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when "paddling" was allowed in schools, you didn't hear of schools shootings, school killings, kids bringing guns to school
Excellent point, as even if I wanted to scrap with another kid, I was usually standing with my nose in the corner waiting on the paddle. Heck, I think my school didn't even have to look up the number for her work, it was the "Dial 7" option.
I don't have any children, so this is all hypothetical.... but I don't believe swatting a child on the behind as a last resort is wrong. I do believe beating a child and causing injuries is very wrong, big difference between the two.
For the poster who put up the link to the killing of Baby Grace, please that is not and has no relevance to "spanking". As stated before spanking does not equate to child abuse. Obviously people who abuse and murder their children are not "all together" upstairs. There are enough laws on the books concerning child abuse however does it stop it from happening
Did you read the story at the link?
According to the story: "The fatal beating happened after Zeigler stayed home from work to make sure his wife was following his discipline plan, Stickler said."
So Zeigler thought this was a "discipline plan," not abuse. He was a first time father and maybe he thought this was how he was raised. The media hasn't said a thing about his upbringing.
I realize 99.999% of most people would never do something like this but you have to wonder what some people really would do and where they draw the line at abuse. For some parents, I think they believe, if they survived it, it's good enough for their kids.
I had a really progressive mother. Back in the '60s when I was in school, she refused to let them spank me and went up against the school board over this. She believed only parents should have the right to spank a kid.
According to the story: "The fatal beating happened after Zeigler stayed home from work to make sure his wife was following his discipline plan, Stickler said."
So Zeigler thought this was a "discipline plan," not abuse. He was a first time father and maybe he thought this was how he was raised. The media hasn't said a thing about his upbringing.
I realize 99.999% of most people would never do something like this but you have to wonder what some people really would do and where they draw the line at abuse. For some parents, I think they believe, if they survived it, it's good enough for their kids.
Yes, I'm very familiar with the story, I'm in Houston and have followed it from the beginning. Gimme a break "thought this was a discipline plan". We are talking "SPANKING". Spanking is discipline but again, spanking is not child abuse. Spanking is not grabbing a child by their hair throwing them across a room, spanking is not dunking a childs' head under water, spanking is not attempting to smother a child with a pillow. Any person that tries to equate this with discipline should be hung in public setting He stayed home from work because he is NUTS, plain and simple. He knew what he was doing, he had something else going on in his brain
At the end of the day, creating more laws telling parents how to raise their children is NOT going to change the fact that some people are not fit to have children and should not be parents. When Big Brother started stepping in telling people how to run their household and how to raise their children, all hell broke loose, which is why children have absolutely no respect for authority, no respect for teachers, no respect for parents, and no respect for self.
There are a million and one better ways of disciplining a child than spanking. Doesn't mean that it should be illegal, but I'm still going to give a dirty look to every parent who swats their kids in the grocery store when they act up. My parents only used spanking when we were putting ourselves in a dangerous situation- such as playing around the stove, running after balls in the street, jumping down the stairs (not necessarily *dangerous* but my mom broke her 2 of her toes and an ankle jumping down the stairs as kid- how, I have NO idea- and so that was the ULTIMATE no no), etc.
And guess what? My brother and I are not serial killers. We are polite. We say please and thank you, hold doors open for people, and are good people. We don't drink, we vote in every election down to practically the dog catcher, we respect those who deserve to be respected (we were taught that respect is earned, not freely given which IMO is much better than just "respect authority), we've never have even the slightest bit of trouble with the law, I tried a cigarette once right after my 18th birthday and told my mom I was doing it before I did, neither of us have ever done drugs (a big feat for being a 18 and 19 years old in really any generation of the past 50 years), and neither of us has had any pregnancy scares. On the other hand, my best friend growing up was spanked regularly and was in rehab before her sophomore year in high school. Spanking does not equal good parenting. All of you people who say you see kids who should have been spanked- how do you know that they weren't? Most of the kids I know who were spanked have been in trouble with drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy, or just the law in general. I don't really think it has anything to do with spanking- but I don't think spanking is effective if it's used on any kind of regular basis.
But these generalizations mean nothing. I wouldn't use spanking as a disciplinary measure with my children because I don't see the point in instilling fear in your children. That backfired with many of my friends growing up and because my mother respected me growing up, I had no need to ever hide anything from her about any aspect of my life. That doesn't mean that EVERYONE who is spanked is going to end up a rebel- but just because someone wasn't spanked does not mean they're going to grow up with no respect for authority. My parents were able to keep a consistent disciplinary plan with both my brother and I and that worked.
Still, I don't agree with it being banned. Just if you resort to smacking your kids in public, understand that you're just showing the world that you cannot control your kids in a positive way and you are going to get dirty looks and comments because smacking your kid almost ALWAYS leads to screaming (both the parent and the kid) and a general scene. Just because you're not bothered with the fact that your kid is screaming and crying and being a holy terror because you can't control him doesn't mean the rest of us are alright with it. I've had too many meals ruined by parents who spanked their kids and then proceeded to yell at them when they cried.
Well, I never voted in the poll because I didn't feel one way or the other before I started reading the responses.
I used to think spanking was okay...
But after doing some research, I don't know that I feel that way anymore.
Does spanking really produce better kids -- or is it more of an outlet for the parents frustrations?
I am HIGHLY critical of putting soap in children's mouths because soap was never made to be ingested. I think that is child abuse and I have to wonder where someone who would put soap in a child's mouth would stop. Would they put cigarettes out on a child's arm if the child touched a cigarette? Would they rub a child's bedsheet in their face if the child urinated on it? If a child pooped in bed, would they make them eat it? Where does the abuse end? To me, any of these scenarios are HIGHLY abusive.
With regards to spanking, a quick swat on the butt never hurt anyone -- but I don't know if that is enough to make most kids fear "the quick swat on the butt." A LOT of parents go far beyond that to make their message heard.
"Spanking" means something different to a lot of people. For some people, it is only using your hand. For others, it means pulling out the "props" (Paddles, belts, hangers, whatever). I don't think it would hurt parental rights if spanking was defined by law.
As far as babies go -- babies can DIE from being shaken! What sane parent would spank a baby?!!
Did I say my kid????? No I did not. I used an 8 year old who is unruly as an example. Pay Attention!
I was speaking in a general term, sorry you did not get that....
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