Texas Mom: 5 Years Probation for Spanking Child
A Texas mother has been sentenced to five years probation for spanking her daughter.
Rosalina Gonzalez pleaded guilty in a courtroom in Corpus Christi last week to charges of Injury to a Child. She smacked her two-year-old daughter on the behind last December. The spanking left a red mark, which the child's grandmother saw. She called police.
In addition to the probation, Gonzalez must attend parenting classes and follow Children Services guidelines.
In sentencing Gonzalez, Judge Jose Longoria basically outlawed spanking.
"You don't spank children today," Longoria said. "In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don't spank children."
However it appears the judge's opinion does not follow Texas law. NPR reports that according to the Texas Attorney General's website, spanking is not illegal.
Texas law allows the use of force but not deadly force, against a child by the child's parent, guardian, or other person who is acting in loco parentis.
NPR writes:
The website goes on to describe where the line between spanking and abuse might be. It seems the AG's opinion is that if it's in the buttocks, the parent uses their open hand, a brush or a belt and doesn't leave a "bruise, welt, or swelling," it's likely OK.
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The decision by the Judge was based on her own personal issue with disclipline by spanking. As it stated in the article, in Texas, the law does not state that spanking is illegal. Wow 5 years probation, that is worse some punishment that people get for worse crimes committed. I believe this is an injustice to the parent and does not validate her abilities to disclipline her own children the way she feels she can. I personally think spanking is the old school disclipline I am still in favor of and I really think that kids these days need that still. I see many parents get talked back to, not listened to, and I see these same parents afraid to disclipline because they don't want to be that mean parent in their kids' lives. Yes I was spanked as a child, there were times it was too harsh but I think as I learned a lot by this I was able to tune my disclipline to my child in a way that shows I care and I love you and that I don't want you to go down the wrong road. Enough said....