On the death of Lydia Schatz, 8

According to news reports, Lydia Schatz was an eight-year old girl[1], adopted in 2007 from Liberia[2] by Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz of northern California.  After a 1 A.M. 911 call[3] on the fifth of February in which emergency services were summoned to the home and resuscitated Lydia, police also found her eleven-year old sister Zariah[4] to have “deep bruising”[5] injuries “which authorities believe resulted in significant muscle tissue breakdown that impaired [her] kidneys and possibly other vital organs.”  Lydia died en route from one hospital to another, and Zariah’s injuries put her in the hospital on dialysis. 

Lydia and Zariah were injured while the parents held down the girls as they “took turns” beating them[6].  Lydia died from an hours-long whipping with a fifteen-inch length of quarter-inch “plumbing supply line.”[7]  According to a police officer, the reason given for Lydia’s punishment was that she had mispronounced a word[8] during a reading lesson.  Zariah was just a bad influence.[9]  After his step-sister’s death and his subsequent placement through child protection services, Lydia’s ten-year old step-brother, the Schatz’s biological son, was also found with injuries.[10] 

The type of punishment given to Lydia and Zariah is recommended[11] in the book To Train Up A Child[12] by Michael and Debi Pearl, although in the book the authors do caution against abuse.  The abuse which the Pearls counsel against is characterized as uncontrolled parental anger[13], not as corporal punishment.[14]^, [15]  Lynn Paddock, a mother convicted of suffocating Sean, her four-year old adopted son, in 2006, also credited the Pearls’ method of “discipline techniques”[16] for her actions.

Mr. and Mrs. Schatz have yet to have their day in court, and judging them in the court of public opinion without all the facts in evidence is probably rash.  Still events such as the tragic death of a child, injuries to another child requiring hospitalization, and injuries evident upon a third child provoke such reactions. 

A further outrage is the reaction of the writer of the book credited as providing the guidance for the parents:  Mr. Pearl laughed.[17]

In online discussions, supporters of the Pearls have said that the parents who killed the children are the ones who prosecutors should target, not the Pearls.  That is indeed what has happened.  The Schatzes are under detention pending investigation and trial, and Lynn Paddock is convicted.  The Pearls are still selling books.

As for who is responsible, no one has ever indicated that the parents who are, so far, alleged to have killed the children should be absolved of responsibility because they were so weak-minded that they honored ink-on-paper over the evidence of their lying eyes that what they were doing was killing their child.  But, in our society, we do have a tradition of responsibility for the effects of our actions, and the Pearls' actions of writing that book can be connected to the outcomes of at least two dead children.  People who manufacture goods that are dangerous when used as directed are required (unless they make cigarettes) to change the dangerous part of their product.

I would think that it would be even more persuasive as an argument when the (larger, stronger) actors play out their actions on another (weaker, and in thrall) party who is an involuntary participant.

We may not be able to hold the originators of the ideas physically accountable, but we are right to be filled with disgust at the results, and the reaction.

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[1] 2010 02 Feb 07  “Paradise parents accused of fatal child abuse,” 7 Feb 2010, Chico Enterprise Record, Chico, California http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_14351915

[2] “New Details About Couple Accused of Killing Adopted Daughter,” 8 Feb 2010 KNVN tv, Chico, California http://www.knvn.com/content/localnews/story/New-Details-About-Couple-Accused-of-Killing/Sa_woJ_zUkuz6zFVXvnihg.cspx?rss=2224

[3] “Homicide, abuse probe continues: Ridge family was private, kids were well-behaved,” 9 Feb 2010 Chico Enterprise Record, Chico, California http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_14364274

[4] 2010 02 Feb 21 in which I discuss the unthinkable http://lauriemo.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-which-i-speak-of-unspeakable.html

[5] “DA links fundamentalist ‘training’ to Paradise girl’s death,” 12 Feb 2010, Chico Enterprise Record, Chico, California http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_14388171

[6] “Beating death draws national attention,” 25 Feb 2010, Chico Enterprise Record, Chico, California

http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_14468067 [7] 2010 02 Feb 18 Ramsey examines ministry connected to girl's death, 18 Feb 2010, Paradise Post, Paradise, California http://www.paradisepost.com/news/ci_14427370

[8] “Homicide, abuse probe continues …”

[9] “Paradise parents face murder, torture charges,” 10 Feb 2010, Chico Enterprise Record, Chico, California http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_14371777

[10] ibid

[11] “DA links fundamentalist ‘training’ to Paradise girl’s death,”

[12] To Train Up A Child  http://www.amazon.com/Train-Up-Child-ebook/dp/B0038KA6GC/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

[13] To Train Up A Child, Michael and Debi Pearl, page 48, c. 1994, “Forms of Abuse  Only a few parents are categorically abusive.  But, many parents sometimes give in to an abusive manner or employ abusive methods.  The child is rebellious.  The parent suddenly loses it and screams out.”

[14] ibid, p. 46, “If you have to sit on him to spank him then do not hesitate.  And hold him there until he is surrendered.  Prove that you are bigger, tougher, more patiently enduring and are unmoved by his wailing.  Defeat him totally.  Accept no conditions for surrender.  No compromise.  You are to rule over him as a benevolent sovereign.  Your word is final. 

…  Slowly begin to spank.  If you go too fast, you may not allow time enough for the inner transformation to occur.

Use your own judgment as to what is effective.  I found five to ten licks usually sufficient.  Sometimes, with older children, usually when the licks are not forceful enough, the child may still be rebellious.  If this occurs, take time to instruct and then continue the spanking.  A general rule is to continue the disciplinary action until the child is surrendered. … Spankings don’t have to be as hard where they are consistently applied.  Your calm dignity will set the stage to make it more effective.” (underlining in original)

[15] “Beating death draws national attention”

[16] “Mother sobs when discussion boy’s death,” 9 Jun 2008, WRAL tv, Raleigh, North Carolina http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3013647/

[17] 2010 03 Mar 03 “Michael Pearl Laughs at Critics,” 3 March 2010, Linda Dobson, Parent at the Helm blog, “Even my chickens are laughing . . . well, actually it more like cackling, because they just laid another organic egg for my breakfast and they know that it was that same piece of ¼ inch plastic supply line that trained the dogs not to eat chicken….” http://parentatthehelm.com/1335/michael-pearl-laughs-at-critics/