Although I am on the anti-spanking side, I have incorporated in few of my stories for several special reasons. Caution: Story Spoilers ahead.
My first story I will talk about is “Valerie.” This is a fanfic story I wrote for one of my favorite cartoons, C.O.P.S. (an animated series about a special group of police officers, each with a special talent beneficial to the team. It aired in the 80’s, but I watched this in the 90’s and got back into this several years ago, after an eight-year falling out.) My protagonist, Valerie Boston, is a successful advertising executive who has a pre-teen son, Jeremy, who was left mentally retarded through severe effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome, so badly damaged that he cannot even learn the difference between right and wrong. This, however, doesn’t stop her husband, Tom, from using extreme punitive force (belts, fist beatings, etc.) whenever he – often – catches the boy misbehaving or making the tiniest of infractions. Valerie, on the other hand, wisely prefers to listen to the doctors and other medical experts who advise against spanking, and instead gives her alternative measures such as getting down to Jeremy’s level and telling him he should not be doing those things. She protects Jeremy from this kind of extremity and is often beaten herself for it, mostly because she goes against her husband on this issue. After a quick yet ugly divorce, the judge grants sole custody of Jeremy, after Tom verbally attacks one of Jeremy’s teachers who admits she’s strict, yet she’s afraid to include Jeremy when punishing the whole class because he would not react well.
Her divorce, along with bigger aspirations in her career and desire to be closer to her family, takes her to Empire City (where the animated series C.O.P.S. is set.) There, when making an impromptu appearance at a police picnic, she meets the members of C.O.P.S. and promptly falls in love with five of them. Probably her beaux are pro-spanking in their own rights – especially Sgt. Colt “Mace” Howards – but when they see Jeremy and hear about Valerie’s trials with this situation, they put those feelings aside out of strong romantic feelings for Valerie. Meanwhile, Valerie’s decision not to spank Jeremy doesn’t get her very much respect or many friends. Many of the parents who work with her harass her because of this, putting pressure on her to stop using Jeremy’s disabilities as an excuse to be so lenient, and give him good spankings whenever he often gets out of line (harder and more often because it would take Jeremy longer to learn right from wrong.) They also tell Valerie that she is a terrible mother because of this, apparently not thinking for herself. Several co-workers even discipline the boy harshly for her, when two of them spank and scream at Jeremy for not fully cooperating while filming a Shaken Baby Syndrome awareness commercial.
Members of her own family, and several members of C.O.P.S.’ families also criticize her because of this, as well as the boyfriend for going along with this. For example, at a summer family reunion in Empire City, Valerie is confronted by two cousins who are not only upset about Valerie’s divorce, but are also disgusted that Valerie obviously has not changed her mind about spanking Jeremy. This results in a physical brawl between her and the older of the two cousins. Meanwhile, one of her boyfriends, Texas Sheriff Walker “Sundown” Calhoun takes Jeremy on vacation with him, and this issue comes to light at a family dinner in Texas, when his brother and sister-in-law scream and berate Jeremy for eating his food too slow (Jeremy has a small stomach resulting from SBS, and cannot eat very much because of it), and Sundown and his parents are very quick to defend Jeremy, especially when the brother almost spanks the boy with a paddle because he refuses to finish. This results in a loud argument where Sundown’s brother tells exactly what he thinks of Valerie (whom he had not met.) Two months later, Valerie meets this stubborn brother at Sundown’s Empire City apartment, and passionately defends her anti-spanking decisions, saying that spanking and yelling only stresses Jeremy out, and doesn’t get her any positive results. But he, like all her other critics, thinks she is just making excuses, and Sundown, of course, comes to her defense. Just two weekends earlier, Valerie engaged in another brouhaha with the family of another C.O.P.S. boyfriend, Mace. While visiting his parents’ house, Mace’s father and younger sister are down on Valerie at once for her opinions, and insist that Jeremy can benefit from being spanked and beaten. Mr. Howards especially tries to determine this factoid by spanking Jeremy with a belt for loudly refusing to finish a large plate of dinner that started out small. Despite ability to rescue Jeremy, this inevitably ruins Valerie’s relationship with Mace.
My opinion: it is a very bad idea to spank a child who is so mentally damaged that (s) he cannot possibly comprehend the difference between right and wrong, usually if your child has severe effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc. I think the reason why SBS information websites don’t have a section on discipline techniques is because the experts know these kinds of children don’t respond well to the kinds of discipline that would work on a normal, able-bodied child, especially not spanking. I urge any parent who is in this situation to listen to their doctors if they advise against spanking and other punitive measures (and they would) and follow whatever advice they would give to them. Perhaps they will suggest getting down to the child’s level and telling them politely, yet firmly, that they should not be doing what they are doing, like Valerie does, or even redirecting the child. That said, I wonder what Monica and Marshall would do if they had a child that turned out like Jeremy in my fanfic. Give the child away to another family, perhaps?
My second writing project is a real novel I just started called “Broken Family Portrait.” My protagonist is Robin Callbeck, who, like me, has lifelong effects of cerebral palsy due to premature birth. Besides physical and learning disabilities, Robin also has serious brain damage, which includes a brain filter (the part that censors thoughts so you don’t say them aloud) that doesn’t work; therefore, he says whatever he thinks and is very prone to talking back. Robin’s military soldier father, who ironically dotes on two of his three older sisters (especially his eldest, Abilene) regularly beats him with his hands, belts and whatever else. When Robin is hospitalized after his final beating, his mother decidedly acts as both parent and friend toward him when she takes the children away from this, and when he takes on a stepfather, he acts as both parent and friend as well, and Robin adores him. (Sisters Abilene and Olivia, however, have no respect for their mother since the divorce, and unsuccessfully try to break up their mother’s new relationship.) Robin insists to other people that he is okay with this arrangement, but many refuse to believe him. Those who don’t believe him often bring up the spanking debate with him, which often makes him “hot tongued” so to speak. His ability to say what he thinks eventually lands him a career as a talk radio personality, and he is so controversial. Robin is so hung up on anti-spanking, that he refuses to change his mind about it after he finds out he is a parent.
Meanwhile, Abilene and Olivia, since the death of their father, fall in love with and marry two fellow military soldiers who are much older than them. Both marriages are physically and emotionally abusive, yet they refuse to leave simply because they have children with them – who are also beaten. Abilene is very preachy about family togetherness, especially when she pressures Robin to sacrifice his life plans to care for their mother (who refuses this offer,) and to stay with his wife when she is entirely unfaithful to him. I won’t spoil any climaxes for you, but one sister eventually ends her marriage, while the other is killed by her husband.
Is Robin a “selfish, horrible adult” as grandmashari puts it? Well, Robin’s stance on spanking gets him more enemies than friends in high school; he kicks his unfaithful wife out of his life after she bears a son that he finds out he did not father; goes on an anti-female tirade phase as a result; fights with his brothers-in-law about this whole “spanking vs. abuse” debate, as well as all his anti-spanking friends; implodes on anyone else who challenges him on this debate; and vows “revenge justice” on pro-spanking adult siblings who try to kill him over his beliefs (he suspects one sibling and his spouse of killing his friend years before, who has an SBS child.) You tell me!
I’m sorry if this post is so long, but this is how I incorporated spanking into my writing. I think you’ll find this interesting. If you have any questions, please e-mail me at davewriter2003@yahoo.com. I don’t think these message boards will accept this kind of conversation. Thank you for reading.
Is physical punishment a necessary form of discipline or child abuse? First up, Monica says her five children bite, kick and talk back, and she often has to resort to beatings with a belt. Monica admits she made her four oldest children miss meals and tied their hands together until they learned to like each other. Her husband, Marshall, says Monica disciplines in anger and admits that he also hits their children out of frustration. Renowned pediatrician Dr. Jim Sears says what Monica is doing is not discipline, but abuse. Can he help the frazzled mom bring some peace to her chaotic household? Then, Elizabeth sent her 12-year-old son, Joey, to a school with a corporal punishment policy and was shocked when he came home with what she says were severe bruises. She says Joey’s beating was so severe she had to pull him out of school, and now she’s worried he won’t ever go back. How can Elizabeth and her son move past the shame? Plus, Dr. Phil hears from both sides of the spanking debate. Keila is a teacher who believes in corporal punishment and has even paddled a few students herself. Peggy is an anti-spanking advocate who says states that allow spanking also have the highest number of incarcerations and school drop-outs. What does Dr. Phil think? Join the discussion.
