Eva Mendes isn't creating any gray area when it comes to her thoughts on spanking.
The "Hitch" actor, who shares two daughters with actor Ryan Gosling, shared her view on the parenting tactic.
"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," she wrote in a carousel post featuring both her dress and the controversial quote.
The quote reads, "Spanking does for a child's development what hitting a spouse does for a marriage."
Her followers were quick jump in with their opinions.
"Love you but completely disagree. 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 loving kind kids that were a joy to be around. Good fruit shows from loving correction," one wrote.
Another chimed in, "I don’t know. I was spanked and now I’m a respectful adult. And believe me, I deserved those whoopings. I was a brat."
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Instead of ignoring her community, Mendes chimed in with a response that seemed to acknowledge the scope of parenting choices.
"Thank you for your comment. So happy to agree to disagree," she wrote. "Want this page to offer that in a loving way. We all parent our own way and I have no idea what I’m doing most the time. This didn’t come with a manual, so when there’s something that resonates with me, I pass it on. Lotsa love."
Mendes, 47, hit pause on her career in 2014 to focus on her daughters — Esmeralda and Amanda — whom she has kept out of the Hollywood spotlight.
"I feel like, as far as my ambition, it didn’t go away, it just shifted onto the children," she explained in a 2020 interview. “I applaud and look up to those women who can do it all, but I’m not one of them — and, thankfully, I have a choice not to work and I realize how fortunate I am that it’s even a choice."
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