Corpus Christi, Texas – A judge in Corpus Christi, Texas had some harsh words for a mother charged with spanking her own child before sentencing her to probation.
“You don’t spank children today,” said Judge Jose Longoria. “In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don’t spank children.”
Rosalina Gonzales had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of injury to a child for what prosecutors had described as a “pretty simple, straightforward spanking case.” They noted she didn’t use a belt or leave any bruises, just some red marks.
As part of the plea deal, Gonzales will serve five years probation, during which time she’ll have to take parenting classes, follow CPS guidelines, and make a $50 payment to the Children’s Advocacy Center.
She was arrested back in December after the child’s paternal grandmother noticed red marks on the child’s rear end. The grandmother took the girl, who was two years-old at the time, to the hospital to be checked out.
Gonzales who doesn’t have custody of the child or her other two children, is trying to get them back, but until CPS feels she is ready the kids are living with their paternal grandmother.
(Source: WVLT)
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14 Responses
The account sounds suspicious. I suggest one should wait for a fuller account. Was there a jury trial and why not?
What sort of legal counsel did she have? Was there a custody dispute involved? There is something missing from the story.
Agree with akuperma. There is no law in any U.S. state against spanking ones child.
I don’t know what is missing but there is no excuse for spanking a two year old! She obviously needs parenting classes. A two year old can be picked up and placed back into a crib or a playpen. There is no need to hit a 2 year old defenseless child. She should NOT be left alone with her children unless she can learn some parenting skills.
“You don’t spank children. today,” said Judge Jose Longoria.
Is this Judge implying that no physical punishment is allowed? Because anything other than spanking is more dangerous.
Now if a child ventures into a street with traffic only a spank will remind the child not to repeat the act. This Judge approach would encourage the child to do it again. So although this mother may have been abusive the judge’s statement is erroneous.
Now you don’t need me to tell you what Shlomo Hamelech already said. “hosech shivto soneh beno”. I would be imp
ressed if this judge’s wisdom is more than one thousandth of one percent of Shlomo Hamelech’s.
I agree with number 1, this sounds strange. “Red marks” on the child’s rear end – what does this mean? Welts? from a hand? How about a more in-depth report rather than something that sounds totally weird?
it turns out that the child is under two. A child a two does not understand reason only a patch. A pat like spank is sufficient at that age, but a spanking hard and heavy is out of order. Still it could have been a spanking out of frustration which was too much or it could have been a nutty judge. It is still unclear.
I googled:
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/national/texas-mother-spanking-6-17-2011
“You don’t spank children today,” and tomorrow they’ll have criminal records.
akuperma– what part sounds suspicious? It’s illegal–even in New York– to hit a child hard enough to leave marks. Many professioals upon finding such marks would be legally obligated to report them to CPS. That’s not to say that the grandmother was well-intentioned necessarily (i.e. if she wants custody).
It’s cases like this that weakened parents’ control over their kids in America. The results are spoiled generation, road rage, campus murders, and all around chutzpa. All these things were unheard of when I was a kid.
America is causing it’s own demise!
….I’m sure this is the whole story.
Great idea! Don’t spank them and let them grow up and become monsters.
America is self-destructing
No wonder is the world is all messed up,arresting a parent for disciplining their own child, the article does not say anything about abuse, which of course is unacceptable. the judge, the grandmother who obviously must be the fathers mother and hates the mother, the law makers for writing such garbage should all get a life.
Having been subjugated to the “protective” system as a child I have no respect for the system, the social workers or the courts they all have their own agenda and the interest and true well being of the child is truly not taken into consideration.
As my mother always said,” a spnking really does nothing for the child, but it does wonders for the parent.”
Just ask seasoned educators if they had the same level of chutzpah in the classroom 20 years ago as they have today???
IMHO, There is NOTHING wrong with a healthy “patch” on the derriere when waranted. At a certain age, words become more effective though. It worked for thousands of years and all of a sudden, the egg knows better than the chicken.