Hillary Adams, the daughter of Judge William Adams, posted a video this week of her receiving a "spanking" back in 2004. She was 16 years old and being punished for downloading pirated material on the Internet. In the video, Hillary's father and mother force her to bend over her bed while they beat her repeatedly with belts. They hit her on whatever part of her body is exposed while she cowers on the floor screaming and begging them to stop. I was horrified, but mostly I was reminded of my own childhood. I can hear the righteous indignation in the parent's voices, and the fear and the guilt in Hillary's screams. For those of you familiar with the Pearl training method, it is easy to recognize what is going on here. Even if the Adams family is was not following the Pearl method, it is easy to justify everything the father does in this video (aside from the swearing) by using passages from the Pearl's books.
- Hillary has done wrong and her parents are dutifully punishing her. At the beginning of the video you can hear the father referring to the imminent beating as a "spanking."
- She is told to bend over the bed and she refuses, so in true pearl form, she is forced. The Pearl books recommend forcibly moving a child to where he/she is to be punished. They suggest that you "use whatever means necessary" to bring about submission.
- There is "discussion" throughout the video of how Hillary "used to be such an obedient daughter" and she has now disappointed her parents. The Pearl books recommend that you pause in between bouts of spanking to remind the child why they are being punished. Good job Mr. Adams!
- As I mentioned, Hillary is struck at least 17 times with leather belts. The Pearls suggest at least 10 swats for small children, so surely 17 strokes is not too much for a 16-yr old. Switches, rods, glue sticks, and belts are all mentioned as acceptable tools for punishment.
If Michael Pearl heard a description of this "spanking" I’m sure he would say that the Father's only mistake was that he showed a little too much anger. Watch the video and tell me what YOU think.
When asked about the released video, William Adams said that it all "looks worse than it is."
"In my mind, I haven't done anything other than discipline my child after she was caught stealing," Adams said. "And I did lose my temper, but I've since apologized." This all sounds soooooo familiar......
I was kind of hoping you hadn't seen this. I couldn't even watch the whole thing, too much triggering. You make excellent points, this sort of "spanking" happens to thousands of children all over the country, including teens. They are not believed, and most of them would never dare to video tape it. This is "christian" parenting behaviour. It makes me sick, I cannot understand how anyone can defend or condone this type of punishment.
ReplyDeleteyeah, i couldnt even watch the whole thing. it made me sick to my stomach. I also just read that in the state where this takes place everything he did was completely legal. SUPRISE!
ReplyDeleteI thought of you when I saw this too.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is - Judge Adams hears child abuse cases on a regular basis, and is responsible for determining what is and isn't abuse and when a child should or shouldn't be removed from the home.
Oh my god!!! What the flying f**k!
ReplyDeleteAnger is a choice. If she had been a 6'2" male body builder there is no way he would have dared "lose" his temper around her. If he was facing me, he wouldn't have been so tough.
ReplyDeleteI hate to think what he did to her after she released the video. o_O
ReplyDeleteMy last "spanking" was at 16, too...except mine was bare-assed, and I didn't give my mother the satisfaction of hearing me cry or scream. That is probably the only reason that was the last time she "spanked" me.
libby: i know! that really disturbed me when i heard about it. i wonder how many abused children he overlooked in his years as a judge.. :/
ReplyDeleteIC: my thoughts exactly.. :P
Anon: thats a really good point!
wlotus: she just released it this month, the incident was over 6 years ago. She's 24 now and moved out of the house. thank goodness. :P