I have always really respected the opinion of Leonard Pitts, but when I read his Sept. 24 column about parental discipline, I was disheartened as well as sickened.
Does he really believe that there are only two ways to parent – hitting or time-outs (which his column described as “pleading”)? His mother may have been a great parent in his eyes, but that doesn’t justify her hitting him. No one deserves to get hit, least of all children, who are vulnerable and impressionable.
I understand that some parents may feel they have lost their last resort if they cannot hit or spank. As a child and family therapist for the past six years, I realize that parenting is not an easy job – it requires training and learning, unlike what it may have been (or believed to have been) in the past. Just because it may be easy to become a parent doesn’t mean it’s easy to become a good parent.
Parents need to explore nonviolent disciplinary strategies that have proven to be effective, and there are many places in the Portland community that can help. Every child’s mental health and well-being for their entire life depends on it.
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