all unless DCFS was present. DCFS does not just wait around the hospital so someone can see their child. They are only there to do assessments. My child was in the hospital for 5 days and when he went home from the hospital he was sent home with my mom, and I was not allowed to stay the night at my moms with him for another week until I was cleared. Needless to say thanks to Fulton County, the man is now in prison serving a 5 year sentence, although not long enough. Even after I was cleared DCFS tried to get me for neglect, because I was responsible for choosing my son's babysitter. I was found not guilty and have nothing to do with DCFS anymore and my son is now 3 and is doing wonderfully. I would hope that this guy got prison time along with his wife. That is just way too much punishment. These are moments where I wish that the public could take punishment into their own hands. If we could do this I would hope that someone would do what he had done to his child to both him and his wife, so they could feel the pain that she has to go through. Also I hope that their daughter and other children had been taken away from them and put in better homes where they would be well taken care of and treated a lot better than that. I could not even imagine the damage that young girl will have for the rest of her life. Who knows how many other times, her parents had done this to her.
I really hope this child got some justice. I definitely see child abuse over corporal punishment. They beat her like that over a game on her computer, what if she had actually done something wrong? Thanks debbie123
I vaguely remember when this video originally aired - I believe it was about two years ago. The daughter appeared on multiple news outlets and was often joined by her mother. I remember the mothering claiming she was in a "zombie" state most of the time due to her husbands actions and went along with whatever he told her to do. If I remember right she'd stated that the abuse had escalated from spankings as she got older and that she'd felt she needed to record it for a later time and that she wanted people to be more aware that things like this could happen in any family and just because someone had money or a high powered job, didn't mean their wasn't abuse in their home. I suppose her justice is the world's knowledge of what her parents inflicted on her and her ability to bring awareness on behalf of others.
This video displays what is obviously more than a "spanking" - the father himself uses the word beat at least twice during the incident. I am actually undecided on the corporal punishment stance - I've seen a child become more focused and remember to look both ways before entering a street after a couple swats were given after he darted in front of a car and that was called a "spanking" but this video starts with the judge stating he is going to give his daughter a "spanking" and what we all see is clearly a glimpse of an abusive household. It was also delivered while he was extremely angry - that is never a good time to deliver any kind of punishment. On top of the physical harm the judge does is a level of emotional and cognitive damage. The father tells his daughter she "used to be a good girl" and that now she "doesn't deserve to live in the house" - comments like that from someone who is supposed to love you unconditionally have to harm a 16 year old's self esteem and cause damage to the parent/child relationship. I imagine, since she's reported the incident wasn't isolated, that she carried that damage into other relationships as well. Studies have shown that abuse changes the way the brain actually functions, so while the father claims he's apologized and that it wasn't a big deal, he's purposely acted in ways that permanently harmed his daughter both physically, cognitively, and mentally and that is something no parent should be allowed to do.
I agree with you, I think sometimes as we have little kids a "paddle" on the but when they are about to cross a road with oncoming traffic is okay. But in reality is it? are we hurting those little ones physically, emotionally, cognitively by doing that? That is something that I would really like to know. And I agree with you just because the father apologized to her does not mean it dismisses what he did to her mentally, that no matter what will affect her for the rest of her life. Lindsey123
It is obvious that everyone here agrees in that this poor little girl is and has been abused both physically and emotionally. I am wondering what the father and mother's perception of a "spanking" really is. How do they define a spanking or beating? When is spanking appropriate if at all? How old is too old to be spanked? What concerns me just as equally is the level of emotional damage they have inflicted. What's worse is that both the mother and father gained up on their daughter and it seemed they were feeding off of each others actions. Children who grow up in these type of conditions more than likely have difficulty in relationships in their adulthood. Regardless of how abuse is defined, the effects can be pretty devastating. This poor little girl who has experienced many forms of maltreatment is probably going to suffer devalued sense of self and mistrust of others. Because of this, she may be more prone to suffer mental illness and is at an increased risk of substance abuse, eating disorders, obesity, depression,suicide, and sexual promiscuity, to name a few. Psychologists even suggest that maltreatment encourages children to use aggression as a means of solving problems. We have all heard of the parent who was abused as a child and although they were emotionally scarred from it and swore to never be like that to their own children, they end up treating their children exactly the same way they were treated as a child - abused! The behavior of abusive parents can often be traced to negative experiences in their own childhood - physical abuse and emotional neglect. Sadly, it turns out to become a vicious cycle. In a perfect world, I think it should be mandatory that parents take some form of parenting classes. This world is harsh and parents perhaps don't intend to inflict harm on their children. Some are unable to or have difficulty coping with stressful life events such as divorce, financial stress, mental illness, drug addiction, etc...it doesn't make it right but understanding the root cause of the problem in the first place is the first step. Raising awareness is the best thing we can do and then take action. Vanessa123
Watching this video brought tears to my eyes, how can a person do this to their child? This is definitely child abuse defined by the book. The definition in the book says that child abuse is any physical, emotional, or sexual trauma to a child, including neglecting to give proper care and attention, for which no reasonable explanation can be found. With the father repeatedly beating her like that and the mom allowing it and hitting her with the belt, she has a greater chance of using drugs, alcohol, depression, sexual promiscuity, as well as suicide. Not only is this teenage girl experiencing physical abuse but emotional abuse also, her father told her she did not have right to be living in the house, what can that do for a child's self-esteem. With the effect of the abuse she endured she has a greater chance of increased risk for adverse health effects and behaviors across the life course, which includes smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, severe obesity, depression, suicide, sexual promiscuity, and certain chronic diseases. This maltreatment encourages child to use aggression as a means of solving problems and prevents them from feeling empathy for others. Lindsey 123
This video is absolutely appalling! Not only is this father physically abusing his 16 year old daughter, but he is also mentally abusing her. And as if the beating and verbal abuse from the father was not bad enough, the mother has to have her turn in beating her with a belt too. In my opinion, this father has some severe anger issues that extend way beyond him not liking his daughter to play computer games. It is sad that the people who are suppose to be protecting her are the people who are abusing her. These actions can have a very damaging effect on this young girl. She may experience low self-esteem issues, trust issues, suicidal thoughts/mental anguish and could turn to antisocial behaviors. Crystal 120
Child abuse is any “physical, emotional, or sexual trauma to a child, including neglecting to give proper care and attention, for which no reasonable explanation can be found.”
This video made my blood boil. Even if their views on what constitutes excessive force were skewed by abuse that they received by their parents, (which is a very common factor associated with child abuse), it’s difficult to imagine that the parents didn’t realize that that “spanking”, in this video, is abuse. The judge even called what he was doing “beating” a couple times. The beating was premeditated. The judge and his wife took the time to go get some belts to “punish” her. Their actions were not an impulsive response to anger. If they had time to go and get some belts, they had time to stop and think about their actions. They could have waited and cooled down before punishing her.
It’s really hard to wrap my mind around the thought that this judge genuinely thought that this form of punishment was okay. What that family needed was state intervention. The girl was sixteen, not six, so maybe going through all the court proceedings, etc, might be less traumatic for her. Since she was the one that made the video, she may have already been thinking that being taken away from her parents and her parents being punished would be better than continued abuse from them.
That’s just my two cents anyway. It’s kind of hard to make an unbiased response based on a video of the abuse than on sitting down and listening to everyone involved give their reasons for their actions.
I can't judge so soon, but I partially agree that Judge has the right to punish his daughter. He has set the rules and she disobeyed them. According to the video, she was accused of being a liar and a thief. I do not know how far it's true, so I can't judge this situation as completely right or wrong.
However, corporal punishment has its limit. Judge has seriously crossed that limit and entered the stage of physical abuse. She deserves to be punished as she had been warned of the consequences. She takes part of the blame. Judge should have just left her alone after spanking her the first few times, as a warning. If she ever repeats her mistake, the lesson shall be learned again and again, but not to this degree as shown in the video.
That's my opinion. Kindly comment on this, if one may? I'm curious about phenomenons such as these. About the right and wrong. And one could kindly please enlighten me on the full subject with background evidence.
I found this video to be really harsh and difficult to watch. The discipline was way too harsh and I believe physical discipline should never be use as it can weaken the bond between the children and parents, lowering the children self esteem, and it can also encourage children to be dishonest and link them to antisocial behavior. This video showed a breakout of battered child syndrome as well as child abuse. Thanks,TonyTran123
ReplyDeleteYes Tony this video was very hard to watch. Did you happen to hear the Judge say to his daughter, "You caused this" this is a recurring theme for wife beaters and abusers; they blame their victims for their brutish behavior. He beat his disabled daughter with a belt because she downloaded video games and music on her computer, can you believe it? The statute of limitations on child abuse is only 5 years this law should have no statute of limitations at all.
DeleteHi Beverly, I didn't hear any where in the video that the 16 year old girl was disabled. I agree that the video showed abuse and did not show corporal punishment. However, in a 7 minute 35 second video I wouldn't not equate "you caused this" as someone who beats his wife. He might well beat his wife but I wouldn't come to that conclusion from this one short video.
DeleteHi Marlene, No it was not in the video that the daughter has cerebral palsy but when I googled the Judge I found that out. When He said to his daughter "you caused this" I meant that abusers often blame their victims for "making" the abuser beat them whether it is their daughter or son or wife. Although one can't conclude from the video that the Judge was a wife beater as well, violence to one member of the family often spills over to all members of the family. And as a matter of fact he is a drug user and he did beat his wife. Beverly123
DeleteThis was a horrible video to watch, I can't imagine ever treating my own child like that over nothing. He is obviously a control freak along with his wife, they must enjoy treating their child like that. debbie123
DeleteThis is one of the most despicable and disgusting videos that I have seen for a long time. At first I believed that these parents were ignorant, uneducated, sadists; but the father is supposed to be a judge. Isn't this behavior illegal? How can a man who engages in criminal activity remain in the position of Judge? This scumbag deserves to go to jail and let some of the inmates he sent there provide a little rough justice of their own. I did a little research on this cretin and discovered that he was a Judge in Texas (that figures)and believe it or not is a family court judge hearing family law, child abuse, and domestic violence cases. How would you like to be a child in his court who is the victim of parental abuse? He is not being charged for beating his daughter, who has cerebral palsy, because the statute of limitation on child abuse is only five years, this is another case of government failing to protect those who can't protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou took the words right out of my mouth Beverly. I guess I'm a firm believer in Hammurabi's code of laws. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. This miserable human being in his puny self-important tries to justify to himself that his own daughter was the cause of her own abuse. I think this man believes that one day his daughter will come back and thank him for his punishment. This is a sick man, he needs to be put away.
DeleteThere is a big difference between corporal punishment and physical abuse. This video clearly showed physical abuse and did not show corporal punishment as it is intended by most parents who believe in corporal punishment. All pediatric, psychiatric organization in the United States and Europe say that corporal punishment is bad for children. They say that corporal punishment may lower self esteem, that children who are spanked report being more anger as adults, that corporal punishment is associated with more spousal abuse, increased substance abuse, and higher rates of crime. My critique of these organizations is their use of words like "may lower," and "associated with." I would take them more seriously if they would say "spanking causes crime" or "spanking causes alcoholism." They do not. Anyone who has read anything concerning the association versus a causation issue knows that it is extremely hard (not impossible) to prove a causation. Therefore, it is best to wait until all the evidence is in before throwing corporal punishment out as a form of punishment. Another critique concerning these organizations is their definition of corporal punishment. Is a small pat to the butt corporal punishment and does a small pat to the butt cause children to murder? I don't think anyone would agree. The only thing we can all agree with is that this video does not show normal corporal punishment. It shows violence and abuse.
ReplyDeleteThanks "Marlene Bello 123"
I personally would consider this corporal punishment as well as child abuse. Corporal punishment is defined as physical punishment, such as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime. Although I completely disagree with the judge and find him a complete scumbag, I would say that this is corporal punishment because apparently what she did was considered a crime in his house. This man should no longer be allowed to continue practicing as a judge.
DeleteThis is a horrible video. This I would consider physical abuse not corporal punishment. This girl was beaten with a belt over some video games on her computer. No child deserves to be beaten like that. It was hard to listen to this video let alone sit here and watch this happen to her. to think this man is a judge is sickening. If this is how he treat his own daughter what happens within his court room? If he believes his child is delinquent for playing video games what kind of punishment does he give the children that go into his court room? Sad to see that this man is a juge and should be removed.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct that this is physical abuse not corporal punishment. There is no amount of explaining or defending that could make me believe otherwise. Yes punishment maybe warranted but not abuse. It is scary to think this man is a judge. Think of being his daughter. She probably realizes no one will believe her. Since the mother appears to be of the same mindset as the father she does not have any support from her either. I agree this man should be removed from the bench. I think he should also be charged with child endangerment and have to have extensive counseling at the very least. haj123
DeleteI agree with he should be removed from the bench. But i also belive he should be charged. And if it keeps hapening, hopefully a responsibile family member can take custody.
DeleteThis video made me completely sick to my stomach. Nobody should be punished the way this little girl was punished, especially over something as stupid as putting a game on her computer. There are many other ways to punish her. I completely believe that children should obey rules but no child should be physically abused. I agree with spanking your child but never with any weapon or other thing to hurt them. I think most children especially being her age if lightly spanked would stop what she was doing out of sheer embarrassment. You don't have to hurt someone to change their behavior. If her downloading a game was such a big deal, he could have simply grounded her from her computer. I personally would love to see this man rot in prison or get my hands on him.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Punishing a child by beating her with a belt is highly cruel and very obscure over something so little as a video game. And not only her father, a judge, that was beating her but also her mother was encouraging it too.. I can only imagine the emotional abuse done to this poor little girl..
DeleteThe emotional scars left on this girl are bound to be life long. She has a disablility which is a challenge and then to have her parents who shouldlove and protect her from harm no matter what end up abusing her is unthinkable. Her disability may burden her parents and she sees their frustration for having to deal with it. Her self esteem has got to be so low and she may even have thoughts of suicide. Having your father be a judge would also make you think no one else will believe you. So sad. haj123
DeleteI agree with what you said, "you don't have to hurt someone to change their behavior". And in reality, I don't belive it changes their behavior the way anyone wants, if anything they rebel and act out more.
DeleteThis video is sad, but unfortunately, a very common problem throughout history. I believe there's a fine line between beating and spanking your child. I was raised in a family that spanked, but I never felt physically abused. I strongly believe that punishments should always fit the "crimes" (or in this case disobedience to one's parents.)
ReplyDeleteFrom a criminologist's stand point, I think we need to overlook the fact that the father was a judge, and see him for what he was in the confines of the situation... a DAD. A dad who made a very very big mistake, and whose abuse towards his daughter has been publicized. His form of punishment did not fit her crime (because let us not forget that she DID download something from the internet that wasn't paid for and essentially stole the game or music.) So while her "crimes" were definitely punishable, she probably should have been grounded for disobeying her parents. I'll play devil's advocate and go so far as to say even a SPANKING would have sufficed. (Although personally I think after puberty parents need to stop spanking teens altogether.) And that her downloading of "stolen" property should have been turned into the authorities. My problem with that however, is when I was speeding at seventeen, I was ultimately breaking the law just as much as she was, and what followed my speeding was the inevitable accident, and while my parents clearly showed their displeasure in my actions, I wasn't BEATEN for them. I got my ticket, I paid it, and I learned a lesson, all while knowing in my heart that my parents were going to love me no matter what. And THAT is the REAL lesson that needs to be learned between a parent and a child.
Thanks for reading my post,
Rachael_Speciale123
I agree with the other comments that this video was very disturbing and difficult to watch. Some of you did additional research and found out that this girl was disabled which just sickens me more. I believe in firm punishment but this crosses the line. The downloading of the game and music should be addressed, unless it is paid for that is usually illegal. The parents have a right to be upset tht the girl disobeyed them. Grounding her from the computer and making her do additional chores ect. would be understood. I feel that spanking a teenager is not acceptable. That being said this was not spanking it was beating and should never happen to any age of a child. The child should be removed from the home. It is clear that both the father and mother are unfit. Anyone who feel that this was appropriate punishment is in need of intense counseling they are a threat to the safety of this child. They both appear to have anger issues and become more enraged as the girl refuses to lay on the bed the way they want her to. I think that both should be charged with endangering this child and given strict punishments. Thanks holly123
ReplyDeleteThis video was extremely hard to watch. It made me shake, made my blood boil, and almost made me cry. the fact that this man is a law enforcenment official and should be setting an example, not acting like a barbarian! And to top it off, this 16 year old has cerebral palsy. She was beaten for downloading games and music on the computer. In my opinion, using a method like this to raise a child will only backfire. They will angrier and one day turn around on the person who is abusin them. This also destroys the bond between the child and her parents, not only did the father do it, but the mother was in on it as well. If u slap your childs hand when they are young and are just learning whats dangerous, that i can understand. Even spanking them for doing something dangerous after they know not to, I can understand. But I do not understand this type of abuse and i completely believe that it does absolutely no good, only bad. I almost feel sorry for that man. What kind of bad childhood could he have suffered to turn out like that? or is it just a power-trip gone to his head because he is a judge? Regardless he deserves to be punished. And neither one of those parents need to ever again reproduce. Thanks LoganNash123
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you that these parents' views of appropriate punishment were completely twisted. They do need to be punished. Harshly. They also need some serious therapy. They might genuinely think that what they did was acceptable behavior.
Delete-Joy123
Well that was tough to watch. As a parent this video has me so enraged, I'm seeing red. That was totally out of line for him to use such excessive punishment. This so-called man has probably done serious psychological harm to this girl. Abuse can drive a wedge even further between parents and children and cause the children to act out even more. The mother was just as bad. She stands by and does nothing as this is going on. She is just enabling, but maybe it's because she's too frightened to say anything. I know a lot of parents who believe in a stern style of punishment, but this is way over the top. This man should be locked away. CarsonCole 123
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI would agree! I could not imaging having this done to me because I was playing a game on the computer when I was suppose to be doing homework. I about didnt even finsih watching this video!! I agree with you one hundred percent. That man should be locked away from the rest of his life, along with the mother who just stood there and watched, and even took the belt to her daughter that one time. At least the mother was not as mean as her father to hit her with the belt on her back and on her legs. They both need to be put in prison for a long time or even for the rest of their lifes. Kelsi123
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI would agree that perhaps the mother is too afraid to against her husband. I've had situations like that where I disagree with husband's method of punishment for our three year old. He actually believes in spanking and I completely disagree. He was spanked as a child and I never was so perhaps this is where our differences come from. Many times, if he has spanked our child for what I feel is not even close to a good reason (then again when is it a good reason) I will get upset with him and it has caused arguments. The arguments themselves are damaging enough if a child has to hear it. I can understand though that perhaps the wife is afraid to say anything. Regardless, she should stand up for her child if she thinks her husband is out of line. It seems though that they were feeding off of each others actions. The extent of this abuse is disgusting and yes, they should be punished in some form.
DeleteVanessa123
I too agree that the mother was afraid of her husband. It seemed as if there was some nervousness in her voice. I was spanked with a belt as a child and it definitely got my father's point across that I was not suppose to be doing whatever it was he deemed 'bad' but it did not altogether stop me from doing it again. I became more secretive and it most definitely harmed our parent/child bond and relationship. Even though I was not beat, it took a toll on my emotions and there were times that I was scared to even ask him a question. Actions like those we saw in the video, I feel, will leave a very negative impact on this young girl that could effect her for her whole life.
DeleteCrystal 123
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ReplyDeleteThis video literally made me cry. I could not imagine having my parents smack me with a belt like her parents just did, especially her father. It makes me sick. For me it was a lot harder to watch a video like this due to my son being abused when he was just 2 1/2 months old. While I was at work, my ex had hit my son across his face when I was not there. It was very hard for me as his mother to get over this. Due to my son being hit and bruised very badly, he was put in the hospital for weeks, DCFS was brought in, and just for a safety plan I was not even allowed at the hospital at all unless DCFS was present. DCFS does not just wait around the hospital so someone can see their child. They are only there to do assessments. My child was in the hospital for 5 days and when he went home from the hospital he was sent home with my mom, and I was not allowed to stay the night at my moms with him for another week until I was cleared. Needless to say thanks to Fulton County, the man is now in prison serving a 5 year sentence, although not long enough. Even after I was cleared DCFS tried to get me for neglect, because I was responsible for choosing my son's babysitter. I was found not guilty and have nothing to do with DCFS anymore and my son is now 3 and is doing wonderfully. I would hope that this guy got prison time along with his wife. That is just way too much punishment. These are moments where I wish that the public could take punishment into their own hands. If we could do this I would hope that someone would do what he had done to his child to both him and his wife, so they could feel the pain that she has to go through. Also I hope that their daughter and other children had been taken away from them and put in better homes where they would be well taken care of and treated a lot better than that. I could not even imagine the damage that young girl will have for the rest of her life. Who knows how many other times, her parents had done this to her.
ReplyDeleteKelsi123
I really hope this child got some justice. I definitely see child abuse over corporal punishment. They beat her like that over a game on her computer, what if she had actually done something wrong? Thanks debbie123
ReplyDeleteI vaguely remember when this video originally aired - I believe it was about two years ago. The daughter appeared on multiple news outlets and was often joined by her mother. I remember the mothering claiming she was in a "zombie" state most of the time due to her husbands actions and went along with whatever he told her to do. If I remember right she'd stated that the abuse had escalated from spankings as she got older and that she'd felt she needed to record it for a later time and that she wanted people to be more aware that things like this could happen in any family and just because someone had money or a high powered job, didn't mean their wasn't abuse in their home. I suppose her justice is the world's knowledge of what her parents inflicted on her and her ability to bring awareness on behalf of others.
DeleteThis video displays what is obviously more than a "spanking" - the father himself uses the word beat at least twice during the incident. I am actually undecided on the corporal punishment stance - I've seen a child become more focused and remember to look both ways before entering a street after a couple swats were given after he darted in front of a car and that was called a "spanking" but this video starts with the judge stating he is going to give his daughter a "spanking" and what we all see is clearly a glimpse of an abusive household. It was also delivered while he was extremely angry - that is never a good time to deliver any kind of punishment. On top of the physical harm the judge does is a level of emotional and cognitive damage. The father tells his daughter she "used to be a good girl" and that now she "doesn't deserve to live in the house" - comments like that from someone who is supposed to love you unconditionally have to harm a 16 year old's self esteem and cause damage to the parent/child relationship. I imagine, since she's reported the incident wasn't isolated, that she carried that damage into other relationships as well. Studies have shown that abuse changes the way the brain actually functions, so while the father claims he's apologized and that it wasn't a big deal, he's purposely acted in ways that permanently harmed his daughter both physically, cognitively, and mentally and that is something no parent should be allowed to do.
ReplyDeletetljackson1982123
I agree with you, I think sometimes as we have little kids a "paddle" on the but when they are about to cross a road with oncoming traffic is okay. But in reality is it? are we hurting those little ones physically, emotionally, cognitively by doing that? That is something that I would really like to know. And I agree with you just because the father apologized to her does not mean it dismisses what he did to her mentally, that no matter what will affect her for the rest of her life.
DeleteLindsey123
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ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that everyone here agrees in that this poor little girl is and has been abused both physically and emotionally. I am wondering what the father and mother's perception of a "spanking" really is. How do they define a spanking or beating? When is spanking appropriate if at all? How old is too old to be spanked? What concerns me just as equally is the level of emotional damage they have inflicted. What's worse is that both the mother and father gained up on their daughter and it seemed they were feeding off of each others actions. Children who grow up in these type of conditions more than likely have difficulty in relationships in their adulthood. Regardless of how abuse is defined, the effects can be pretty devastating. This poor little girl who has experienced many forms of maltreatment is probably going to suffer devalued sense of self and mistrust of others. Because of this, she may be more prone to suffer mental illness and is at an increased risk of substance abuse, eating disorders, obesity, depression,suicide, and sexual promiscuity, to name a few. Psychologists even suggest that maltreatment encourages children to use aggression as a means of solving problems. We have all heard of the parent who was abused as a child and although they were emotionally scarred from it and swore to never be like that to their own children, they end up treating their children exactly the same way they were treated as a child - abused! The behavior of abusive parents can often be traced to negative experiences in their own childhood - physical abuse and emotional neglect. Sadly, it turns out to become a vicious cycle. In a perfect world, I think it should be mandatory that parents take some form of parenting classes. This world is harsh and parents perhaps don't intend to inflict harm on their children. Some are unable to or have difficulty coping with stressful life events such as divorce, financial stress, mental illness, drug addiction, etc...it doesn't make it right but understanding the root cause of the problem in the first place is the first step. Raising awareness is the best thing we can do and then take action.
ReplyDeleteVanessa123
Watching this video brought tears to my eyes, how can a person do this to their child? This is definitely child abuse defined by the book. The definition in the book says that child abuse is any physical, emotional, or sexual trauma to a child, including neglecting to give proper care and attention, for which no reasonable explanation can be found. With the father repeatedly beating her like that and the mom allowing it and hitting her with the belt, she has a greater chance of using drugs, alcohol, depression, sexual promiscuity, as well as suicide. Not only is this teenage girl experiencing physical abuse but emotional abuse also, her father told her she did not have right to be living in the house, what can that do for a child's self-esteem. With the effect of the abuse she endured she has a greater chance of increased risk for adverse health effects and behaviors across the life course, which includes smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, severe obesity, depression, suicide, sexual promiscuity, and certain chronic diseases. This maltreatment encourages child to use aggression as a means of solving problems and prevents them from feeling empathy for others.
ReplyDeleteLindsey 123
This video is absolutely appalling! Not only is this father physically abusing his 16 year old daughter, but he is also mentally abusing her. And as if the beating and verbal abuse from the father was not bad enough, the mother has to have her turn in beating her with a belt too. In my opinion, this father has some severe anger issues that extend way beyond him not liking his daughter to play computer games. It is sad that the people who are suppose to be protecting her are the people who are abusing her. These actions can have a very damaging effect on this young girl. She may experience low self-esteem issues, trust issues, suicidal thoughts/mental anguish and could turn to antisocial behaviors.
ReplyDeleteCrystal 120
Child abuse is any “physical, emotional, or sexual trauma to a child, including neglecting to give proper care and attention, for which no reasonable explanation can be found.”
ReplyDeleteThis video made my blood boil. Even if their views on what constitutes excessive force were skewed by abuse that they received by their parents, (which is a very common factor associated with child abuse), it’s difficult to imagine that the parents didn’t realize that that “spanking”, in this video, is abuse. The judge even called what he was doing “beating” a couple times. The beating was premeditated. The judge and his wife took the time to go get some belts to “punish” her. Their actions were not an impulsive response to anger. If they had time to go and get some belts, they had time to stop and think about their actions. They could have waited and cooled down before punishing her.
It’s really hard to wrap my mind around the thought that this judge genuinely thought that this form of punishment was okay. What that family needed was state intervention. The girl was sixteen, not six, so maybe going through all the court proceedings, etc, might be less traumatic for her. Since she was the one that made the video, she may have already been thinking that being taken away from her parents and her parents being punished would be better than continued abuse from them.
That’s just my two cents anyway. It’s kind of hard to make an unbiased response based on a video of the abuse than on sitting down and listening to everyone involved give their reasons for their actions.
Thanks, Joy123
I can't judge so soon, but I partially agree that Judge has the right to punish his daughter. He has set the rules and she disobeyed them. According to the video, she was accused of being a liar and a thief. I do not know how far it's true, so I can't judge this situation as completely right or wrong.
ReplyDeleteHowever, corporal punishment has its limit. Judge has seriously crossed that limit and entered the stage of physical abuse. She deserves to be punished as she had been warned of the consequences. She takes part of the blame. Judge should have just left her alone after spanking her the first few times, as a warning. If she ever repeats her mistake, the lesson shall be learned again and again, but not to this degree as shown in the video.
That's my opinion.
Kindly comment on this, if one may?
I'm curious about phenomenons such as these. About the right and wrong.
And one could kindly please enlighten me on the full subject with background evidence.