Would you spank your child?

[spryllino]

I wouldn't. It's quite as barbaric and violent to spank a child as to spank anyone else. In fact, the same goes for "timeouts" (a term little used in England).

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Sometimes my mom spanks me so hard she leaves bruises. When I was little I don't recall ever being on time-out at home. Little kids annoy me so I'd probably end up spanking them.

 

[Narz]

It's probably the coach's fault for calling a timeout instead of spanking the team.

 

[Grisu]

Well, Rik, since I spanked my kids, and I dont consider myself either. Myself, I think parents that refuse to spank their kids simply in denial, and are the same kind of spineless louts who take their brawling brats to movies to annoy everyone around them. Or let them throw unmitigated fits while out in public while ignoring how badly behaved their kid is. Most would rather medicate their kid with pills to adjust their behavior than give them a needed swat every now and then.

Personally, I highly doubt that kids from spanking parents are on average better behaved, than kids from parents who don't spank them. I certainly have seen nothing to warrant such a claim.

Personally, I'll stick to the no-spank policy I started with. I see no reason not to, especially since there are enough non-violent alternatives to show the kids their limits.

 

[Yared]

I hope I'll be able to live in a place where I will not be forced to spank my children because not doing so will somehow result in them getting pregnant and starting to smoke.

 

[storealex]

I will never ever spank my kids, are you crazy? If you have to spank, you have failed as a parent.

 

[Communisto]

I will smack the crap out of my kid, like my father before me.

I deserved every slap i ever got

 

[MobBoss]

I will never ever spank my kids, are you crazy? If you have to spank, you have failed as a parent.

I highly disagree with this opinion.

You dont fail as a parent unless your kids failed. Lots of people who were spanked as kids turn out just fine and even admit that spanking was effecting in helping their behavior.

 

[JollyRoger]

This opinion is pure crap.

You dont fail as a parent unless your kids failed. Lots of people who were spanked as kids turn out just fine and even admit that spanking was effecting in helping their behavior.

Are you putting yourself in that class? Would getting spanked by the mods be more effective in positively influencing your posting style than infraction points?

 

[Yared]

(assuming that you really really want to post stuff)

 

[Ammar]

Just an anecdote from my own school time : I never got spanked as a kid, and in elementary school I had two boys in my school which were. They were well dressed kids, helpful, very polite and respectfull... as long as there were adults nearby. On the school yards they were the two worst bullies in my class. So frankly, I am always doubtful when someone tells me how fine their spanked children turned out to be.

OTH I have to disagree with the if you slap your child you have failed as a parent. Children can be very provocative at times and losing your temper once and slapping them won't traumatize them if they are in a loving enviroment. This does not mean it's the best response - it isn't. But it also won't scar them for life. Also timeouts are ridiculous. Repeated bad behaviour should have consequences, like revocation of certain privileges (if you know your children you will know what's effective) but not violence.

 

[MobBoss]

Are you putting yourself in that class? Would getting spanked by the mods be more effective in positively influencing your posting style than infraction points?

I think that our posters need to realize that people participating in the thread have indeed spanked their kids and are certainly not failures/monsters/barbarians/etc. etc.

 

[JollyRoger]

I think that our posters need to realize that people participating in the thread have indeed spanked their kids and are certainly not failures/monsters/barbarians/etc. etc.

If true, is there any justification to restrict the punishment to just children?

 

[I'm Cleo!]

Lots of people who were spanked as kids turn out just fine and even admit that spanking was effecting in helping their behavior.

That's not entirely correct. The people who were spanked as kids and turn out fine simply perceive that spanking was effective in helping their behavior. It's not necessarily true. They might have turned out fine without spanking.

Asking people if what happened to them made them better or worse doesn't tell you anything about whether what happened to them actually made them better or worse; all you learn is whether they think what happened to them made them better or worse. To really learn about whether it works you'd have to conduct studies, &c.

Cleo

 

[Yeekim]

A strategically timed slap on the bottom may save both the kid and the parent lots of problems later on.
If it becomes something that occurs regularly each week/month then you are doing something wrong.

 

[Verbose]

And here might be some more ammo for the discussion:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not endorse spanking for any reason, citing its lack of long-term effectiveness as a behavior-changing tactic. Instead the AAP supports strategies such as time-outs when children misbehave, which focus on getting kids to reflect on their behavior and the consequences of their actions. Still, as many parents can attest, few responses bring about the immediate interruption of a full-blown tantrum like a swift whack to the bottom.

Now researchers at Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet against the use of spanking: of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5. The research supports earlier work on the pitfalls of corporal punishment, including a study by Duke University researchers that revealed that infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1981019,00.html

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Lots of people who were spanked as kids turn out just fine and even admit that spanking was effecting in helping their behavior.

Well I'm spanked and I turned out a nervous wreck.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

And here might be some more ammo for the discussion:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1981019,00.html

"infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3."

Who actually spanks an infant and expects something productive anyway?

Also, I wonder how the trend pans out for older age groups.

 

[Yeekim]

of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5.

Emphasis mine.
The big question here isn't "can you spank your child too often?" - answer being a big obvious "YES" - but rather "is it really a good idea to never spank them at all, no matter the circumstances?"

So I am looking for a study which would take a sample of kids who were never physically punished and compare them against other kids to see, whether they had less (or more?) behavioural problems in general.

Who actually spanks an infant and expects something productive anyway?

This, too.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Problem is that you need the same environment for both subject groups to draw a clear conclusion, which is practically impossible. Too many variables to make any sort of absolute judgement as far as I'm concerned.