Eva Mendes sparked a controversial parenting debate after she posted a quote comparing spanking children to abusive marriages.
The mother of two shared a quote on her official Instagram page that read, “Spanking does for a child’s development what hitting a spouse does for a marriage.”
The full post was captioned, “I’m often asked what my favorite red carpet dress is. This @versace is definitely up there. Im not often asked what my favorite parenting quote is, but I’ll post it anyway. Please slide if you care. 💕”
Fans of Mendes gave their opinion about whether or not they agree with her anti-spanking stance, which led the actress to respond to comments.
“Love you but completely disagree,” one follower wrote. “The goal in raising kids is not to have to spank, but it’s correcting before they can reason behavior out with you. Completely different than hitting someone. That’s not correcting behavior. We raised 5 respectful love kind kids that were a joy to be around. Good fruit shows from loving correction.”
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The “Hitch” star responded maturely.
“I totally respect you. Thank you for a respectful comment,” Mendes replied. “So nice to disagree with respect. I found the quote powerful and wanted to pass it on. Lotsa love to you and yours [heart emoji].”
Another user shared that she was spanked and it turned her into a “respectful adult.”
The 47-year-old once again took the high road with her reply.
“Thank you for your comment. So happy to agree to disagree,” Mendes wrote. “Want this page to offer that in a loving way. We all parent in our own way and I have no idea what I’m doing most of the time."
When another follower shared they were glad to be having this discussion, "The Place Beyond the Pines" star added: “so happy to be able to talk about alternative discipline now… When I was a kid that was not an option.”
Mendes shares two daughters with Ryan Gosling, 6-year-old Esmeralda and 4-year-old Amada.
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