Eva Mendes Reacts to Social Media Debate Sparked by Parenting Advice

Eva Mendes shares two daughters, Esmeralda, 6, and Amada, 4, with Ryan Gosling, and has pretty definite thoughts on spanking. She shared her thoughts on Instagram, writing: “Spanking does for a child's development what hitting a spouse does for a marriage.”

While some followers agreed with Mendes' post, others did not. “I don't know,” one social media user wrote in the comments section. “I was spanked and now I'm a respectful adult. And believe me, I deserved those whoopings. I was a brat.”

Mendes weighed in, but she kept it balanced, writing: “Thank you for your comment. 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 continued. “This didn't come with a manual. So when there's something that resonates with me, I pass it on. Lotsa love.”

And when a follower noted they're “glad to be growing up at this time that this is being discussed more openly and challenged,” Mendes also expressed how she was “so happy to be able to talk about alternative discipline now,” noting, “When I was a kid that was not an option.”