Where Is the Line

I’m sure anyone reading this has come across a child who was acting up and was in desperate need of some discipline.  Cassandra and I used to work at The Rain Forrest Café (or as I like to call it, the best birth control in the world!!)  and were overwhelmed with bratty, rude, spoiled, obnoxious, out of control, little monsters in the form of children on a constant basis.  There never seemed to be a day that went by that we didn’t think “that kid is in desperate need of some discipline”.  And sometimes, our prayers were answered even before we could leave the table.  Some parents were not shy to tell little Tommy “If you do not stop bothering your little sister you will not get any dessert”…(I didn’t have the heart to tell Tommy that he wasn’t missing out because our dessert was nothing to be impressed by…and I kind of liked the road of discipline Tommy was headed on, so I just kept quiet and enjoyed the ride)  Most of the time the threat of not getting dessert or a toy from the gift shop would put any rugrat back into check.  However, sometimes we would get little children who are not easily persuaded!  I remember little Sally, who had a fixation on running around the restaurant despite the many attempts Sally’s mom made to calm her down.  As little Sally ran by me, nearly knocking over the order of drinks another one of my tables ordered, I thought to myself, ‘when did this become a playground’.  Sure a little spilled soda wouldn’t bother little Sally, but if she bumped into the server carrying hot fajitas, I’m sure that would put a damper on her parade.  Well, not to worry because as soon as that thought left my mind, little Sally’s angry mom came over and spanked her, causing little Sally to cry…(and the rest of the restaurant to burst out into a standing ovation for Sally’s mom)…In preparation of our next show on child abuse I am beginning to ponder, if it is ok to spank your child or if any physical contact should be cut off.  Sure, little Sall’y mom did not beat her child, and from the sound of the spank, probably did not leave any incriminating marks.  However, is spanking a gate-way punishment to abuse?   And even if parents can differentiate and control themselves to the point where their spanks never turn into abuse, does having a no physical contact law in place help protect those children who are being physically abused.  Much like anything in life, there is a gray area…but where do we as a nation draw the line in the sand to help protect innocently abused children?