Chanel, on the other hand, sees no need for help. Just the word “counseling” makes her stomach turn. She has enough outsiders meddling, none of whom are trying to raise eight children while homeless. The only way to keep a child in line is to be strict. In Chanel’s book, this is called discipline—the occasional belt smack or being told to stand in the corner. Everyone she knows was “raised by the belt” because “it saves a kid’s life.” Proper discipline is a form of control. The unruly child grows up to join a gang or land in prison, which is just someone else’s system of control. “My husband
...more

