Eva Mendes Sparks Parenting Debate With Social Media Post About Spanking

Eva Mendes
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

The mom of two welcomed different opinions from her followers.

Eva Mendes shared her favorite parenting quote on social media on Monday -- prompting a big debate among commenters who both agreed and disagreed with her approach. The 47-year-old actress and mom of two took a stance on spanking with the quote, "Spanking does for a child's development what hitting a spouse does for a marriage."

Mendes -- who admitted she's not often asked "what my favorite parenting quote is" -- offered up her comments section as a platform for people to discuss the method of discipline. 

"I don't know," one user replied. "I was spanked and now I'm a respectful adult. And believe me, I deserved those whoopings. I was a brat." 

"Thank you for your comment," Mendes replied. "So happy to agree to disagree. 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," Mendes shared. "This didn't come with a manual. So when there's something that resonates with me, I pass it on. Lotsa love."

One follower praised Mendes for sparking the debate, to which the actress said she was "so happy to be able to talk about alternative discipline now." "When I was a kid that was not an option," she said. 

Mendes shares 6-year-old Esmeralda and 4-year-old Amada with her longtime partner Ryan Gosling

Earlier this year, she took a bit of a break from social media, after revealing one of her daughters thought she was spending too much time on her phone. 

"I haven’t posted lately because my little one told me I was on the phone too much," she admitted. "I could tell she was taking it personally. And she’s a kid, of course she’d take it personally."

"They take things personally unless we go out of our way to make it clear to them it’s not personal," Mendes continued, adding that they "had good talk, I apologized and I promised her I’d be mindful. I realized that just because I’m always home with them doesn’t mean I’m always present. ❤️."

See more on Mendes in the video below. 

RELATED CONTENT: