Fla. mom teaches son a tragic lesson

Today's story on ABC's Good Morning America about the second-grader in Jacksonville, Fla. being forced to stand on the street with a sign saying he apologizes for being rude to his teacher, is heart-breaking.  Here's a video interview with the boy, courtesy of www.firstcoastnews.com:

Where does it say that the ability of a parent to lovingly correct a child must be replaced by humiliation to teach a lesson? Where does sit say that children are not our offspring, but our slaves? Where is it written that we parent not out of blessing and hope and discipline, but out of shame and terror and anger? What's next? Public flogging?

The story has yielded tons of comments on ABC's website and some comments actually support the Florida mom's actions because of the unruly behavior of many children today. Granted, there are kids who have never known discipline. Their parents' self-indulgence and neglect create an environment for them to grow up lacking boundaries, healthy self-esteem and a willingness to serve others.

Overt correction that emotionally pummels a child has no place in our culture either. Such parenting wounds a child in ways that may never be known when the punishment is administered. That's why it is critical we recognize our emotional state, whether we are parents or not; the inner sanctuaries of our own lives spills into our relationships. If we are not whole within, we are walking disasters without.

Whatever his mother's intentions with her public act of punishment, what's actually happening in that boy's heart? The woundedness he experienced may fester and breed behaviors his mother could never imagine -- or correct.