Growing up in any Haitian household, one is likely to have had some form of excessive corporal punishment imposed on them as a child. Haitian parents are known for doing the wrong things with the right intentions when it comes to discipline. Most Haitian parents feel that baton will fix the negative behaviors of their children. I have vivid memories of being awaken in the middle of the night with kout rigwaz right down my spine because I didn’t bring home the grades expected. Days following those beatings, my school uniform would always get stuck to my marks and bruises causing more pain. I also recall being left ajenou or kneeling for hours with two big rocks in each hand in the middle of a Saturday afternoon on the dry, hot concrete. Now that I work in child welfare, I can’t help but to wonder about the true definition of abuse. Can Haitian corporal punishment be seen as abuse in the U.S. or even in Haiti? What is your definition of abuse?