Do you think parents should spank their children??

Question

If not, what are some other effective ways of disciplining children?

Answer 1

Disciplining your children is not something you do because you hate them, it is something you do because you love them. Spanking is a touchy subject. I belive in spanking, but not how it is usually done.
Typical synario I see all the time:
Kid does something wrong, mom yanks kid by arm into the air and smacks him on the butt mid air screaming "Bad! Bad! Bad!"
Kid cries, and holds his bruised arm, usually not knowing what he did wrong.

This is how It should be done:

When your child does something bad enough to encour spanking, you should: Sit your child down and tell him what they did wrong. Explain why you are spanking them. Tell them that you love them and that is why you have to spank them. Then put them over your lap and spank. After the spanking hug them and tell them again how much you love them.

Children will not know what they did wrong if you just start smacking them. They will not learn from their mistakes if you randomly smack them on the butt, most children that get spanked never knew what they did wrong.

If you spank out of anger, in the heat of the moment, your child will learn that anger is good, and will use that emotion against you.

If you are patient and loving when disciplining, your child will learn to be patient and loving.

If you are angry when disciplining, your child will learn nothing but anger.

Answer 2

There were 3 or 4 ?'s about this last week. I'm still saying No, I dont believe in spanking my child. And I dont think spanking IS effective. Using time-outs, taking away privileges, rewarding for positive behavior, etc are effective when used properly. Why do some people think spanking must be used in order to discipline a child? Thankfully both my husband and I agree, spanking is not only unnecessary, it is wrong (I'll add 'for us', if someone else chooses to spank their child I wouldnt find immediate fault with that).

Answer 3

No, I don't believe in spanking, period. It's hard being a parent, but then it's also hard being a child, too. You should know - we've all been there.

Taking away toys, etc. probably is not the most effective way, although it can work sometimes. You have to realize that kids are "all about themselves", they often don't see things from your view point. When they do something bad/wrong, teach them about "empathy" in a simple way. What this means is to actually ask them, "how would you feel if someone did that to you?", or "would you be angry if I did that to you?"

Turn the situation around, put them in the receiving end of the situation. This way, they're able to better understand why you feel the way you're feeling.

Remember, they're only kids - you can't expect them to respond as normal adults would. Communicate with your children, explain the reasons. Nothing is more powerful than the spoken word.

Answer 4

I agree with Amos.

Consistency is key. If parents were consistent with punishments from day one spanking would be less necessary. I would spank my child if I had tried all other options and he/she did not respond.

Time outs and taking away privileges are some good solutions to most problems. It also depends on the age and the behavior that deserves punishment. I try to make the punishment relevant to the misbehavior. Spanking is not wrong. There are alternatives to spanking to which I personally choose but if needed (as a last resort) I would spank--out of love. Normally with consistency and fear of time outs and disappointment spanking isn't needed.

Answer 5

I think that every child is different...some children can be disciplined through positive reinforcement, time out, stuff like that...but other children only respond to spankings...you just have to do what works best for your child...I only believe in spanking on the butt or thigh though...

Answer 6

I think it really depends on the childs age....1-5yrs maybe a swift pop on the leg will do 6-12yrs depends on what they did and how bad it was if it wasnt that bad take something away if it was really bad beat their butts and take something away before they get to old and and you cant set them straight....13 and up well some 13 yr olds are bigger than their parents and I dont know how you would handle that situation other than taking stuff away... But it is always a good thing before you spank tell the child why you are going to do this and that you should never do that again and why they should never do that again....

Answer 7

If you do spank your child dont hurt them just give them a little shock. If you choose not to spank just tell them they are in time out and put them in a corner for about 10 minutes see if that works

Answer 8

it depends on what the child did on whether they need to be spanked or a different type of disciplining taken their is time out, standing in the corner, taken things away from the child , no tv,no toys it just depends on what they did

Answer 9

I have 3 children and another one on the way and I do not spank my children because I do not feel that it is necessary. What I do is put them on punishment instead.

I take away everything that they like. for Ex: No telvesion, no video games, can't go to visit relatives, make them go to bed earlier then usual, take away favorite toys etc...

Answer 10

Personally, I think spanking should be limited to a pop or two if the child is endangering himself or others. Then you and the child know that you're not doing it because you're mean or annoyed or tired, but because you want to keep everyone safe. It needs to be done IMMEDIATELY if you do it at all