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When I was in school throughout the early 70's to early 80's discipline was a fact of life. When at home, if I did something wrong, my father would punish me; usually with a belt. It worked. When attending school, especially high school, the coaches did most of the disciplining. Big intimidating paddles were not uncommon and was pretty much the norm. Any kind of foul language out on the football field got your mouth washed out with a bar of soap. Not fun, but effective.
My kids are good kids... they don't get in trouble in school, I don't have any problems with them at home. They were spanked (on the rare occassion that I deemed their behavior warranted it) when they were younger... BUT, there would be HELL to pay if a coach or teacher raised their hand to one of my kids (or forced soap in their mouths). If anyone is going to hit one of my kids... it will darn well be ME!
The problem now isn't lack of spanking. It's lack of any form of discipline. Kids don't have to be spanked to be effectively corrected when they're out of line. But there are too many parents who don't believe in spanking, but are too lazy or unimaginative to substitute anything else-- with the consequence that the kids are uncontrollable little monsters.
Agreed with Aconite, though I would add the word "necessarily" between "Kids don't.." and "have to be spanked."
Sometimes, some kids, will respond best to a quick simple swat on the butt. Not all times, not all kids. But sometimes, some kids. So I leave that open for possibility
The problem now isn't lack of spanking. It's lack of any form of discipline. Kids don't have to be spanked to be effectively corrected when they're out of line. But there are too many parents who don't believe in spanking, but are too lazy or unimaginative to substitute anything else-- with the consequence that the kids are uncontrollable little monsters.
Who are these uncontrollable little monsters and where do they live? I don't see that many kids like that around my house and my kids bring lots of friends home. I think they are urban myths made up by the people on these message boards.
I believe that parents and teachers feel disempowered.
When the cane was banned in schools in Australia, there was all this talk about alternative methods and giving the teachers other options but in reality nothing happened.
I believe that parents and teachers now live in a state of fear that if they discipline by any means (obviously not hitting these days) then they will be more than likely on the receiving end of an angry parent and not supported by the head master or the education department.
When I was at school in the 1970's, the school did not contact parents with resoect to punishment. If it was a detention then you were late home. These days detentions have to be cleared days in advance so as not to invconvienience parents.
In my view, with kids, punishment has to be quick. A long drawn out affair is just frustrating.
So what happens now, kids muck up and get a general disregard for authority and are basicallly pains in the butt and disrupt class. Some go on to badder and badder things. No consequences until one day they end up in jail.
I say we should get serious about behaviour. We should support teachers. Bring back the cane or paddle depending on your heritage. (Mind you I do not think class room teachers should dish this out as they can get just a little emotional). We should make it that if kids are on detention then it is today not some day next week.
Having to taste a bar of soap in my mouth was pretty effective. I learned all the good words, and use most of them. But you will -never- hear me utter them, even by mistake, in front of my parents, or most of my family, or any of my parents' friends. Telling me "now now Anon, we don't use naughty words" would've gotten a "yeah, you and what *)*#&^ army is gonna stop me?"
That soap though - it explained -implicitly- that dirty things, including mouths, sometimes need to get cleaned.
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