8 year old kid gets pepper sprayed by the police.

[Blueface]

I got the crap beaten out of me as a child.
In fact, I vividly recall the embarrassment of once going to school with a black eye at the hands of my father.

I don't hold any grudges.
In fact, few men I admire as much as him.

He has been a role model, faithful husband.
He has always been a hard working, honest man, at times never working less than seven days a week to provide for us.
Anything he could give me, including a college education, a car and so on, he did.

I say all this because again, he beat the chit out me.
He would unscrew the stick on a toilet plunger and chase me for blocks, in front of my friends, until he eventually got me at some point in the day.

Frankly, I deserved it.
I was on a bad road growing up in the streets of Newark.
Of all my friends at the time (20 or so of us), I am the ONLY one to graduate college.
I am one of maybe three of us that did not land in jail, although I was tailed in HS and had officers undercover visit my home and drag me into the pricipal's office in school.
About half are now dead.
One turned massive murderer.
I have a great life today, with a successful career, home and more importantly, family.
I truly feel I owe all it to my dad and his discipline.
The road I was on was not going to get better by talking.

My dad never laid a hand on me unless I was out of control.
When I behaved, there was no greater father.

The similar discipline was used with my son.
Except the stick and black eye part.
He is a stellar young man, with a great career and good head on his shoulers and we have a great relationship.

My daughter on the other hand was mostly spoken to and she gave me all the headaches. Go figure. So much for talking.

I share this to show not all beatings make you hateful. Some truly knock sense in you.