Words

 When I first started doing my observations Olivia's vocabulary was not what it is today. (I've noticed that Olivia says more words. She says, mom, stop, no, look and ouch. She tries to say other words too but if she can't say it she just points at it.) Field notes 11/8/14. ( I wonder what my first words were. They were probably bad words. My mom said I started talking around the same age as Olivia.) Field notes 11/9/14.

 It kind of takes me by surprise when I hear her little voice say "cereal" from below me. It makes me look down at Olivia in shock, but I feel proud that she keeps picking up new words. Now that she knows more words Olivia could get our attention much easier. She can tell us what she wants easier. It's like she has more power.

 I say that Olivia has more power because words can be the most powerful and influential tool that we have in society today. For example, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." is something that we all learned as young children. But what about all the young lives that have been lost over words? The same words that won't ever hurt us are the same words that caused many cyberbully victims to take their own lives. If that doesn't make words powerful then I don't know what does. The truth is that words can hurt. Words can heal. Words can kill. If the world would only realize that if we didn't take words for granted the world we live in would be a much better place. Since the beginning of time the written word has been something that we've cherished, but as technology and social media expand we have begun to forget how important words are. I think it's time that we start to go back to our roots before it is too late. 

Is it right?

 When it comes to my little Olive I'm a huge sucker. But Saturday morning I wasn't in the mood for her tantrums at all. Olivia had been whining and crying all morning and when it was time for her to eat she pushed me past my boiling point. Olivia wouldn't eat her food because she wanted soda, but she had to eat her food first, so what did she do? She threw her food off the table and all over the floor and demanded for soda. A sudden rage fell over me and I punished her by giving her a good spanking on her butt. It was the first time that I ever spanked her and I felt like a complete jerk. I only smacked her on the butt once and that was enough to make me feel like the most horrible person on earth. But why?

  As a child I was always spanked if I didn't listen so there is a part of me that says it's okay that I spanked Olivia. But there is a part of me that says just because I was hit and my parents were hit it's still not okay to ever put your hands on a child no matter the reason. I couldn't decide which one is right so I asked my parents, grandma and sister what they thought. 

 "Yes, when words don't get through to a kid then as a last resort you have to hit them" is what my mom said. 

I then asked my dad the same question; Is it okay to hit your kids?

"It's alright to hit your kids to a certain extent because if you just beat them then you're not teaching them discipline, you are just making them fear you and that's not parenting."

 "Yes, but you should only hit them on the butt" is what my grandma said.

 "When Olivia just doesn't listen after all the yelling I do to try to get her to do what I say I just have to spank her so she knows that I'm serious." 

  They all said that hitting your child was alright to do as a last resort and only to a certain point. Being Mexican, I expected them to say that because everyone in my family including cousins uncles aunts and everyone in between was hit as a child. Then I thought to myself, what would a white woman say? What would a black woman say? Would the white woman say that it's never okay to hit a child even though her son cusses at her and disrespects her? What would the black woman say? 

  I don't think it matters what color your skin is or what family you were raised in. People all over the world have their own ways of punishing and disciplining their children. I don't plan on being a parent anytime soon, and that makes me really happy because I wouldn't know what to do. Do I spank this kid or take the risk of him walking all over me because I never physically punished him? This is the challenge that parents face with their children and I feel bad for them. I gave my sweet little Olive one slap on the butt and I felt like scum so I can only imagine what they go through.