Michael Madsen Arrested For Physical Altercation While Disciplining His Pot-Smoking Son

Well now, here’s a Hollywood arrest that parents might actually be able to relate to. Michael Madsen, most notably remembered as “Mr. Blonde” in Reservoir Dogs, ran in to some trouble with the law. The actor was arrested after a physical altercation with his teenage son and is now facing charges for child endangerment.

There’s a twist to this story-line though. Madsen’s son was smoking pot.

Listen, I do not advocate corporal punishment or physical discipline. I don’t believe in raising your hand to your children to prove that your bigger or stronger than they are.

And yet at the same time, I remember when my toddler tried to touch the top of the oven. The first time, I scolded her and told her that it was a “No-No” and that she could get hurt. She obviously didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. The next time she reached her tiny fingers up to the stove, I spanked her bottom.

I felt guilty afterwards for striking my little girl. But at the same time, I felt justified that she realized the trouble she was in. I felt like I protected her from a much more dangerous situation than a swat on the butt.

With that lesson in mind, I suppose I can understand Madsen’s initial reaction to finding his son smoking marijuana. Perry Wander, Madsen’s attorney,   told TMZ, “[Michael] found his son smoking pot and they got in an argument when he tried to take it away.”

Now, I’m not the mother of a teenager just yet. Thankfully, I have a decade before I have to start worrying about these types of issues. But I can imagine that if I walked in on my little girl with marijuana, I would want to use whatever means necessary to show her that drugs are a serious problem. I can understand where a concerned parent might see a slap upside the head as a small price to pay for knocking some sense into a teenager on a dangerous path.

Obviously, these are only assumptions based on the story reported. I don’t know exactly what happened in the Madsen household. And I don’t know how far the fight went. There’s never an excuse for actually injuring your children. At all. Ever.

That being said, after consulting with my mother, I’m pretty positive she would have considered a swift kick in the butt had she come home to find me toking up with some friends. And even if physical violence isn’t the answer, the circumstances surrounding this arrest seem more like a dad trying to protect his son from drugs. Let’s just hope that things work out for the best for the whole Madsen family.

 

(Photo: Las Vegas Sun)

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