Does anybody else in the UK believe that we have spared the rod and spoiled the child?

Answer 1

Yes; I believe we are helping to create a whole generation of spoilt brats who have no respect for anyone or anything, want too much for nothing, and constantly moan that "there's nothing to do" instead of trying to do anything constructive.

Answer 2

Not everyone has. I have never ever hit my kids and they are well mannered, respectful and good kids. They have their moments where they tried to push the boundaries but know the limits. I always find removing something they value as a punishment works better than a smack.
But this doesnt always work for some and yes i believe in certain areas that sparing the rod hasnt worked.
A lot of kids these days have no respect for authority and no fear of authority and therefore get away with virtually anything.
i presume this is what your asking hun x

Answer 3

Spoiled the child certainly, and people will continue to do so whatever you say, but i have never been an advocate for corporal punishment, even though i would like to kill some of the little darlings!! i don''t honestly think it's the answer. You are just as bad if you resort to violence to get your point across.

Those that advocate bringing back National Service probably don't remember when it was brought in the first time and why it was thought necessary to do so.

Answer 4

Physical punishment is not the most effective way of disciplining children. However, it is easily learned and has been effective over the past million or so years. It has been banned in schools and care homes and totally banned in Scotland, without any wholesale training of alternative methods. This has two unfortunate consequences:

1) If a child reaches the age of 6 without learning that his actions have consequences, he will never learn this fact.

2) If a child reaches the age of 12 without self-discipline, he will never learn any social skills.

Our approach to ending physical punishment has been a very cruel experiment which has brought about a wasted generation. Many of these individuals are totally unfitted to living in society and unless we can come up with some means of dealing with the problem, they will finish up in the prison system. We'd better start building.

Answer 5

when i was young if we were really naughty we got the strap as did my father. my mother only had to threaten to tell my father when he got home and we would be shittin ourselves till the minute he got home and we could expect a real earful, a smack on the back of the legs or if it was serious the belt. it did me my brother and my sister no harm. i smacked my children on the back of the legs when they were young and now at the ages of 9 and 6 it is incredibly rare that any sort of physical punishment is required because they know if they are naughty what will come next. however i agree that physical punishment is not nice and it does not work for every child and sometimes it is just not necesary. my father got the cane at school most days and was told by the headmaster on leaving that he would amount to nothing and he was glad to see the back of him. my father says that those caneings he received made him stronger more determined and the man he is today, a respectable, grounded hard working man with morals and principles, who knows if he had not received any physical punishment where he would be now ?. i think that a great deal of parents spoil their children with whatever they want because if makes them feel less guilty about never being there and not spending time with their kids, that coupled with no punishment has sent our kids of the rails, is it any wonder they are confused and badly behaved ?

Answer 6

Has anyone noticed that, since the do-gooders have been advocating the 'no smacking' approach (and condemning parents who do smack as failures) we have children now ruling the home instead of their parents. The problem is, the do-gooders cannot distinguish between a sharp slap as discipline and physical abuse!

It is necessary to discipline children, show them boundaries, if you do not they will end up in trouble. Parents who give in to their toddlers beware, they get worse as teenagers. By the way, it is NOT clever allowing your child to swear at you and call you rude names from a young age, they need to respect you and you need to earn that respect by teaching them how to behave properly (by example is best).

I wonder if things would change if mothers were allowed the time to be mothers, rather than have to work and pay for some stranger to look after their children in the most informative years. Discipline begins in the home and children should know how to behave by the time they have got to school (teachers are there to teach), how can parents get this right if they have to hand the kids over to child minders?

What is most important is that adults make sure that THEY rule the household not the kids...don't give in to tantrums and whingeing so that you can have a quiet life. Be responsible parents when they are young and you will be far less stressed out when they hit their teens.

This philosphy has worked for me.

Answer 7

I believe that people have no shame now.
I remember years ago a woman's son in our street had deserted from the army and the M.P's came to her door, the woman was so ashamed that she wouldn't come out of her house for 3 weeks.
Now if some youngster sells drugs or stabs someone, or a girl gets pregnant at 13 the parents are celebrities in their own community.

Answer 8

Violence perpetuates violence - kids who are regularly hit will turn out to think that's the way to get what you want, telling them why what they've done is wrong educates them that reasoning is the answer - this has become more difficult when we live in a society where kids under a certain age can practically destroy someones life and just end up with a ticking off by the police, you end up feeling that violence is the answer

Answer 9

I'm in Ireland but anyway no I disagree.Do you seriously believe hitting children will make children better human beings?Hitting a child is an epic sign of failure.Children are getting into more trouble now I think because there are fewer beneficial constant influences in their lives not because we as a society now frown on violence as a means of keeping kids in check.

Answer 10

I have always believed the ROD to mean the rod of discipline, this makes more sense than actual beating, children are certainly spared, thanks to the do gooders who often have no children of their own, or do not know what their children are up to, but happy to criticise the upbringing of other children.

Answer 11

Oh definitely.

When I was a girl, you didn't go home and tell your parents that you got whacked by a teacher for fear of being whacked again at home for being bad in school.

When you saw a policeman, you showed respect.

Whenever my dad whacked me as a kid, he always said after, "when you're older you'll understand". How true.

Todays children are wild, free and have no respect for anything or anyone. Blame the governments interference into family life.

Ceasers Wife - I enjoyed reading your answer, it makes sense.