Switching The Children

    
     You probably know by now that Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is charged with child abuse in Texas. He allegedly used a "switch" to discipline his four year old son, one of the children he "acknowledges". 
     He is not playing in this afternoon's game against the Patriots in Minneapolis. Lots of stories this morning focus on the damage being done to the NFL, as opposed to the child.

      Some people have even come to his defense, like comedian D.L. Hugley:

DL Hughley @RealDLHughley  ·  Sep 12

Adrian Peterson was indicted in TX for swatting his son with a switch! Who knew that was illegal, cuz my mama would b in jail! #TeamDl

      But suppose for a moment that Adrian Peterson has used a switch on his daughter instead of his son. Would they still support his use of physical punishment? Or is it only OK to beat male children.
      Peterson:

"Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don't play no games when it comes to acting right."

From a Star-Tribune story on Saturday:

 Peterson has not revealed publicly how many children he has. One of his acknowledged children died at the hands of another man in South Dakota last year. Peterson didn’t have a relationship with that child.

But from an ESPN story:

Peterson proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Ashley Brown, on July 4, and the two were married July 19. The couple has one child together -- 3-year-old Adrian Jr. -- and Peterson said he is more careful to cherish his time with the four children who don't live with him

     Perhaps it was the wrong person being "birched", as they used to call it?