Allowing for Different Parenting Styles

An old coach I heard about seemed to have a phrase or anecdote for every situation.  And whenever he could, he’d give a bit of life advice. One phrase often used was “horses for courses.”  

“Horses for courses” essentially means that different people (or animals) are suited for different things and should be treated as such. Nothing captures this idea better than parenting, which is deeply personal. But there is always someone there to judge (who probably doesn’t even have kids). That’s what happened when Bryan Thornhill posted a video of his own parenting style choice to Facebook. 

 Okay, yes, you are basically throwing yourself to the wolves if you post any parenting tactic on social media. But hear me out. Bryan’s child was kicked off the school bus for being a bully.  Bryan decided to take action. With the bus no longer an option, Bryan had his son jog to school while he drove behind the boy in the family car. Many parents praised Bryan’s effort to combat bullying. Others viewed the punishment as abusive. 

Is this Creative Parenting or Abuse?

But this is where you need some context before rushing to judgment. Bryan’s son is an athlete and it was only a one-mile run. In fact, extra running was a common practice for other sports his son participated in. If Bryan’s son had a broken leg, had never run a day in his life, and was forced to hobble for 5 miles, then you might have reason to agree his parenting choice was abusive.  

In situations like this, Children’s Protective Services (CPS) has a tendency to jump to conclusions; not bothering to look for the context before rushing to judgment.  But just because a parent develops a creative, common sense solution that involves some physicality, it doesn’t mean the parent is abusive. After all, what are chores?

If you are being judged unfairly by CPS and need an experienced attorney to represent your interests, call the Cronkright Law Firm today.