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Another couple found guilty of murder for parenting by "To Train Up a Child"

rocket88

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Another couple found guilty of murder for parenting by "To Train Up a Child" - Mankato attachment parenting | Examiner.com

It's sick that these people are out there, and that they followed a book sold under the guise of Christianity. It isn't Christian to starve or beat a child, so don't turn this into a Christian/Atheist thing. It's evil, not Christian.

The author's response to a different case of another child killed by his techniques:

Michael Pearl writes that he is laughing at his critics after child's death - Mankato attachment parenting | Examiner.com

In a lengthy diatribe on his Facebook fan page, he wrote that he and his family are all laughing at the "caustic critics" who have come out against him after the death of Lydia Schatz. He writes that children who are disciplined according to his methods "...become the models of self-control and discipline... that pay the taxes your children will receive in entitlements."

Charming. I wonder which of our posters is this guy in disguise.....
 
As a father of young children... thank you. I now have some techniques to utilize.

Some of the discipline techniques the Pearls teach include:
•Using plastic tubing to beat children, since it hurts a lot but leaves fewer marks to alert authorities
•Wearing the plastic tubing around the parent's neck as a constant reminder to obey
•"Swatting" babies as young as six months old with instruments such as "a 12-inch willowy branch," thinner plastic tubing or a wooden spoon
•"Blanket training" babies by hitting them with an instrument if they try to crawl off a blanket on the floor
•Beating older children with rulers, paddles, belts and larger tree branches
•"Training" children with pain before they even disobey, in order to teach total obedience
•Giving cold water baths, putting children outside in cold weather and withholding meals as discipline
•Hosing off children who have potty training accidents
•Inflicting punishment until a child is "without breath to complain."

Michael Pearl tells one mother on his website, "I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey."


Another couple found guilty of murder for parenting by "To Train Up a Child" - Mankato attachment parenting | Examiner.com
 
Some of the discipline techniques the Pearls teach include:
•Using plastic tubing to beat children, since it hurts a lot but leaves fewer marks to alert authorities
•Wearing the plastic tubing around the parent's neck as a constant reminder to obey
•"Swatting" babies as young as six months old with instruments such as "a 12-inch willowy branch," thinner plastic tubing or a wooden spoon
•"Blanket training" babies by hitting them with an instrument if they try to crawl off a blanket on the floor
•Beating older children with rulers, paddles, belts and larger tree branches
•"Training" children with pain before they even disobey, in order to teach total obedience
•Giving cold water baths, putting children outside in cold weather and withholding meals as discipline
•Hosing off children who have potty training accidents
•Inflicting punishment until a child is "without breath to complain."

Michael Pearl tells one mother on his website, "I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey."


Please keep this a secret. The kids raised in these homes will have such a great advantage over me in the work place.

Michael Pearl said:
I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey.

Employers love people like this.
 
Please keep this a secret. The kids raised in these homes will have such a great advantage over me in the work place.

I have to share with all my friends... society will benefit.
 
As a father of young children... thank you. I now have some techniques to utilize.

Some of the discipline techniques the Pearls teach include:
•Using plastic tubing to beat children, since it hurts a lot but leaves fewer marks to alert authorities
•Wearing the plastic tubing around the parent's neck as a constant reminder to obey
•"Swatting" babies as young as six months old with instruments such as "a 12-inch willowy branch," thinner plastic tubing or a wooden spoon
•"Blanket training" babies by hitting them with an instrument if they try to crawl off a blanket on the floor
•Beating older children with rulers, paddles, belts and larger tree branches
•"Training" children with pain before they even disobey, in order to teach total obedience
•Giving cold water baths, putting children outside in cold weather and withholding meals as discipline
•Hosing off children who have potty training accidents
•Inflicting punishment until a child is "without breath to complain."

Michael Pearl tells one mother on his website, "I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey."


Another couple found guilty of murder for parenting by "To Train Up a Child" - Mankato attachment parenting | Examiner.com




Nah. There's training a child --- which I've done --- and there's breaking a child. This is breaking, and it's way too far.
 
These authors are marketing geniuses.

I looked up this book on Amazon.

The Five Star reviews say the same thing as the One star reviews. This is hilarious. I think I know why they are selling so many books. People love hating it. lol
 
I have to share with all my friends... society will benefit.

Michael and Debi Pearl will benefit by your free advertising. I'm sure they'd be delighted to sell more books.

I suppose they are part of society. :confused:
 
Nah. There's training a child --- which I've done --- and there's breaking a child. This is breaking, and it's way too far.

Yeah, this is extreme authoritarian parenting. Really extreme. I can't think of too many circumstances where this would be remotely productive.
 
Yeah, this is extreme authoritarian parenting. Really extreme. I can't think of too many circumstances where this would be remotely productive.

I haven't even read the book yet.
 
Just don't list the names of the kids who were raised in these homes when I have a job interview to go to.

No worries... I was thinking that this would work better as a secret society anyway. And you know that you will have problems beating anybody... ;)

Michael and Debi Pearl will benefit by your free advertising. I'm sure they'd be delighted to sell more books.

I suppose they are part of society.

You are advertising as well... every time you post it increases the exposure.
 
Nah. There's training a child --- which I've done --- and there's breaking a child. This is breaking, and it's way too far.

Obviously... the guy should be jailed for advocating child abuse.
 
Michael Pearl tells one mother on his website, "I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey."

This is the first I've ever heard of the Pearl's.

I've never read their book, never been to their website before today, I don't follow their teachings, I'm not a fundamentalist Christian, heck, I'm not even a Christian.

But like most things taken out of context the quote above, and the rest of the discipline techniques cited in your list, as cited in your list, are misleading.

Here's a full quote from the website beginning with the comment I've cited and continuing on:

I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey. On the fourth day I would treat him with respect and he would respond in kind. On the fifth day the fear would go away and he would relax because he would have judged that as long as he responds correctly there is nothing to fear. On the sixth day he would like himself better and enjoy his new relationship to authority. On the seventh day I would fellowship with him in some activity that he enjoyed. On the eight day he would love me and would make a commitment to always please me because he valued my approval and fellowship. On the ninth day someone would comment that I had the most cheerful and obedient boy that they had ever seen. On the tenth day we would be the best of buddies.

I can't necessarily say that I completely disagree with what I'm reading here.

I would argue that while my parenting techniques are somewhat different than Mr. Pearl's they also include pain and punishment, have invoked a healthy sense of fear, and are very, very rarely even necessary any longer.

When my kid acts up I count to three.

One...

Two...

I can't remember the last time I've actually gotten to three. It's been a good two years, maybe longer.

My boy, six-years-old, knows when I mean business and he knows not to try me.

He rebels at times, and I think it's only natural that he does, and I tolerate it within reason because I think pushing the bounds of authority and asserting one's self are healthy and help a child grow into a self confident adult.

But it's no secret that kids also need boundaries and structure to grow into secure, self confident adults and you don't get secure kids by providing wishy-washy boundaries and guidance.

I get to see plenty of push-over parents and their children through my boy's school and sports teams.

I have to say that I'm thoroughly unimpressed by most of their behavior.

I don't think it's a coincidence that I'm stricter, firmer, and perhaps more "hands on" (so to speak) than almost all of the kids my son associates with, and the fact that parent-teacher conferences go something like, "What can I say? He's a bright boy. He's obedient, helpful, gets along with the other kids very well, listens when he's told to do something, and is reading at a first-grade level" or "He's the most athletic kindergartener in the school, and one of the most athletic kids in the school. I have to pair him with the first grade boys because he runs circles around his classmates. He knows the rules, asks for clarification when he doesn't understand them, and makes sure to enforce the rules when he sees them being broken".

That's not to brag, because it's not bragging when it's true.

That is to say that when you spare the rod you do spoil the child.

That's as true today as it was 200 years ago.

I really think that must be the message of the Pearl's book, from those quotes from the book (full quotes, in context) that I've been able to find and read online.

I think the parents in the OP article took some very good advice and went so far overboard with it that it resulted in abuse and murder.

I suspect, though I have no way of knowing, that those parents are probably not a great deal different than the hundreds of thousands of parents in America every day who are physically abusive, and whose abuse sometimes ends in murder, but who have never read this or any other book which treats on strict parenting which advocates for some degree of corporal punishment.
 
Nah. There's training a child --- which I've done --- and there's breaking a child. This is breaking, and it's way too far.

Well put G. How weak an adult are you if this is what you feel you need to do to your child to "control" them.
 
Well put G. How weak an adult are you if this is what you feel you need to do to your child to "control" them.


Actually it seems like that is exactly what he is advocating... 'breaking' the child, breaking their will entirely "so they're too scared to even think about disobeying", punishing them 'before' they disobey, all that extreme stuff.


You "break" a child, you end up with a "broken" adult... who is either going to be too timid to stand in the world, or so bitter and angry over his upbringing that he could be a danger to others. This **** is crazy.


You train a child... train them how to behave in a civilized world... but you must leave their spirit unbroken if you expect them to grow into a strong and stable adult. They have to learn to bend without breaking to make it in society.
 
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Actually it seems like that is exactly what he is advocating... 'breaking' the child, breaking their will entirely "so they're too scared to even think about disobeying", punishing them 'before' they disobey, all that extreme stuff.

You "break" a child, you end up with a "broken" adult... who is either going to be too timid to stand in the world, or so bitter and angry over his upbringing that he could be a danger to others. This **** is crazy.

You train a child... train them how to behave in a civilized world... but you must leave their spirit unbroken if you expect them to grow into a strong and stable adult. They have to learn to bend without breaking to make it in society.

I agree. I prefer to call it teach, but I think it's the same basic idea. (might just be that male vs female thing though)

Either way, why would you want to disarm your child like that. You break them and they're screwed. But I suppose, for parents like these, it's not about doing what you think is best for them it's most likely about making things easier for yourself.
 
Doesn't everybody raise their kids wrong?
 
As a father of young children... thank you. I now have some techniques to utilize.

Some of the discipline techniques the Pearls teach include:
•Using plastic tubing to beat children, since it hurts a lot but leaves fewer marks to alert authorities
•Wearing the plastic tubing around the parent's neck as a constant reminder to obey
•"Swatting" babies as young as six months old with instruments such as "a 12-inch willowy branch," thinner plastic tubing or a wooden spoon
•"Blanket training" babies by hitting them with an instrument if they try to crawl off a blanket on the floor
•Beating older children with rulers, paddles, belts and larger tree branches
•"Training" children with pain before they even disobey, in order to teach total obedience
•Giving cold water baths, putting children outside in cold weather and withholding meals as discipline
•Hosing off children who have potty training accidents
•Inflicting punishment until a child is "without breath to complain."

Michael Pearl tells one mother on his website, "I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey."


Where is this legal?
 
The simple solution here would be to use this Michael Perl's own methods on him until he shapes up and quits telling people to abuse their kids.
 
That crap is not "authoritarian parenting". It's cruelly sadistic child abuse meted out by truly twisted adults who should, quite frankly, be taken out and shot.
 
Another couple found guilty of murder for parenting by "To Train Up a Child" - Mankato attachment parenting | Examiner.com

It's sick that these people are out there, and that they followed a book sold under the guise of Christianity. It isn't Christian to starve or beat a child, so don't turn this into a Christian/Atheist thing. It's evil, not Christian.

The author's response to a different case of another child killed by his techniques:

Michael Pearl writes that he is laughing at his critics after child's death - Mankato attachment parenting | Examiner.com



Charming. I wonder which of our posters is this guy in disguise.....

What a sicko.
 
As a father of young children... thank you. I now have some techniques to utilize.

Some of the discipline techniques the Pearls teach include:
•Using plastic tubing to beat children, since it hurts a lot but leaves fewer marks to alert authorities
•Wearing the plastic tubing around the parent's neck as a constant reminder to obey
•"Swatting" babies as young as six months old with instruments such as "a 12-inch willowy branch," thinner plastic tubing or a wooden spoon
•"Blanket training" babies by hitting them with an instrument if they try to crawl off a blanket on the floor
•Beating older children with rulers, paddles, belts and larger tree branches
•"Training" children with pain before they even disobey, in order to teach total obedience
•Giving cold water baths, putting children outside in cold weather and withholding meals as discipline
•Hosing off children who have potty training accidents
•Inflicting punishment until a child is "without breath to complain."

Michael Pearl tells one mother on his website, "I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey."


Another couple found guilty of murder for parenting by "To Train Up a Child" - Mankato attachment parenting | Examiner.com

the older children with rulers paddles and belts is perfectly fine,as it stings and teaches a lesson,with no physical or psycological harm.

all he rest are absolutely horrible,they aim to not only physically abuse a child,but mentally also,the goal is to show punishment for misdeeds,not to physically hurt them and scar them for life,whatever happened to daddy's belt being the solution????
 
Nah. There's training a child --- which I've done --- and there's breaking a child. This is breaking, and it's way too far.

Not to mention that there's nothing Biblical about starving your child or putting them out in the cold to freeze.
 
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