The civilized way to beat your children?

it comes down to the old 'should we use physical discipline on our children?' argument again. And much as I'm almost sympathetic to the guy's views, I don't think this idea will or should take off. Any parent who would potentially beat their child hard enough to do them damage is not going to buy this thing.

But I can sense his frustration and most parents I have spoken to have said that when their child is a toddler and just not responding to reason, a light smack on the bottom is sometimes what it takes to make the child stop and think. But to hit a child because you've totally lost your temper - never.

That's stupid! The old wooden spoon, or ping pong paddle did a fine job when I was a kid. Of course, I'd hide the damn things every chance I got. I'm a firm believer that kids need a good spanking occasionally. It's not child abuse. It's just necessary direction, IMO. Let's face it....kids can be little bastards at times.

Err i think that parents shouldnot beat their kids, it just makes things worse for the kid(S) if a parent beats a kid they should be shot!think of the psycological scarring it will have on the kid in tyhe future, this idiot Steve Robyor is joke.

there's a huge gap between slapping your toddler across the back of the legs because they're being a little # and just won't listen to you, and beating the crap out of a child.

I was hit as a kid - half of it I can't even remember much about now except that I'd crossed a line and deserved some of it. The times that stick in my mind and have maybe caused me some trauma over the years was when my parents gave me no warning that if I kept up my behaviour a slap would happen, or were just having a really bad time of it and took it out on me cos I was underfoot or whatever.

Hey I was a good kid growing and even I got spanked a couple of times for being an a$$hole and doing some stupid stuff. My parents never liked to spank us, but when they did, you can bet your a$$ it was because we deserved it.

I agree nothing wrong with a light slap, But this guy is crazy...promoting parents to go buy a hitting tool...Tramatic in its self.
Can you imagin the play ground talk...."have you got one"



[Edited on 25-8-2003 by asala]

As the dad of a 6 year old who lets just say has a lot of spunk....I can tell you first hand that I never though I would spank before becoming a parent. However, I've come to realize that if you resign not to use that as punishment, your kids will push you until you have no other option...why? Well, Its a matter of security for them. I remember doing totally stupid things as a child that I knew I would be spanked over..but did them anyway. As always, I was spanked..but for some reason, I never look back at those times with fear, pain, or hatred. I look back at those times with a smile. It puzzled me for a while. Why am I glad I got spanked as a child and why does my son push it so far being told all along that it will come down to that..and then come and hug me afterward?

Its a security issue. Young children feel insecure in the world and vunerable. They need to know that their parent has the means to protect them..that their parents have a defined direction and can take control of any situation immediatly and put things in order. This is why they push things to that extreme every now and then as kind of a " test run" to make sure their parents,:

A. Still care enough about them to want to guide them.
B. Can take control and keep their lives in normal parameters.


Usually, a time-out or taking something away from my son like his TV for the evening is punishment enough for wrongdoings around the house but there are times when, in the face of this, he will actually defy those punishments and keep on pushing it when all he really has to do is turn and go on to something else for a while. He wants to see if I or the misses can handle him..because if we can't discipline him, how are we gonna protect him? Once he's pushed it that far and gotten his spanking, he's a different child. Loving, affectionate, and well behaved..and he always comes later and apologizes for the specific things he's done but never for the action that actually took him over the line.

As his parents, we are burdened with the guilt because no parent wants to do that..or see anyone else lay a hand on their child..but sometimes our responsibilities aren't custom made to our likes and dislikes. We have to do what it takes now to make sure he has a defined sense of right and wrong because this moral compass is the key foudation for all that he will be in life..his confidence in himself and his abilities will be derived from it. Yes, I feel that in our day and age, spanking is barbaric ..but so is pulling a tooth out..but when one is killing you, you are sometimes glad that barbarism is availible.

Just my two cents...

Originally posted by asala
I agree nothing wrong with a light slap, But this guy is crazy...promoting parents to go my a hitting tool...Tramatic in its self.
Can you imagin the play ground talk...."have you got one"

"have you got one?"

Answer "no but mummy and daddy will give me 1 later"

well there is nothing wrong with a few spanks here and there,but hard slaps shouldn't be aloud. Showing children that violence is the answer is wrong.

Wee! I have never been slapped
Is that bad? I hope not..

Hard spanks and slaps are the same arent they? well they were when i was punished by my parents!

Parents should really explain to children that what they are doing is wrong, not just hit them and thats it. But sometimes spanking is the only solution, if the child does something very wrong.

I guess I never did anything very wrong then

I'm a firm believer that kids need a good spanking occasionally. It's not child abuse. It's just necessary direction, IMO.

Damned straight.... All this pansy-ass babying of kids, is turning out nothing but a generation of juvenile delinquents.... I'd have my ass smacked, and THEN be grounded....

Originally posted by Gazrok

I'm a firm believer that kids need a good spanking occasionally. It's not child abuse. It's just necessary direction, IMO.

Damned straight.... All this pansy-ass babying of kids, is turning out nothing but a generation of juvenile delinquents....

I'd have my ass smacked, and THEN be grounded....

With kids these days? chances are when they are old enough, they'll pull a disorder out of their ass, and throw it at you. Of course it then becomes all YOUR fault.

Wow... I'm surprised that the majority of people think this way. I'm not a three-huggin-hippy or a promoter of baby-rights against their parent or anything, but I think you can raise a totaly normal and mental healthy kid without slapping him. I mean, when I was young, their were stuff that my parents did that pissed me off way more then when they slapped me. Like taking my stuff away, etc...Or leaving me on my knees on the cement floor of the garage. And kids know that sometimes slaps will stop, when they're older, or when their parents are not their anymore. So what's the purpose of teaching with slaps? Even yelling is more effective than beating kids IMO. Violence is stupid anyway, but radicly present we'll never get rid of it anyway..

My dad beat the $hizz out of me, and looking back on it, i'm glad he did, and i look forward to beating the shizz out of my kids

seriously tho? when my dad took off his belt you know what time it was.

hey i have no problem with rents giving their kids a little tough love. if you want your kid to gro up and not be sheltered his entire life go ahead, just dont go over board.

but there is definetly no need to go out and buy a tool that will be used to beat your child. the good old wooden spoon worked just fine on me when my dad got mad. i know my a$$ has broken at least 5 spoons in its lifetime!!!

i used to get a few slaps here and there across my a$$ a few times, but i never got a boot,belt or a chair