At what point should you spank a disobediant child?

Question

Would you say you should start early? Smacking little hands that jam things into electric sockets and pull on cords?

Once they are old enough to understand why they are being spanked?

Or not until they are pre-teens blatently disobediant as a last resort to curb a downward spiral of inappropriate behavior?

Or (enter your time here)

Answer 1

I issue a spanking when they know they are not supposed to do something (because they've been adequately warned) and intentionally defy you anyway.

I started spanking around 18months old, before that, when they did dangerous things, they got a swat to the hand.

Answer 2

Once they are old enough to understand why they are being spanked. But only if they have already been told "don't stick ur hands into sockets" etc, and have still done so. No point in spanking them for something they didnt know before was wrong. a smack on the hand or bum is usually enuf at a young age.

Answer 3

First of all, there is a huge difference between abuse and spanking.
I was a very rebellious/belligerent child from the get-go. Putting me in my room didn't work; I would defy them and walk right back out. Everyone spanked me... my grandfather said that he spanked me more than all his children and grandchildren put together. I believe if they had not spanked me, I would have ended up in prison or worse. As it is, I have had zero infractions of the law in my life (not even a speeding ticket). But, they also gave me lots and lots of positive reinforcement (that is just as important). I love them with all my heart and I'm so glad they wailed on my bottom... I really needed it. You just have to be consistent!
Those people who give those rubbishy arguments against spanking don't have a clue. I have a super high self-esteem and spanking didn't teach me to hit... I got spanked for hitting people. Look at how the children are ending up these days. Just how many school shootings, violence, rebellion, etc. have we had from children who were not spanked? As people quit spanking more and more, these things will continually go up more and more. Just look at the statistics from back in the days when people spanked. Spare the rod...
I say, begin to spank as early as they can disobey and show undesirable behavior.

Answer 4

it is a lot more work to NOT spank your child, but the better way. Early on take them away from dangerous things with a firm no an redirect their attention to appropriate things.if it doesn't work you put them in their crib if they start tantruming until it is quiet. Then bring them out . older kids are different. Time outs for disrespectful behavior at it's biginning stage, then deliberate disrespect in punished by taking favorite toys or game systems away. The older they get thew punishment changes. You are not going to put a 14 year old on time out unless that is effective for you, you will take the freedom away or assign LABOR. Like mopping and sweeping the kitchen floor and washing down all the cabinets. OR vaccuuming out the couches and all the vents and blinds. Things like that. Winows work well. Take TV xbox playstation phone computer playtime ect away for 1 day at a minor offense up to a month depending on how crazy the behavior.

Answer 5

I do not recommend spanking a child before their 2nd birthday, children younger than 2 will not associate the pain of the spanking with the infraction. Never, ever; hit a child's hands, face, etc. Only the bottom.

Answer 6

first off--spanking does not teach a child that it's okay for them to hit people. it teaches them that it's okay for you to hit them. because it is okay. start when they deserve it. if a nine month old hits the dog, he should get his hand smacked for it. better that than to let him get bitten, i'd say. a smack on the butt isn't always the way to go. i always preferred to swat the offending body part. kicked your sister? your leg gets smacked. spit on the floor? smack to the mouth. seems to me that it would help them figure out what they are getting it for. some kids need it more than others, but they all need it at some point. you can always tell the parents who "don't believe in spanking". they are the ones with the bratty kids.

Answer 7

Yes it's a good idea to start smacking their hands. Usually around 12-15 months is when you should start.

When they're around 20 months, spankings on the rear. A swat on the butt is sometimes in order--and it works great.

Answer 8

I think you start spanking your child when you want them to learn the lesson that violence is the corrent response to things you don't like! That is to say that I don't believe you should ever hit a child, whether you call it spanking or not.

If you ever watch Nanny 911 or shows like that you will see that it is not necessary to hit a child in order to discipline him or her. Positive reinforcement of positive behavior and consequences for bad behavior have the same result without including violence as an example to your child of how people should act.

I was never hit as a child but I certainly respected my parents and was punished if I behaved badly. My husband WAS hit as a punishment and he says he resents it to this day.

Think long and hard about what you want to teach your child.

Answer 9

I don't believe in spanking. If you are stern with your child about time out it works. How can you justify that it is not okay to hit others but then you hit your child when they are bad. It doesn't make since to me. My son is 3 years old and I have never had to spank him. If he does wrong he knows he will go to time out. And people always complement me on how good my son is and how good he listens to me.

Answer 10

My daughter is 2 and doesn't understand swatting at all. I don't like to do that because it shows her that it's ok to hit.

Don't know if there is a RIGHT time to do it.

I use logic on my 2 year old. She understands when we say we are going to punish her by putting her in her bed because she did a bad behavior (we explain what she did), then it's timeout in the bed.

She wants to be where everyone else is, so it usually changes the behavior.