Father Arrested After He ‘Punishes’ Son By Making Him Walk Home

A father in Hawaii was placed under arrest after making his son walk a mile home from school as punishment. Are we now not allowed to punish our children? 

A 36 year old father from Kilauea, Hawaii was placed under arrest last week because he made his 8 year old son walk a mile home from school as punishment for getting into trouble in class.

According to the Star Advertisor, the Robert De Mond asked his son why he was placed in time out and he said, "I don't know." So, he asked again and again the answer was "I don't know", so Dad let the kid out of the car and told him to walk home as punishment to think about what he had done and when he got home, he had better have a different answer, other than, "I don't know."

A neighbor saw the boy walking, picked him up, brought him back to school and promptly called the police. When the police got there, they placed Robert under arrest for second degree endangerment of a minor and Robert pleaded no contest. The judge in the case, Kathleen Watanabe scolded Robert and told him that the punishment was "old fashioned" and "inappropriate" and that these are "different times" and that kids can't be left to walk alone.

I walked a LOT when I was a kid. I walked to and from school almost every single day from second grade until I graduated high school. It wasn't too far, but I still walked. In the rain and in the cold, I walked; no questions asked. I knew one kid who got a "D" on his report card and his dad made him RUN in front of the car for the last few blocks home. For many, walking isn't "punishment". It's something they have to do because they don't have a car. When I stepped out of line, I was punished and often times that punishment included a spanking.

What do you think? Do you think the Dad went too far, or do you think that he was right to punish his son by making him walk?