Frankly, I don't think there is anything I hate more than individuals who mistreat children. However, while I have always held this viewpoint, there is one aspect of it that I had never encountered until recent years. Even more important than my own opinions is although I'd read about the correlation between "most criminals were abused as children," I never read anything about this particular aspect of the problem. Perhaps it is something "the experts" missed.

In recent years, I've met countless numbers of people in all age groups who "went the wrong way" in life. When they told their stories, I was stunned to hear how they were treated as children. Although some used words like 'raised' and 'discipline,' there was something odd that I could not put my finger on until I heard the same kinds of stories from many, many people.

An individual (that's a polite word) named Michael Pearl unwittingly explained it by expressing the point of view that children must be taught to 'submit to authority.' This freak has spoken for child-abusers everywhere, past and present. People who have told their stories reported the same theme: it was all about Obedience. They were beaten for such infractions as getting yelled at by a school teacher, telling a fib, or not immediately doing something they were told to do. The aspect I could not figure out until quite recently was how this type of so-called raising resulted in "going the wrong way."

The missing key: how young all of these people were when they embarked on the wrong path. While kids who were far too young to make major life-altering decisions were being abused over minor infractions, they were simultaneously given the go-ahead with actions that would impact the rest of their lives. Parents and other adult caregivers seemed to have the notion that there was nothing wrong with youngsters quitting school, becoming sexually active, drinking alcohol, using illegal drugs, and committing crimes. While abusing children is obviously wrong, that wasn't the main reason so many turned out the way they did; they turned out the way they did because parents and other caregivers had no priorities. Countless numbers of adults in all age groups became drug addicts, alcoholics, promiscuous, and criminals, because the adults in charge of them when they were children placed a higher value on "authority" and "obedience" rather than teaching them basic standards.

No, Mr. Pearl, little children are not 'stubborn mules.' Treating them as such may give those on authority-trips the results they want: blind obedience, with no conscience. However, it is not the way to raise human beings who will be assets to society, or even productive in their own lives.