> I'm addressing his beliefs, not him as a person That is ad-hominem. What is a person? His beliefs - and actions - of course. Well, I imagine that you could

> I'm addressing his beliefs, not him as a person That is ad-hominem. What is a person? His beliefs - and actions - of course. Well, I imagine that you could argue a person is the structural disposition of a bunch of atoms, but it easier to summarize that as "beliefs". Ad-hominem attack means diminishing some actions/qualities of a person because of other actions/qualities of said person, and that is what the parent was arguing. Not that it is always inappropriate, but it is ad-hominem.