Anti-child abuse agency offers tips for better parenting

Leonard Payne Sr. reportedly told Manatee County Sheriff's Office investigator that he beat his 9-year-old son with a piece of a plastic toy after the child tried to rub his feces on his younger brother.

Payne, he told detectives, "wanted to teach him a lesson," according to a sheriff's office report.

If true - and Payne, like others arrested by law enforcement, is presumed innocent - perhaps it was Payne who needed to be taught a few lessons on how to be a better parent.

Manatee Children's Services, a local non profit that aims to break the cycle of child abuse in the county, offers a Top 10 list that Payne and other parents can follow:

Be a role model.

Spend time with your children.

Praise your children.

Show affection.

Be a teacher.

Respect your children.

Listen to your children.

Discipline with love.

Realize your job is never done.

Ask for help.

--- Marc R. Masferrer