When we sleep trained our kids, this was exactly our interpretation as well. You are literally training them how to sleep on their own. Yes they will be uncomfortable for a little while and yes they will cry because it is a new situation but it's truly for their own good. You are giving your kid the gift of being able to know how to sleep and fall back asleep.
You can do such training without being a cruel hard ass about it either. You know your kid best and know their limits and when you should go into their room to comfort them... but you have to know why you are doing it--you are teaching them how to sleep. The only way they can learn that is by themselves (at least at an early age).
Sleep training our daughter was one of the best decisions we made early on. But every kid and every parent is different. There is no one single way to raise a kid...
Incidentally, potty training can also involve a lot of crying, tantrums, etc. I would say I don't see the uproar of parents claiming it's child abuse, but the numbers of children past 36 mo that are not potty trained is pretty shocking.
You can do such training without being a cruel hard ass about it either. You know your kid best and know their limits and when you should go into their room to comfort them... but you have to know why you are doing it--you are teaching them how to sleep. The only way they can learn that is by themselves (at least at an early age).
Sleep training our daughter was one of the best decisions we made early on. But every kid and every parent is different. There is no one single way to raise a kid...