Should spanking of children be made illegal in the USA? Have you ever spanked a child?

Question

What do you think about the Biblical passage: "Spare the rod and spoil the child:?

Answer 1

No spanking should not be considered illegal.BUT people have to realize the difference between a spanking and a beating.

Answer 2

No, spanking should not be illegal. As a matter of fact, it seems to be though in some ways. A child can get disciplined(spanked, not beat) and cry "child abuse" and their parents can go to jail. Or someone sees a child getting spanked(not beat) in public and without knowing the situation can jump to conclusions and call the police on you saying you just beat your child.

I agree with the biblical passage. If you spare the rod (discipline), you WILL end up with a spoiled child. The reason why there is such a downfall to the morality of the children these days, is parents are "afraid" of getting reported by some nosey individual, or an upset child turning them in because they have been brainwashed by our society that all spankings are considered child abuse. Therefore, the children have become spoiled, defiant, and immoral. Not all, mind you, but sadly...most.

When my child deserves to get a spanking (not beating), then she gets it. And, she knows the difference between child abuse and discipline. We have taught her by showing her videos and such of true child abuse, whether it being from verbal or physical. I think that is what more parents need to do. They need to educate their kids on the difference.

And I tell ya what, when I was young and acted like a little brat, I got my butt spanked too. And it has made me respect my parents for doing the right thing, otherwise I would not have known that my actions (or words) were wrong.

Answer 3

First and foremost i was a firm believer in "spare the rod, spoil the child"...but nowadays it seems like if we give a spanking (not a beating) to our children for something they have done wrong it does not affect them at all.....the kids of today are less afraid of the "whooping".....back in the day when things were a bit more simple the mention of an a** whooping was enough to get a child in line...because at the time not only did mommy get ya but so did the next door neighbor, the woman at the checkout counter, the street sweeper, etc.....nowadays people are to busy tryin to keep up with the Joneses that other things fall by the waistside.....even though i don't think spanking should be illegal i do think it should be used sparingly....or the simple fact that if you spank a child everytime they do something then they are goin to grow up thinking that when you get angry cause someone did something wrong then it is okay to hit.....me persoanlly i have spanked my child on several occasions....but mainly i take away things she loves.....tv, playstation, dvds, etc....

Answer 4

I have spanked my kids a few times, and always feel really bad about it. I try not to.... Sometimes, it is needed. But like a lot of others say, there is a difference between spankings, and beatings... Never would I use a belt, or a paddle....always w/my hand on their fanny... I don't believe in hitting a child in the face, head, hands, arms, or anywhere but in the #$%....Should not be illegal to discipline a child. To beat or whip a child for sure, yes, it should be illegal. This is why there are Child Services, i.e DSS etc.,

Answer 5

I don´t think its matter of making illegal or legal in spanking children is the problem. The problem is how the parents can control their children without spanking. If they need to be spanked, it should be done when they are around 2 or 3 years old. Yes, I have spanked my child once and only once! The technique of spanking a child is, first you have to talk to them and let them know what they have done bad. second, you have to tell them that you will be spanking them. (make sure you do it to where they will not want to be spanked again) After, make sure you and your child have a key word such as: 1,2,3 or that's enough, stop, or what ever you feel that will work with your child. for me, it was 1,2,3. when my child was not behaving at home and i was at work, my nanny had called me at my office and i had asked to put my child on the phone and all i had to worn her was 1,2,3. This was all was needed to let her know who is in control and the child needs to respect their parents when they say ¨no¨! Believe me, I hated spanking my child, but if that was the only way to have control over my child. Thank God, it worked for me by spanking her only once.

Answer 6

No, spanking children should not be made illegal. In fact I think more children should be spanked. NOT beaten, just spanked. Spanked leaves a red butt that stings but leaves NO marks like bruises, welts, broken bones, etc.

No I have not ever spanked a child. I have no children, and therefore have NO right to touch a child in such a manner.

Answer 7

No, I don't think it should be made illegal....I think that's taking it too far. I was spanked when I was growing up, but I was never hit in the face or above the waist. I think the difference is spanking vs. hitting. There is a huge difference. A spank on the butt is ok, but not hitting or taking it to the extreme. I just think the government doesn't need to be involved in every aspect of our lives...it's too much.

Answer 8

The problem is that most parents dont understand that there is a big difference in discipline and child abuse. Spanking can be done without abuse! That is what God was talking about, people!! Spanking should be legalised in the USA only after would-be parents take a ''How to discipline your child" classes, which should be compulsory!!

Answer 9

I think it is up to parents to discipline their child. All children are different and respond in different ways so a parent needs to find out what works with each child. Some children respond better through talking things out and some respond when a parent grounds them. Some children just needs a good old-fashioned spanking. I did not mean beating the child that's wrong. Nothing wrong with spanking it worked for many my parents on me.

Answer 10

Yes, definetely. Spanking is violence and, therefore, should be banned by law. People who advocates spanking usually say spanking prevents children from becomimg future criminals. That's nonsens. Those people take spanking for discipline. It's perfectly possible - and even more effective- to discipline a child without spanking. Spanking only shows it's OK to hit pepole that can't defend themselves and that violece is acceptable.

Spanking can never be domn out of love, but always out of anger. Parents who spank simply use the simplest and worst solution , because they don't bother to find better ways to discipline their kids.

Answer 11

I think spanking should be allowed. I have spanked a child before.

My grandparents raised me; therefore, I was brought up by more ancient parenting standards than my peers in school. I noticed a big difference between the way my grandparents disciplined me, and the way most other parents disciplined their kids. It was tougher on me... but I came to appreciate it very much.

If you did something minor that was wrong, and that you needed correction for, Granny, who was there with you all day long, would correct you.

If you did the thing again, or if you did something equally bad that she knew you were aware you should not have done, Granny would "get her switch," which was usually a slender branch from what I termed the "butterfly bush" (not really a butterfly bush, but it was bright yellow, cut back each year so that the branches were very long, slender, tender, and green... and butterflies hung out at the bush).

Granny would switch you a second time if you disobeyed again, but on the third time, as she switched you, she said... "Ok! Just wait until your Daddy gets home!! He'll have to get his belt!"

I only had to get the belt a few times in my entire life. If you ever got the belt, you knew the fear of God, because you knew the fear of your "earthly father." And you realized how someone who loves you, HAS to discipline you sometimes, in order to correct major problems and keep you on the right track of not hurting yourself or others.

You see, Pop would only correct you if your behavior had been so bad that it was hurting you or someone else, in some way that was really wrong. But he knew that "not obeying Granny" was INCREDIBLY wrong because... if you didn't obey her when she said some minor thing... how could you be expected to obey her when she yelled "Don't run out in front of that traffic!!"

Their system was perfect. I sure hated every belt spanking I ever got. They left big welts on your behind. But they were absolutely necessary in my upbringing. And I thank God for every one, because I learned a valuable lesson in each spanking.

See... it hurt Pop more than it hurt you. You could see it in his eyes. And you could hear it in his voice when he explained to you why he had to spank you, and what you needed to do better next time, and how much he loved you, and how much he hated to have to spank you.

And that is how I know why the Bible says "spare the rod and spoil the child." The reason so many folks don't appreciate the fact that God can very much be a disciplinary Father... is that they never understood the great love with which an earthly father can dole out discipline. Too many times, fathers dish out harsh discipline without teaching lessons or being patient at all with their kids.

So kids grow up into adults who come to read about God being like a Father... and to think when God disciplines them, that He is just being harsh like their earthly fathers. They have difficulty seeing that God's discipline is sweet as honey with some sugar added to it. They have difficulty believing that a God who would discipline them, actually loves them greatly.

Many kids are a product of single-parent families who can not possibly follow the disciplinary actions that were in place at our house. They were beautiful. I wish every kid could have a family like ours was. (I grew up hating it that I couldn't be with my "real" parents... wasn't until after Pop died that I appreciated him fully, once I missed the way he treated me as a real father treats a real child who he loves.)

Thanks for asking the question. It's nice to remember Pop so vividly!!