What age is it ok to spank your child? First time parent..

[ttrog]

honestly i think u should spank ur children because it makes them respect u and shows them that ur the boss. your not supposed to be friends with your child and be all buddy buddy and stuff your suppose to teach them right from wrong and spanking is a good way to do it.

[ScarletG]

Originally Posted by ttrog

honestly i think u should spank ur children because it makes them respect u and shows them that ur the boss. your not supposed to be friends with your child and be all buddy buddy and stuff your suppose to teach them right from wrong and spanking is a good way to do it.

If one has to resort to beating someone to get respect...you've lost it before you start.

[Braunwyn]

My daughter is almost 9 months and I cannot imagine even considering the idea of hitting her. Before I had a kid I always thought it was bizarre to include hitting as a way of teaching and now it's just unthinkable. IMO, it's done out of frustration on the parent's part.

[somebodynew]

Originally Posted by Stangdrivin

Ok, 1st and foremost I am new to the forum and this site but enjoy it! I have a 9 month old son and as a new parent I would like to think I'm doing well being that I have had experience in watching close friends with their kids and being the oldest of 5 within my family. My son is wonderful, very happy child, sees me and always greets me with a smile no matter what but lately it seems like he's trying to start his own personality and I don't want it going in the wrong direction. If I leave the room instead of him crying it sounds like he's just plain yelling until I come back in which it stops. I take him out and sit him with me while I get dressed in the morning and he's calm. I try to get him dressed and now it seems like he fights me on that also so I dont know if this is the beginning of things to come or if I stand firm will he understand? I think he does because when I tell him "NO" he will notice it and start crying...I just remember as a child me being spanked lightly (old school) as a reminder or as a startle to notice that I'm doing wrong, but at what age is that ok? I don't want him growing up as that child that no one wants to babysit or be around because he's now all of a sudden cranky all the time.

thoughts?

We get the spank vs don't spank debate on here pretty regularly. Keep your chin up. I would challenge you to think about what you are trying to accomplish with your discipline strategy and choose tactics that are most likely to deliver on those hopes for your child.

Forget about to spank or to not spank, or when or how much. What do you want for your child? Before we think too much about it, many of us would say "to behave". So it is our job then to get them to behave. I reject this. It is their job to choose to behave. It is our job to teach them how. If that is the goal, then there is a lot more to discipline than how old do they need be for me to apply a certain punishment. You have to understand what your child is trying to say about what they need from their behavior and act accordingly.

So what I would suggest is that you hop over to the library and start your thoughts percolating on the topic in a little more depth.