Ouch! Texas Mother Arrested for Using Belt to Spank 14-Year-Old Son

Disciplining a child is one thing. Spanking a 14-year-old with a belt is another.

The Way I Grew Up

I may be dating myself here but I grew up in a time where my dad using a belt for spanking was a pretty regular thing.

My brother and I feared the belt for many years. My dad found it to be a more than adequate form of discipline, and I found it to be a good deterrent from getting in trouble.

Of course, as I grew older, spankings with a belt just stopped, and my dad would take away my stuff and restrict me to my room for ungodly amounts of time.

Kids Today

According to an article from KFDX/KJTL, a Wichita Falls mother, Candice Beal, was arrested on Sunday and charged with injury to a child after using a belt to discipline her 14-year-old son.

It was Beal herself who called the cops and reported that she had been assaulted by her son. She told police that she was told it was okay to use a belt for discipline, but apparently she went too far with the belt.

Going Too Far

When police arrived, they saw the teenager outside the house and he had abrasions and discoloration on his arm and back. The incident was caught on video from her other son recording it on his phone. The video showed Beal hitting her son with overhand strikes, which police said went beyond what was reasonable.

Beal would be arrested, but later released on bond.

Fine Line

I know times have changed over the years, and many parents don't physically discipline their children anymore. There is a line between punishment and abuse. Sounds like Beal may have crossed that line.