Why Collect Donations??

When you believe in something strongly and whole-hardheartedly, I believe it's only natural to want to share it with the world. I want to make it my business to touch as many lives as possible doing something that I actually happen to be very good at(and people need.)

Mental illness is REAL. By creating a gofund me campaign, I'm not just raising money for a van, I'm raising awareness to mental health. I also hope to inspire other therapists to provide similar services as transportation can be a major barrier to overall good health. In addition, lack of convenience can also be a barrier to good health and this is an obstacle that my campaign could help to overcome.

I am not, nor have I ever been concerned with making a lot of money. I do know my worth but I'm not completely money driven. I share my idea because I WANT other people to copy it. I WANT other people to be inspired by it and create even better ideas that can help battle mental health in our communities.

If I simply “raised the money on my own” my idea would just be a good one. By reaching out and trying to gather donations, my idea becomes a GREAT one. Supporting me supports the idea that we as humans need to be more connected as a whole. I want to encourage people to work together for a common cause. Ideally, I'd like to have 4,500 people all donate a dollar because that means that 4,500 people are aware of the desperate need of mental health services in our communities. People who are aware can spread awareness to others and the cycle will continue.

Perhaps by seeing me do something, I can inspire someone else to get more involved in THEIR community. I fully intend on being the change I want to see. I want to live in a world where people care about their neighbors be they neighboring homes, states or countries. I plan on doing whatever I can to encourage an environment where humans feel connected to their fellow humans.

I want to make something VERY clear. I am not trying to raise money simply because I quit my job. I'm GOING to continue to work. I will be working UNTIL this happens. I am a LICENSED clinician so just because I quit working as a therapist for a certain company does not mean I have quit being a therapist. As a licensed clinician, I am qualified to provide mental health services to any person who deems me to be a fit provider. The client base is already there and I will seek them out.

When I came to Nashville, I got a job because I was looking to learn more about my community and I wanted to get a good feel for how the community operated. I could have very easily just handed out business cards and immediately went into private practice; I chose not to because I wanted to learn. Some wondered why I even worked there BECAUSE everyone knew that I was licensed and could rather easily go into practice on my own.

I know I could go the traditional route and save money or borrow from a bank but again that would not bring enough ATTENTION to what I am doing. I have CHOSEN this path because I want to start a movement...

Please if you can check out the link below

http://www.gofundme.com/8g6bf0

Thoughts about Big Business

I am a hippie...a modern day hippie but a hippie nonetheless and all that entails. 

I finally got around to starting a garden yesterday...and I made my plot the old fashion way....my husband and I dug up the grass and pulled the roots up....it is hard work and we are no where near complete. I eat salad for snacks and love to love. I stand by my convictions and am more concerned with enjoying life than with acquiring things. I don't shop at Walmart or eat McDonald's because they're both terrible corporations. I don't drink bottled water because many of the mainstream water bottling companies buy water from poor communities and then sell it back at rates they can not afford.

I know there are some corporations in the world that are “good” or at least better than the average but overall, I prefer to support small business. The reason being is that small businesses seem to place higher value the individual experience compared to corporations which tend to value money/profit. Some corporations are so focused on money that they will risk the health, sanity or financial stability of the customer for the sake of profit.

Money is a man made construct and in and of it self has no value. It's the services and the goods that you receive in exchange that have tangible value. Money is only valuable in theory.

Any who, my old job was productivity based...which makes sense except I worked with people...people who struggled with substance abuse addiction so their attendance was not always....reliable per say. In order to meet productivity expectations, you would need to see at least 7 people a day for 40 minutes sessions. That doesn't sound so bad right? well remember that attendance inconsistency I just mentioned, in order to have a chance at meeting our productivity requirements, we would schedule at least 14 people a day because inevitably someone would show up.

My workload bounced back and forth between two extremes...having nothing to do and having EVERYTHING to do...more times than not, it was having everything to do. When things started to become overwhelming, i initially tried to pretend as if things weren't that bad...truth be told though, it was terrible for me...

Because instead of being looked at as a person who provided a service, I was looked at as a robot that performed a function...and it seemed like all the people on top cared about was whether or not the robots were working as efficiently as they could.

When you take this and combine it with the fact that my job was to help people cope with their problems, it certainly makes for a stressful  situation. 

I was able to handle all of this stress until the sudden suicide of my supervisor last month. After his untimely demise, it became increasingly difficult to cope with the various happenings at my former place of employment. Though I was certainly appreciative of his presence while he was alive, I regret that I did not fully realize the positive impact he had on our work space until he was no longer apart of said space...

and so I made the most impulsive move I've ever made in my life...The Queen of responsibility walked out of a stable job because it did not line up with my personal values and beliefs. I only have one life to live and it is so important to me to make sure that everything I do supports everything I am. 

If you could take out some time to visit http://www.gofundme.com/8g6bf0 and check out my fundraising campaign to help start my mobile therapy business it would be greatly appreciated. I think it's a worthy cause and I am excited about being able to help my community. 

Peace & Love

-Atiya

Help me Help the community!

Allow me to introduce myself

My name is Atiya and I am 27 years old. All my childhood life I wanted to be a teacher...I really was a "nerd" growing up! I truly enjoyed things like playing school and books were my best friends. My mom said that she used to have to force me outside and when I did go, I took books and a blanket...lol (i think there are pictures to confirm this). I vividly remember doing workbooks at home(and enjoying it) and also playing school with my cousin Nakia (I liked being the student).

When I was 10 years old, I saw a movie called Harriet the Spy (Its an awesome movie you should check it out if you haven’t seen it btw) In one part of the movie, she was forced to see what I believe was a child psychologist. He sat down with her and asked her about her feelings and his room was filled with games and toys. That was the day I changed my mind about what I wanted to be. I decided that I wanted to be a Therapist, I wanted to talk to people about their issues for a living.

I could go on and on about what happened in the 17 years that I transpired between that decision and now but long story short, I earned a couple degrees, got married, moved away all while meeting some fantastic people along the way. So fast forward to today...Or yesterday rather. I quit my job.

After spending an entire hour dreading going to work, I realized that I had laid in the bed feeling like that too many times before going to work....especially since the unexpected suicide of my former supervisor about a month ago. As I sat pondering as to whether or not I really wanted to live the rest of my life like that, I did what many people do when they're looking for advice...I called my mommy.

I told her I think I want to quit my job...and she basically said go for it! So with no back up plan, no next step, I walked into my supervisor's office and told her I quit. That is like a SUPER huge deal for me because as my family friends will tell you....I'm the poster child for responsible decisions.

I still totally want to do therapy but I have a few other talents too. As I was pondering with my husband as to what I wanted to do next, I came up with a fantastic idea...and that brings me to the purpose of this message. I want to provide therapy for people who need it but not at the expense of changing myself as a person. There's no other way to say it...I don't shop at Walmart because I don’t support who they are as a corporation...and somehow I found myself working at the Walmart of mental health. I do not want to live my life in contrast to my beliefs so that I can “make a living.”

But I need your help to do it. I want to provide therapy for people where I can come to them and we can meet on site in a van. That way people who have trouble with transportation can still receive the psychotherapy services that they need. Also, for people who don’t have the time during their day to go and meet with their therapist, a mobile therapy service could meet them where they eat lunch.

The van would provide people with a safe, comfortable space to address their mental health concerns with qualified providers at a time and place that is convenient for them. I know some people have concerns about confidentiality and people being seen but I plan to utilize an unlabeled van and on the inside, you would never know you were in a van. Now I know some of you are thinking “why should I help her?” Here's 3 reasons why:

1. Anyone who knows me knows that I make it my business to support small business especially community business. By supporting me, you will not only be supporting me, you will be helping me to support small business. I plan to give back to the community by donating advertising spaces to the different businesses in my community instead of advertising myself on the van. Also, if a person would happen to be seen getting into the van, it would further protect their confidentiality because it would not indicate that it was a mental health van. I will also use the money I earn providing therapy to continue to support the small businesses in my community. 
2. I'm not your “typical therapist” and what I mean by that is this:  I don't believe in labeling people and doping them up. If it weren't for insurance requirements, I honestly wouldn't diagnose at all. I believe in respect for people their thoughts and differences. The types of therapy services I provide focus on helping people to appreciate the person who they are and cope with the symptoms they have. Though I believe that some people can benefit from medication, I do not/am not trained to prescribe it and I firmly believe that many mental health concerns can be appropriately addressed with psychotherapy alone. My primary focus is helping people to make sure that the behaviors they are displaying are lining up with the outcomes they seek.
3. Once I am more established as a private clinician, it is a personal goal of mine to develop a barter system so that people in need of mental health services will be able to offer goods/services in exchange for treatment. This would be done instead of requiring people to pay money or utilize insurance benefits.This way, no one is prevented from having access to beneficial services that they may need. Eventually, this will help lay the groundwork for communities that are more sustainable. 

I just want to live out my dreams...and they say you never know what help you can get until you ask for it. I never ask for help, but I also never quit my job either soooo there's kinda a first time for everything right? I wrote this blog to give people some quick background information because I'm starting a fund-raising page to make this happen. I have not been blogging lately but I also plan to do a series of personal “get to know me better blogs” for anyone who may be interested in knowing more about me...I do have a lot of free time now...

Please check out my fundraising site at http://www.gofundme.com/8g6bfo

Who defines you.....

Its been a while or something like that...but I haven't *insert various excuses here*. To be honest, it matters not where Ive been, only that I'm here now...

On my way home from a pretty good day at work I was reflecting about a couple of rather...intense therapy sessions I had at work today and it got me thinking...

My people...we have a long way to go...By my people I am specifically referring to my African American, Black, whatever the correct term these days is lol. Now of course you dont have to be Black to "understand" this particular topic but that is the particular population I had in mind as I pondered my  thoughts.

Today I met with a person who was so irate that they were treated in what they perceived to be a disrespectful manner that their subsequent behavior allowed them to essentially miss out on something that THEY needed. Said person made valid points regarding the importance of treating people with respect and feeling as if their opinions, needs and wants are worthy of consideration; however, they missed out on a service that they valued all for "general principal."

It was this particular incidence that prompted some...concern (for want of a better word) for my community.

Time and time again, a common compliant heard in the Black community is regarding the need of "equal treatment" and of recognition and appreciation from communities that have already made it quite clear that they are indifferent to your wants, thoughts and needs. A while back, I remember three was a case in which a minister refused to to marry an interracial couple. Instead of simply choosing another church (because after all, why would you even WANT to be married by someone who doesn't "believe" in your marriage anyway) there was a big to do trying to convince said minister to say his mind.

Is the discriminatory treatment "acceptable" No. Is it fair? absolutely not...but you know what, life is unfair. A lot of things area going to happen that "are not fair." Its "not fair" that I went to school for 6 years and can barely pay good ole Sallie May yet someone can create a stupid pop song and become a millionaire almost overnight...

More importantly, it's not fair that my hair usually "has" to be in tip top shape because I have locs and might look "unkempt" otherwise, It's unfair that as a woman I have to be overly conscious of what I wear because I have male clients, Its unfair that the color "nude" wont ever match my skin....I could gripe endlessly about these things, I could protest and try and get things changed, OR... I could do my hair because I don't want to be PERCEIVED as unkempt, dress as un-sexually(yea i made that up) provocative and be as "neutral" as possible in my tone and appearance to avoid confusion; and develop my own caramel colored nude clothing.

Its up to you to decide if you are going to let the behavior of other people interfere with your day to day living. This particular mindset is troubling in the Black community because it leads to people saying things like "So and So only got away with *insert crime here* because they were*insert racially related excuse here* If a Black person would have committed *insert crime here*, they would have gotten *insert harsh punishment here*" Too busy searching for "equality" and acceptance to fully comprehend the fact that you are comparing criminal acts. This type of chatter was ESPECIALLY prominent during the Trayvon Martin trial and tends to pop up whenever a non black person commits a crime that the community feels deserves a harsher punishment. How about lets not commit crimes because we are ALREADY being persecuted purposefully. Lets not get so wrapped up in equality/acceptance that we start comparing(and seeking out) things that NOBODY really wants  to have.

The worse part is I don't think that people are even aware of this particular thought process. We get so wrapped up in searching for acceptance that we neglect to take care of B needs. Instead of trying to FORCE someone to accept you, why not create a space where YOU can be accepted...because that makes a lot more sense than trying to convince someone to change (which is NOT something that you can control).

I'm not encouraging exclusion or anything like that...but what I AM saying is your energy would be better placed elsewhere...and if your desire to stand against something on "GP" is impacting your ability to have a happy healthy life, then it might be time to consider some other options. At what point will you realize that the only person you are hurting......is you.

Because the fact of the matter is...if someone doesn't like you, they are not gonna accept you no matter matter what you do. When you dislike someone everything they do just becomes annoying lol. But seriously You cant force acceptance and you can demand equality but the fact of the matter is, you just may not get it. When will we learn to live for ourselves, to define our own success instead of looking to people who again have made it clear that they do not care much for you, to tell us whether or not we have done a satisfactory job.....

Right to Religion

its early for a Saturday & I'm super congested...both in the nose & on the brain. My head is stuffed literally & figuratively. The only way to cope is for me to "unstuff" myself by unloading some of these thoughts

My husband is smart as shit. He's like a genius or something. We don't always agree, but one of the things I enjoy about our relationship is the fact that we can always have discourse about a variety of topics no matter how different out ideas are. So while it may seem as if we are in constant agreement, WE AREN'T!!!! so if I'm parroting his beliefs its b/c I believe something about them too.

With that being said, it was my husband who 1st introduced the idea to me that religion is about YOUR relationship with YOUR creator. Since then my belief system gradually began to change/evolve into something that worked FOR ME!!

Unfortunately for some, that does not entail going down the road to Christianity or any organized religion for that matter, at least not at this time in my life. As of late, I have come to the personal conclusion that different religions/should of thought exist because we are all different people. Different people require different motivation to keep their morals in check. Different people need different explanations for the various events that occur in their life. People need information & tactics that will alike them to persevere in their part of the world while still ultimately contributing to society & being productive people.

So as long as Im not being an evil person...& even if I am, it's really no ones business but mine & my Creator as to where my actions will eventually lead me. Now onto my concerns with Christianity & why it CANNOT work for ME!!

Ultimately, I believe that no religion is inherently evil. Even worshipers of Satan are not telling people to explicitly go out & cause harm to others. However when you have organized religion, that is when the goals of people can be used to manipulate the available information in order to meet their means...That to me is the definition of evil...manipulation of a situation so that you as a person can benefit no matter the cost to others. Many organized religions are used for evil purposes. Two of the "Big Three" Abrahamic religions I feel were specifically created to control people. The third I can't speak on as I'm not very familiar with their practices.

I'm not here to talk about Islam though b/c that religion wasn't created utilized to enslave MY people. By that I mean black people in the United States. The Bible is not a book that was authored from start to finish by one person or even a group of similar people. It's a collection of books written in various languages by hoards of people then the "Best" books were selected to be utilized as the Holy word... So even if I take every word as true[which is impossible in my opinion as I've made it to Chronicles & there have already been several contradictions, not to mention that the God of the old testament comes off as extremely vengeful] I can not ignore the fact that somethings could have been lost in translation...& this same book was used in these united states to keep people enslaved....even though it's been indicated that the story of Christ is a remake of stories that were already in existence...& those stories were created by the ancestors of the people that christianity was used to enslave but that's a topic for another day...

Christianity is a fairly new religion in comparison to the age of the world. I find it difficult to understand how if humans have been around for ages upon ages & suddenly just now in the last 2 millennia we've "suddenly gotten it right" & subsequently, all of our ancestors died in vain b/c they have not accepted white Jesus as their Lord & Savoir. I disagree with the idea that everyone was born into sin, I disagree with the idea that we are inherently unworthy which is different IMO from being undeserving. I also disagree with the idea that those who are doing well are blessed b/c that implies that other people are being cursed [the opposite of a blessing afterall]

I disagree with a lot of stuff. & what that tells me is not that Christianity is wrong but that christianity is not for me. I try to refrain from talking shout these tropics as I'm not in the business of being offensive but I would like to make my thoughts known b/c they are crowding my head due to life conversations.

The point is this. I don't think there its a right religion. I think that everyone does what its best for them based on the type of person The Creator made them to be. I do take offense when I'm told that my thoughts/beliefs are not true, or are thought of as a "moral cop out" I don't think its OK to try & get people to see your religious light...because your light is for you just like your medications are prescribed to you & you only. We silo get our spiritual needs from different places & different spaces. If you can't find something that works for you then CREATE SOMETHING!!!! I know ours hard to believe but will religion & concepts in general were novel ayyyy done point. Add people change & evolve, so do their needs

As for my beliefs & needs....I don't feel like I need church at this point in my life. & if I was truly honest with myself I have NEVER been comfortable in church or participating in organized religion in general. As an adult, I'm not going to put myself in places that make me feel uncomfortable b/c I'm also a firm believer in listening to your mind heart & body. If your honest with yourself, your moral compass will let you know of you've fucked up or not....& its your responsibility as a person to make the best decision for you.

Virtual balls of STEEL

So,  I had started this blog a couple of weeks ago and never got around to finishing it. And then today happened...so I decided to start over...so same subject new content...[even though you never saw the original content LOL]

Anywho About today...basically, long story short, My husband made a comment on a Facebook status today. The subject was about marching band. A person who disagreed with something he had to say proceeded to talk mad shit about my husband in all aspects of his life...because he disagreed with his statement about band.

Now mind you, my hunny has rather thick skin so while it didn't bother him per say, it still reminded me of the blog that I started a couple weeks ago. It brings up the subject of this blog....virtual balls of steel aka keyboard confidence.

As I engage on my various social network sites, I have noticed two trends: 1. People are insanely rude on the internet, 2. The things that they tend to say we all know for the most part they would not say in person. I'll start with start with my first point....

People are insanely rude on the internet...

We all know it. And to me, it is unfortunate. It's as if people forget that people are REAL people. The things that they say, the comments that are made are cruel at best. I was talking to one of my best friends earlier today and we were discussing how hate and evil isn't the "norm" or the "default".

What I mean is that humans are wired to love not hate. Hate for the most part is something that is learned or observed. I have several justifications for this hypothesis. I'll only talk about one of them here...otherwise we would be here all day.

One of my jobs requires me to monitor infant development... That sounds really fancy doesn't it?!?!?
Really, I just get paid to play with babies LOL. I know I'm lucky! I hope I can find something similar when I move to Nashville.

Anywho back to the subject. One of the developmental tasks for my babies (mind you most of my clients are under the age of 2) is whether or not they hug or feed a stuffed animal. As they get older, they are expected to try and console an person who appears to be sad or hurt amongst many other things.

Now, emotions are not something that you can teach. You can assign a word to describe an emotion but the fact of the matter is,  you can not "teach" someone how to feel if that makes sense. That is something that occurs within our brain that we actually have no control over (though we CAN control how we respond to a particular emotion)

So the fact that something like showing affection is considered a developmental milestone allows me to believe that we are naturally wired to be kind towards each other. This means that there is something that has happened to our innate nature that has gone horribly wrong. I do not know what this something is.  But I do have a hunch on what is contributing to it

Group Think...

According to the World English Dictionary, group think is defined as a tendency within organizations or society to promote or establish the view of the predominant group. Now if you take the word organization with a grain of salt given social networks aren't organizations per say, this definition is applicable in describing how we interact on the internet today.

There is always going to be one person who has something negative to say.

However, it seems that people are quick to jump on board and utterly destroy people on the internet. I've seen people talk about everything from how a person looks (something they have ZERO control over like facial features) to the food that they choose to prepare to eat. It's as if feelings and remorse are ignored on the internet

It is a lot easier for people to be mean when they see others are already doing it. Point blank period. Just the same way it's easier to say nice things if everyone else is saying them. There are a myriad of reasons why people behave in this way but alas that is not the subject right now.

The point is the phenomena of group think will have a person go against what they know in their heart and mind is right simply necause everyone is doing something differently. Classic studies have already been done that show people will choose the wrong answer just to go along with what the group believes is correct...just to fit in

Now on to the 2nd Point

 The things that they tend to say we all know for the most part they would not say in person.

Does this apply to everyone? No but does this apply to many people? abso fuckin lutely. We've all seen it... Those friends you are following who you know IRL (in real life) and their social media life is nothing like their real one. The ones who brag about things you know they've never done.

Ive noticed that people seem to be more....aggressive for want of a better word on the internet than they are IRL. People threaten to beat, maim, injure and kill people on a daily basis via comments etc. However, if all the threats of violence were true reflections of people's behaviors...we would have a lot more death and destruction IMO

Also, If people were REALLY comfortable saying in person the mean things that they do online, lets just say the world would be a lonelier place because a lot of people would be friendless.  How do I know people aren't saying these things in real life? Because Ive seen people on numerous occasions wish harm on an innocent baby....How many times have you actually heard someone say something like that to a person's face?

And ya know, we as a population need to get these "internet personas" in check quick fast and in a hurry. The  effects of our terrible etiquette is 2 fold. I will begin with the least obvious. When you meet an "internet persona" you only know what the person chooses to share with you. In a nutshell, you could be talkin shit to someone who doesn't take that type of stuff lightly...Or an emotionally unstable serial killer

Maybe because of your snarky comments they wanted physical retribution. What if they clicked on your social network profile and was able to find out everything about you and where you frequent because you use the location app. Maybe this person has an anger management problem.


You have no idea what could lie behind the computer keys. So for your own personal safety...You should be wary of who you choose to harass. It really could be anybody...

The 2nd effect of these virtual balls of steel is that THESE ARE PEOPLE YOU ARE TALKING TOO!!! THEY HAVE FEELINGS....THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY HURTING. Its not just the internet, this is someone's life.

Cyber bullying is out of control. Somehow the accessibility of the internet has made people think that it is OK to talk to people any old kind of way with ZERO consideration as to how what they say can affect others all in the name of expressing THEIR opinion....We talk about celebrities, we talk about strangers, we talk about our "friends" we talk about everyone


We've all got a responsibility to improve the way that we interact on the internet...Now am I perfect? No. I laugh at some of the pictures that come across my timeline, sometimes I truly cant help it. But will I "like" or share said picture? NEVER!!!!! Because by doing that, I am doing nothing but continuing the cycle. As I stated earlier, you cant control what you feel, You can control how you choose to respond.

I'll close with this. You can choose which side you want to be on. You can be that one person who leaves a positive remark on photo riddled with negative comments...Or if that is too much for you, you could always simply remain neutral and not like or share the photo, comment etc.

It's just not OK to beat people....but you knew that right?

DISCLAIMER: I don’t watch anything on World Star Hip Hop[WSHH] ever...because many of the video descriptions i see from there I don’t agree with, nor can I support. Most often what I see come up are violent portrayals of one incident or another...either someone getting beat up or children being beat... you know things of that nature.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I just tend to stay away from things like that. I don’t share the links for " awareness" and I tend to try not to speak on them in my personal life....because I spend my whole work life doing so if you catch my drift. And i encourage you all to do the same. Sharing and watching the link does no good to help the victims in those situations unless you tell someone who can help...

Recently, there has been a video circulating that depicts a father beating his children with an extension cord for uploading a twerking video onto facebook. As always, i ignored the links on my timeline and refused to share. However, i feel compelled to speak out on this subject because one thing I’ve seen entirely too much of is people SUPPORTING the PERSON who BEAT another PERSON.

Now I have no children, but I do work with children and I’m the eldest of seven children...my youngest sibling just turned 5...I am 26...

Last time I checked, beating people is not OK. Pretty much anywhere you go, Beating a person can land you in jail or in some sort of trouble. If my co worker does something incorrectly, it is not considered acceptable for me to beat said coworker.  So in a society where we are expected not to beat people, why do some feel its OK to beat children when they do something incorrect?

Oh I know why!

Its because children as a whole are NOT respected in our society. Its because we somehow think that by birthing children we OWN them. Its because we believe that as adults, children are inherently supposed to listen to everything that we have to say, that they must respect us regardless of whether WE show THEM respect or not.

To be honest, corporal punishment is the lazy way out. If often instills a sense of fear, rather than respect and teaches children to obey the rules to avoid punishment as opposed to obeying the rules to help society run smoothly. Yes I’m aware that I have no children...

I’ve seen many a parent get frustrated with a child and label it bad simply because they don’t want to do what YOU want them to do. I’m not talking about harmful stuff of course, I’m referring to simple things like eating when THEY feel they are hungry or going to sleep when they are tired. Then to physically beat a child simply because they are their own person to me ridiculous.

Not to mention the fact that beating in and of itself is just not an appropriate way to solve most problems. Are there some instances where physical force is necessary? Yes especially in cases of self defense, but to use it as a form of punishment is just plain lazy.

I can think of several different ways that that situation could have been handled differently. But in order to enact those alternatives, it will take TIME, which people "don’t have enough of". I know for a fact that ignoring a child's temper tantrum will eventually cause them to stop...but parents give in because THEY don’t want to hear the child screaming, or they are embarrassed or whatever excuse is underlying their actions of giving in to the child's requests

If we respected children and people as the HUMANS they are, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion, because violence would hardly be an issue. Because people who value and respect another person will not bring harm to them...logically it makes no sense.

But respect is a word that is often thrown around yet seldom explicitly explained and even less rarely freely given...yet somehow it is one of the greatest expectations that we have of others.

Bottom line, its not OK to beat people, let alone our most vulnerable members of society. And encouraging that type of behavior simply because a "Father" was "punishing" his child reflects a serious problem in today's society.