Whose fault is it?

Our young girls today are in dire need of a self-esteem lesson. There seems to be a misconception that if you do something that is deemed 'wrong' in the eyes of your man, they have every right to lift their hand and teach you a lesson. Case in point is the whole Rihanna - Chris Brown domestic violence case.

I happened across the Steve Wilco show (not really my cup of tea, but the sight of an all-girl audience dressed in pink t-shirts caught me attention) and he was posing the question to the audience of teen girls. The question was, "Who thinks that Rihanna got what she deserved?". Several girls put their hands up. One girl said that if her husband or boyfriend was cheating on her, she would " go off" on him, and fully expected the same from him. Wilco was shocked that anyone would put their hands up. He told them that they need to know that they should NEVER allow any man to hit them under ANY circumstances. I think it is a sad testimony to the kind of wolrd we live in where we accept violence as the norm.

Fathers, teach your girls that violence against them is not okay. Let them understand that anyone who is willing to use his hands to influence your decision should be cut lose FAST! Teach your sons that talking IS an option. It's THE option. Hitting is not okay (wait a minute...isn't that what we tell our 3-year olds??) and should never be considered the way to get what you want.

For women who think hitting is okay, please share why and under what circumstances. Those who disagree, share your thoughts.