how do you feel about spanking children?

Question

for thousands of years parents have spanked their children. then thirty or so years ago it became a hot topic and it was looked down upon. I was born in the late 1960's and so i was a child of the spanking days. i have grown up to be a normal peaceful person with a loving disposition. yes my mother spanked me on more than one occasion. the issue is child abuse. i can understand and support laws for beating a child. there is no sense for an adult to take out there problems and frustrations on a child. but is a spanking the same as abuse? my opinion is that in the last thirty years children have become more and more rebelious because of this subject. they know that they will not get a spanking. they know if they are told they must take a time out and they refuse nothing will happen to them. if a child is 2 yrs old and up, in my opinion a normal spanking does more good than harm. How do you feel?

to koi, i am sorry for what you went through. that sounds horrible. but that is not what i was referring to. i was referring to a spanking on the buttocks with an open hand or a belt. not an a dense object or to the extreme of breaking bones or needing stitches or massive bruising. you went through something very traumatic and your parents had serious problems. what they did was abusenot punishment. a parent should set guidelines like 3 swats with a hand or fly flap. no more and no when they are angry. they should wait until their anger is gone and implement the punishment with enough force to make a point, but not enough to injure their children. there is a big difference in what you went through and what i am talking about. i hope you are okay now and remember it was not your fault. your gramma sounds like a good person, hope everything goes well from now on for you and her. take care and God Bless.

Answer 1

I've always felt that spanking was alright as a form of corrective action. The trick is knowing how, when, and under what circumstances to apply it. My kids are basically in their teens now so it would have very limited impact on them, but I don't think you can put an age on when they are too old. It is going to depend an the personality of the child.

Answer 2

A lot of people don't understand how to disapline there children in the RIGHT way in most cases if you spank your child at first yes it works great but then your child becomes numb from it I feel that a timeout is more suitable for a child that is missbehaving I see parents that full on HIT there children and I feel so sad for them....How can you hit your baby right?! But in my own personal opinion like you asked no I do not think that spanking is good unless your child is simply NOT listening then yes a light tap on the bottom is okay in my book...: )

Answer 3

I went through that all the way up to 14 when I moved in with my mom because I was also back handed across the mouth and head, slammed onto the floor by my stepdad. I turned out fine. I agree spanking a kid 2 and up is perfectly fine. Now if it was a infant or a 1 year old it'd be a different story but 2 and up is when the child starts saying "NO" to their parents and sometimes they just need to be spanked to put them in their place. I think that's the reason so many teens are going out and getting knocked up and having sex is because they know they won't be able to get a spanking because they can cry "abuse" and CPS will come in and threaten to send the parents to jail and take all the kids away. CPS has no right how to tell anyone how to raise their kids. As long as there's no broken bones or you don't knock your kid out I don't see what the problem is with hitting the kid or spanking it. And they should bring the paddle and ruler back in schools because kids now a days have no respect for their teachers, parents, or elders.

Answer 4

Years ago there was a doctor, who thought that discipling ur children was a bad thing. and that everyone should love their children so much and not give them any spanking and not punish them at all just smother them will love and affection. many parents believed this and stopped spanking their children. later their children began to rebel and became spoiled little brats. and i dont think that spaniking is the same as child abuse. when u are spanking a child that means u are doing it because the child did somethign wrong. and child abuse is abruptyl beating up ur child and leave big bruises and scars on ur child. therefore spanking and beating up (child abuse) are completly different things. and yes i do agree that giving them a little spanking will teach them a lesson. My mom stopped giving me spankings after i reached 12 or 11 she thought that normal punishments would do well. but when u are younger u need some spanking to tell u whats wrong or bad.

Answer 5

I have friends who spank and know that they do it as a last resort. I think that's fine, but I personally have chosen not to spank my children. I have found other techniques that work. My degree and work is in behavior modification and that is what has worked for me. I know there have been times where I felt like giving my daughter a swift pop on the behind, but it's usually because I'm really mad and it would just be to make me feel better. I feel a lot of spanking is done for that reason, not all, but a lot. Due to my schooling I had to go over a lot research done on spanking and none has shown it to be effective. In fact most violent criminals in prison were spanked as a child and it didn't work for them. If it really worked anyways, then you'd only have to do it once. Children are going to act up and misbehave and should be punished, I just don't think hitting and inflicting pain on a child is the answer. The funny thing is, I watch one of my friends son who has some real behavior issues. She always tells me he is so much better with me then he is for her. I don't spank him, but I use a lot of positive reinfcement with him. It took a couple of weeks of me working with him, but he's really good with me now. She spanks and he really acts out at home.

Answer 6

The government should not be telling parents how to raise their kids period. There is a big difference between a F'd-up pevert abusing a child and a parent innocently swatting a child in his terrible two's to get his attention. The liberals WILL use this to propagate this perpetual need they have to destroy the bases of what this country is based on....the family

Answer 7

I think spanking is fine, I grew up with it, and I never did the bad things again. But, when children get older, around 9 or 10 and older, spanking will probably do no good. But if you take it too far, it can be abuse, and you can get arrested.

Answer 8

i think that a gentle spanking is only okay when your child is vey young (3-6) and doesn't understand the consequences of their actions.

but it makes me sick when parents continue spanking their kids when they are 10-14 years old. that is child abuse. i don't care if it leaves a bruise or not. a 10-14 year old child is old enough to know better and should be punished with other methods (confiscating of something they like for a bit).

Answer 9

I agree with you. Spanking is not the same as abuse. Come on, people. And a "gentle" spanking isn't the answer either. The kid has to feel it; that's the whole point!

Answer 10

I think it is OK. I grew up with my parents spanking me and my sisters are growing up with it too (11 and 8 years old). I don't see anything wrong with it because it is discipline your child. My daughter (4 months right now) will grow up with it too. I don't mean like beating the crap out of your kid but spanking on the butt is OK.