Child Training

"Spank Until You Draw Blood"

WFAA did a good job bringing attention to the physical abuse of children in Homestead Heritage. The group actually had child training classes instructing parents on how to discipline their children. Following are some notes taken during these training classes:

• Use the rod to inflict surface pain to reestablish parental authority. Rod should be a long, flexible dowel. 
• Children should receive the majority of spankings before 3 years old [Ed. Samuel Martin's research reveals that "the word that we find used in three of the verses that advocate smacking in Proverbs is “na’ar.”⁶⁵ The phase of life associated with the “na’ar” (which means the “one shook lose”) is that of young adulthood or the teenage years. This is significant. Based on this evidence, it is safe to say that all of these texts in the book of Proverbs have no application to anyone less than about ten to twelve years of age." (p.32, emphasis added.)]
• Children should never question obedience to the parents's will [Ed. Even if the parent desires to sexually abuse them?]
• Children exaggerate fears to allow emotions to control their behavior
• Children exaggerate pain of injuries
• Children cry to attract attention
• Nap time and bed time are prime times to establish obedience
• Never accept a child's word over an adult's [Ed. This one is particularly disturbing given the situations where a child was sexually molested by an adult.]
• Chastening needs to be a foretaste of the fires of hell
• Establish submission as early as possible during the first 3 years
• Teach kids to honor dad as priest and king in the house [Ed. This is also concerning given that some daughters were molested by their own fathers.]
• Wives should bring their hearts to wholeheartedly support their husbands [Ed. Even if their husband is sexually abusing their children?]
• Wives, do not cover your children from their father's authority or from God. [Ed. Even if their husband is sexually abusing their children?] 
• Wives should never argue with husband. Teach children not to argue with dad. [Ed. Hopefully you begin to see how not having healthy boundaries can open the door to abuse, sexual and otherwise.]
• At 3 to 4 months you can swat an infant if child will not be still while changing diaper
• Certain types of crying in newborns and toddlers can indicate a breaking of their will
• Teach child to sit still for periods of time to train for meetings [Ed, These meetings lasted from 3 to 4 hours on average, sometimes longer. Blanket training was commonly used for this purpose. Also, it was not uncommon to visit the ladies restroom during a Sunday meeting and hear children being spanked in the stalls for not being perfectly quiet and still during the long meetings.] 
• Be willing to submit joyfully to those in authority over you so you can reinforce that in your kids
• It's good for teenagers to go to bed tired. It's not good for them to have too much free time. 

Several years after these child training classes, an elder stood up in a Sunday meeting and proclaimed that "we will never tell you to use corporal punishment." (Yes, they are capable of lying.) This same elder told a father years earlier to spank his sons "until you draw blood." He said this father's sons needed to believe he would kill them if necessary. In case you were wondering, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) considers "substantial harm" to be "physical injury or damage to a child that includes, but is not limited to, bruises, cuts, welts . . ." It's little wonder that mothers of young children recommended, word of mouth, to purchase an arnica gel sold by one of the families at Homestead Heritage. Arnica gel speeds the healing of bruises. I think any person, no matter what their views on corporal punishment, could agree that this is excessive and abusive.

Incidentally, although Homestead never endorsed the methods of Michael Pearl, his book, To Train Up A Child, circulated among the mothers. His methods were remarkably similar to what was advocated by Homestead leaders.