They say they were hit with belts as children. While talking with her friend, Christina noticed a man and a woman in uniform, and she assumed they were museum security guards. She said she approached them and asked whether state laws permit a parent to hit a child with a belt. She said the man told her he does not believe in getting involved in how a parent chooses to discipline a child. The woman said she uses a belt on her children when they need it.
Corporal punishment is quite a controversial subject.
Several European countries have banned its use in homes as well as in schools. And she said that in responding to that question she stated her opposition to hitting children and her belief that it teaches them violence is acceptable. This discussion with the uniformed couple ended on unfriendly terms, according to Christina. Next day, still upset, she phoned museum executive director Tammi Kahn. She said they were on break when Christina approached them and that Christina did not report what she had witnessed in the bathroom or describe the woman involved.