Spare the kids : why whupping children won’t save Black America

A challenge to the cultural tradition of corporal punishment in Black homes and its connections to racial violence in America Why do so many African Americans have such a special attachment to whupping children' Studies show that nearly 80 percent of black parents see spanking, popping, pinching, and beating as reasonable, effective ways to teach respect and to protect black children from the streets, incarceration, encounters with racism, or worse. However, the consequences of this widely accepted approach to child-rearing are far-reaching and seldom discussed. Dr. Stacey Patton's extensive research suggests that corporal punishment is a crucial factor in explaining why black folks are subject to disproportionately higher rates of school suspensions and expulsions, criminal prosecutions, improper mental health diagnoses, child abuse cases, and foster care placements, which too often funnel abused and traumatized children into the prison system. Weaving together race, religion, history, popular culture, science, policing, psychology, and personal testimonies, Dr. Patton connects what happens at home to what happens in the streets in a way that is thought-provoking, unforgettable, and deeply sobering. Spare the Kids is not just a book. It is part of a growing national movement to provide positive, nonviolent discipline practices to those rearing, teaching, and caring for children of color. Read more... A challenge to the cultural tradition of corporal punishment in Black homes—and its connections to racial violence in America—that encourages positive, nonviolent discipline for those rearing, teaching, and caring for children of color Why do so many African Americans have such a special attachment to whupping children? Studies show that nearly 80 percent of Black parents see spanking, popping, pinching, and beating as reasonable, effective ways to teach respect and to protect black children from the streets, incarceration, encounters with racism, or worse. However, the consequences of this widely accepted approach to child-rearing are far-reaching and seldom discussed. Dr. Stacey Patton's extensive research suggests that corporal punishment is a crucial factor in explaining why Black folks are subject to disproportionately higher rates of school suspensions and expulsions, criminal prosecutions, improper mental health diagnoses, child abuse cases, and foster care placements, which too often funnel abused and traumatized children into the prison system. Weaving together race, religion, history, popular culture, science, policing, psychology, and personal testimonies, Dr. Patton connects what happens at home to what happens in the streets in a way that is thought-provoking, unforgettable, and deeply sobering. A challenge to the cultural tradition of corporal punishment in Black homes and its connections to racial violence in America Seventy percent of all Americans say they favor spanking, but African American culture seems to have a special attachment to it. The overwhelming majority of Black parents see corporal punishment as a reasonable, effective way to protect their children from street violence, incarceration, or worse. But Dr. Stacey Patton's extensive research suggests corporal punishment is a crucial factor in explaining why Black folks are subject to disproportionately high rates of child abuse, foster-care placements, school suspensions and expulsions, and criminal prosecutions—all of which funnel traumatized children into our prison systems and away from their communities. By examining all the layers of corporal punishment—race, religion, history, popular culture, science, policing, the psychology of individual and cultural trauma, and personal... A family conversation -- "A love whupping:" reflections on the Adrian Peterson -- And "Baltimore mom" controversies -- Extending the master's lash: the historical roots of Whupping children in black communities -- Would Jesus whup a child? Black clergy on what sparing the rod really means -- "You always were a black queen, mama:" how black boys who are whupped by their mothers grow up to mistreat other black women -- "Talk to the wood or go to the 'hood:" the campaign to end paddling in Southern schools -- "I'll bust you in the head 'til the white meat shows!" Why black comedians joke about whuppings -- "Don't be a fast girl:" how hitting your daughter can trigger early puberty -- The parent-to-prison-pipeline: how Wisconsin's first Black district attorney connected hitting children to criminal justice outcomes -- Sparing the rod: testimonies of black parents who stopped hitting, or never whupped.