I'm Stunned

Parenting methods are many.

From the time we welcome an infant into our families, we incorporate all sorts of strategies, routines, rules, etc, in order to raise them in the way we - or some How-To tome - sees fit.

Family bed? Solitary crib? Bottle? Breast? Spanking? Time outs? No TV? Sesame Street only?

For we decent, well intentioned parents, the methods may not be the same, but our objective is singular: happy, healthy, well behaved, well adjusted children who will grow into happy, healthy, well behaved, well adjusted adults.

Rudy and I are not, and have never been, spankers. I grew up in a spanking household and it never made any sense to me at all. I mean, seriously, touch another adult in this world, and your ass is brought up on assault charges. But hit your child? DGMS...

Anyway, we have never been hitters, and have three of the best behaved children around. They are respectful, polite, intelligent, know that their opinions and thoughts matter and have value, and who do not hit one another.

And before someone pulls out the whole "spare the rod, spoil the child" passage, STOP. Our daughters are not spoiled. In fact, they behave out of respect, not fear.  If you choose to spank, that's your gig.  Just don't ever take out your personal frustrations in the course of a spanking - that's incredibly unfair and crosses the line.  No child should have to pay the price for your flat tire, extra ten pounds of ass cargo, heinous boss, or lost sports wager.

But I digress. The point is we all approach raising our children differently. And that’s fine.

In most cases.

Meet Rian Wittman, 23, of Albany, Oregon. Seems young Rian had an unusual method of parenting his 18 month old son – a 100,000 volt stun gun.

I’m not kidding.

Arrested last February, Rian was yesterday sentenced to 46 months in prison.

The backstory: The abuse came to light when the child’s mother notice marks on the boy, and initially assumed it was some sort of rash. She was going to take him to the doctor, but Rian talked her out of it.

According to prosecutor Reed Dinsmore, "He described to her that he used the stun gun to play peekaboo with the child. The mother did not report the incident, and that was a mistake on her part."

Peekaboo? WTF?!?

If I had ever caught Rudy playing peekaboo with a stun gun, he would still be searching for his testicles. I would have ripped them off and made a Hide n Seek game out of them. Still can’t find your ballsac? Oh honey, have you looked in the garbage disposal?

After noticing it getting progressively worse over the course of the next few weeks, she finally took the toddler to the Albany Police Department. The child was treated at a local hospital.

Police discovered the poor child had been subjected to the abuse many times (they speculate ten) over a three week period. Doctors are still unsure as to how severe will be the lasting neurological effects to the toddler.

"I spoke to a Department of Human Services careworker who was present, and she said the look in the child's eyes will not easily be forgotten," Dinsmore said.

At the time, the police were unsure of a motive beyond the usual in child abuse cases – a cold, hard, heartless, human stain getting his/her kicks out of torturing an innocent child.

Now, it looks like the Rian was using the device to "toughen up" his son. He has reportedly said that he "wanted his child to be tough ... to be the toughest cage fighter ever."

Cage fighter. What noble, lofty, aspirations you have for your progeny, Rian, you pathetic POS who should have been a blow job, not intercourse.

"Toughen up" a toddler. Yes, I well remember thinking to myself, "Self, these toddler daughters of yours are so puny. I mean they can’t even help you move the couch or carrying in wood for the fire. I sure wish there was a way to make men of them."

Rian now resides in prison where I only hope he gets his fair share of "cage fighting" and that his cellmate is a big, burly man who stuns him with his gun every chance he gets.

Maybe it’ll "toughen him up".

Comments

[Nancy in Birmingham]

I'm sick.

[Katy]

What in THE hell is cage fighting? Toughing him up for it -Do you get stunned with a gun during whatever this is? And that LAME excuse initially of "playing hide and seek?" I echo your comment Linda - WTF?!?!????
As for dicipline, when Calvin was in diapers, he might have gotten a whop or two on the butt, but the padding of the diaper assured me he didn't feel a thing - He just knew whatever it was he was doing was a "no-no." And I'm with you Linda, I could NEVER strike him in anger - - and I don't care WHO I offend by this comment, but I think "hitting" is a rather barbaric and uneducated method of punishment, IMHO.

[Carmela]

Bastard.

When I read the comment about "the look" in the child's eyes...it pisses me right off. The 18-month-old baby has been taught that people hurt...really heartbreaking.

[Mary]

OH. MY. GOD.

[Diane]

I hope they are charging the mother with something, too.
This just makes me sick!

[Tracy]

I just don't understand people. When my girls were young, all I had to do was raise my voice just a little and they would get upset and cry. I can't imagine what this little boy was going through. I am with you Linda, I hope the "dad" gets toughened up real good in prison.

[Linda L]

To quote Nancy.....I'm sick.
I couldn't believe what I was reading!!!!!
He's a monster who should never again see the light of day!

[DorothyTX]

These stories make my blood boil. I just want a face -to-face confrontation with the mother of this child and have her explain to me - MAKE ME UNDERSTAND- why she let this happen after she found the first marks. Was she afraid for herself? Afraid the child would be taken from her? Afraid to turn in the abuser? What about the terror the child was living? I truly would like to know WTF she was thinking. As for the POS who did it - no amount of punishment will suffice.

[Angela]

She must have had some clue that there was abuse or something going on when she discovered the first rash . Why else, after the rash got worse, did she go to the police dept. first, instead of the hospital? Must have been a hell of a suspicious rash.

[Kelly in PA]

I feel like I have to comment, but I just don't know what to say. This just makes my heart break. I can't even believe the people in this world. I have never hit my children and they are polite, respectful, and kind to others. I was never hit as a child and pride myself in being a polite, respectful, kind adult. But, spanking might be one thing, this is something else entirely. I can't even breath right now. Stun guns all around fellow bloggers. Let's show him how it feels.

[Michele]

I am so sick and tired of hearing about people like this... especially when there are so many people out there that would love and care for these children if they could have them themselves. It's a disgrace and I think you should have to get a permit or something to become a parent!! I can't wait to go home and hug my daughter.

[Bobbsey]

This just goes to show that a POS has no idea how to raise a MAN. You need a man to teach a male child how to become one. TOughening up for cage-fighting!!! What did he think he was raising? A pitbull!!! to toss into the ring? BTW for whoever was asking, cage-fighting is a people version of cock or dog fighting. Whoever is able to leave the cage wins. Remember the movie Mad Max in the THunderdome? It's like that.

[Toni]

I think they need to put his picture right next to "white trash" in the dictionary.

[Caitlin]

my brother,sister, and i also my friend grew up with this guy and it makes me sick even knowing i ever knew him. he also did cage fighting with my brother