Dr. Phil had never supported spanking as an effective disciplinary tool on any of his shows but if anyone could change his mind, it would be Mike. The four of us thought this was possibly the worst idea to be guests on the show. I mean, how embarrassing. Everyone at the NJC knew that corporal punishment was a perfectly acceptable practice, even preferred some might argue, but not everyone at our highschool knew we were often spanked as punishment for our transgressions. They sure would now, though. Even though Dr. Phil wasn't the most popular viewing choice amongst the student body, I'm sure several teachers and students' parents watched the show. Word would seminate quickly. Afterall, it only takes a few people to spread juicy gossip to the masses.
This would actually be the second appearance on Dr. Phil for Mike. He, Shane, and Dr. Curtis were on an episode about paying it forward which highlighted various charities and people's selfless generosity. Dr. Curtis is certainly the most altruistic person I have ever met, despite being such a hardass. Anyway, Dr. Phil was so impressed with the NJC that he had his researchers spend some time there observing the ins and outs of the day to day operations. They shadowed Mike and they spent a lot of time with Shane as well. Yah da yah da yah da, one of Dr. Phil's researchers sees Mike remove his belt before directing Stacey, "MY ROOM NOW." Fast forward and here we are today.
Julie's pov
Mike, Stacey, Lisa, Carrie and I are sitting on stage with Dr. Phil and some anti-corporal-punishment-nut and a child psychologist. The nut is yammering on about how spanking a child is abuse and words are much more effective, blah blah blah. The child psychologist lists the standard statistics about how kids who are spanked growing up tend to be more prone to violence and anger, blah blah blah. Now it's our turn. Dr. Phil introduces all of us and tells the audience that Mike regularly uses corporal punishment to keep us in line and Mike feels it's an effective means of disciplining children.
Dr. Phil: "If spanking is so effective, why do you have to do it more than once for the same transgression? I mean, if it's such a great deterrent, you should never have to do it twice. If one of the girls breaks curfew and you spank her, she should never break curfew again but in reality that's not the case. Is it, Mike?"
Mike: "By that logic, Dr. Phil, you could say the same about grounding, time-outs, taking away privileges or any other punishment method. The purpose of discipline is to enforce the fact that choices and actions have consequences. Discipline is not about stopping certain behaviors, it's about instilling a moral code in our kids to turn them into civilized, productive, responsible adults. If I wanted to stop my child from breaking curfew ever again, I could lock her in the house but I don't want to dictate her behavior, instead I want to make her aware that if she chooses to break curfew there will be negative consequences that result from that choice, albeit spanking, grounding, earlier bedtime etc. I won't always be there to help her make the right choices so I need to teach her to weigh the pros and cons of her decisions. By the very definition, punishment is meant to be unpleasant. That's what makes it a deterrent. Spanking is just one weapon in the punishment arsenal and when administered correctly, it can be quite an effective one."
Dr. Phil: "I want to touch on something Dr. Horton said. Is there a correct way to administer a spanking? What exactly did you mean by that, Mike?"
Mike: "The severity, duration, and location need to be appropriate. The person meting out the punishment needs to be calm and in control of his emotions."
Dr. Phil: "I'd like Mike to give us an example of an appropriate spanking. My staff of course, volunteered me to play the part of the recipient, so I in turn volunteered Terri who is one of my head writers. Ok, Dr. Horton, I think we're ready."
Dr. Phil and Terri stand in the middle of the stage, slightly bent at the waist facing the audience. Mike removes his belt, doubles it, gripping the buckle in his hand. He then proceeds to crack the belt across Dr. Phil's ass, causing him to jump up in pain and immediately rub his backside for relief. He does the same to Terri who lets out an expletive that gets bleeped out later by the censors.
Dr. Phil: "I certainly hope you went harder on me than you do with your girls. That seemed really severe."
Mike: "No, that was medium in severity. That would be appropriate for breaking curfew."
Dr. Phil: "Girls, how any of you have broken curfew more than once is beyond me. That had to be harder than what you get. Right? (The four of us all shake our heads no) Wow, I'm sure Terri would agree that was quite painful."
Terri: "Son of a b... That really hurt. Holy cow!"
Terri walks off stage rubbing her bottom and cursing under her breath. Dr. Phil asks the four of us some questions about how we feel after Mike spanks us and if we would rather be punished a different way. Dr. Phil and the child psychologist tell the audience that they both interviewed the four of us and Mike separately, and will discuss their thoughts after the commercial break.
After the break:
Dr. Phil: "I'd like to hear Dr. Meyer's (the child psychologist) thoughts first."
Dr. Meyer: "While I still hold the position that corporal punishment is an inappropriate and typically lazy form of discipline, I think Dr. Horton is doing a wonderful job raising these four girls."
Dr. Phil: "Well, I'm relieved to hear you say that because I feel the same way. These are four of the most respectful, polite, and considerate teens I've had the pleasure of meeting. I want to thank them, as well as Dr. Horton, for coming on the show to discuss this sensitive and controversial topic."
YOU ARE READING
The Unknown
General FictionFollow the lives of four young orphans who suddenly find themselves growing up under the stern discipline of not one but two handsome inexperienced guardians who are clearly in way over their heads.
