Locals react to NFL star Peterson child abuse case

The Minnesota Vikings will allow star running back Adrian Peterson to play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. He was deactivated during last Sunday’s game after he admitted to striking his 4-year-old son over the summer with a tree branch he called a “switch.” The child abuse case has made national headlines, leaving ABC-7 to question where discipline ends and abuse begins.

People here the Borderland are talking about it, too.

“I think if you hit your children, it’s child abuse. I don’t hit my children,” one woman said Monday afternoon.

Local Client-Services Director Sandra Garcia from the El Paso Center Against Family Violence said discipline is reasonable when it doesn’t cause bodily harm or injury.

“Injuries can stem to be a red mark lasting more than 20 minutes. At that point, it’s not okay. You’ve now inflicted corporal punishment that’s not acceptable,” Garcia said.

So … what is acceptable? An age-appropriate conversation, explaining to the child what consequences they may face if they don’t behave appropriately, such as being grounded or losing privileges. Time outs, but only when conducted responsibly.

“The rule of thumb is a minute for the age of the child,” Garcia said.

Ultimately, Garcia and others said Peterson’s and other family violence incidents in the media recently have a lot more people talking about a normally taboo topic.

The Vikings running back issued a statement saying he’s learned that he chose the wrong form of disciplinary action this summer with his 4-year-old son, and has met with a psychologist to learn healthier ways to handle situations in the future.

The statement read, “I caused an injury that I never intended or thought would happen. I know that many people disagree with the way I disciplined my child. I also understand after meeting with a psychologist that there are other alternative ways of disciplining a child that may be more appropriate.”

Peterson is the same NFL player whose 2-year-old son died in October 2013 after being allegedly assaulted by his mother’s boyfriend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Garcia urges anyone who suspects domestic violence, sexual assault or abuse to call the 24-hour CAFV crisis hope-line at: 915-593-7300 or 1-800-727-0511. The center offers a wide variety of resources for people, including individual and group counseling.