At what point does discipline cross the line? New controversial book suggests spanking before 6 mths
A new self help book has recently spurred a lot of backlash because of its rigid “child training” techniques. The book is called, “To Train Up a Child” by Michael Pearl, and it basically suggests that parents should use disciplinary techniques that include spanking on children as young as four months old. The book seemingly follows Prov. 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.” However, according to the book’s description on Amazon, “This book is not about discipline, nor problem children. The emphasis is on the training of a child before the need to discipline arises.”
The author of the book, Michael Pearl, is a graduate of Mid-South Bible College in Memphis, has been active in evangelism and the work of the ministry since he was a teenager. He has been a pastor, missionary, and evangelist for over 40 years. The Pearls have 5 children, all homeschooled, according to their organization’s website.
According to Today, “the book, first published in 1994, frequently cites Proverbs 13:24, which teaches that ‘he that spareth his rod, hateth his son.’ In it, authors Michael and Debi Pearl compare training a happy, compliant child with training a dog. It advocates sitting on a rebellious child to spank him, and ‘hold him there until he has surrendered.’”
Pearl emphasizes that “No amount of discipline can make up for lack of training.” He advocates starting early so that these values are engrained in them, so you do not have to deal with them when the kids are older. In the book, Pearl relates most of his training to the training of animals. “Train up, not beat up,” he writes.
Even though this book has been published since 1994, it has recently caused a lot of controversy because of three different cases of child deaths. The parents of these children were allegedly following the ideals of Michael Pearl; Specifically from, “To Train Up a Child.”
“Hana Williams, 13, died of hypothermia after allegedly being starved, abused and locked outside by her parents. Lydia Schatz, age 7, died after being repeatedly beaten by her parents. And four-year-old Sean Paddock suffocated after his mother wrapped him in a blanket too tightly, in an effort to keep him from getting out of bed.” (via Today).
As a result, a petition to Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO has been created to “Refuse to carry books which advocate the physical abuse of children.”
Michael Pearl and his wife, Debi, are no strangers to book writing. “Michael and Debi Pearl have been married since 1971. They have 5 children and 15 grandchildren. Between them they have authored 14 books and 8 booklets which combined have sold millions. Much of what they write deals with marriage, child training, and homeschooling” (via Amazon).
This picture was taken from nogreaterjoy.org, which Michael and Debi own. No Greater Joy is the ministry of Michael & Debi Pearl under the auspices of No Greater Joy Ministries Inc…Through books and tapes, the Pearls are training parents to break the bad habits passed down from former generations and to recognize and emulate the wisdom of those who have gone before. The Bible and common sense are the foundations for effective parenting.
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