[cardguy]

I used to get hit as a kid. Nothing serious. Once every 4 months or so if my dad heard me swearing or something. 3 feet long hollow plastic tubing.

Anyway - I find it funny how shit like that seems to be completely forbidden these days.

It was taken for granted untill recently (20 years ago). But now it seems to be a big no-no. And I do wonder if it might have an effect on kids growing up?

I think some 'tough love' isn't necessarily a bad thing. Indeed - I think it is of more benefit for the parent than it is the kid - since it reminds them that their first priority is to raise the kid well. And not to be their best friend.

But whether it is or not - it is one of the biggest culutural changes over the past couple of generations. And it seems to have not being challenged or debated by anyone (unlike the never-ending debate around gay marriage which is a non-issue to me and will have little effect on most people).

Now - I know things change. But - I really don't like this trend for parents to spend all their time playing with their kids. It is a bit creepy. It seems parents are so scared of the 'big bad world' that they want to just lock them up their kids and play with them themselves.

I remember when the following film ('Big Daddy' - dumb Adam Sandler movie) came out - and the way the father and the kid interacted like two buddies at college just turned my stomach. It just seemed so wrong.

Anyway - I am out of the loop on things to do with kids. Since I will never have any. But I just wanted to raise the issue since I never hear it discussed

I guess the whole issue is a reflection of the whole 'kidult' thing of guys note really becoming proper adults anymore. I guess I am like that - but I was raised to feel you have to be a bit different when you are trying to raise a kid. That involves a whole number layer of responsibilities.

[presidentcarter]

In Mississippi to this day they still spank kids at school. Even highschool. Even for tardies.

They call it "getting a whooping".

Father had a belt ready if I pushed things too far...but usually never made it to that level. Mom was the first layer of deterrence with a wooden spoon that hurt like hell.

[Walderschmidt]

Here's my opinion on the matter: The lack of discipline at home leads to a lack of discipline at school and all areas of the life. It's the reason why you see so many kids who need an ass whooping.

An anecdote below:

I was talking with Matt Forney the other day, and conversation hit the topic of kids who need to get beaten more often.

I see a lot of kids who I think should have gotten beaten more as children. Or bullied. Or something. I was not beaten as a child, but my father did spank me. His word, was law. Didn’t want to eat my peas?

SMACK! From across the table.

I ate every last one. Every last damn pea.

Had the gall to interrupt conversation?

SMACK! Onto the floor I went.

I was silent for the rest of the night.

It got to the point where he didn’t even have to smack me anymore. He’d look at me and I’d already be cowering inside. One day, my sister told on me because I ate all the icing of the top of his cake. I hid underneath my bed the whole day.

The best part was when I was getting punished for something and I tried to run away.

See, my Dad’s a stand-up guy. He’d spank me thrice for the punishment I rightly deserved and then three times that amount for trying to run away.

The quickest way I learned to avoid the book, open hand, or a long, thin switch, was to either do no evil, or to not get caught doing it. Unfortunately, I was not good at not getting caught. Fortunately, my sister was worse.

She probably still talks about how I didn’t get spanked enough as a kid. And I just laugh because her dumbass probably got me out of more trouble than I ever could by myself.

My secret was that I paid real good attention once the screams penetrated the thin walls that separated our rooms and I made sure not to do what she did.

Wald

[Burdflu]

I talked about this a few weeks ago with some of the other nurses i work with. They all got their asses whooped at varying levels, myself included. They were all super against it and equated corporal punishment to losing control. I think the answer , of course, lies somewhere in the middle of nothing at all and beating the shit out of the kid/ intimidation.

[LateGame]

I got plenty of spankings and whippings growing up and I view my childhood overall very positively. I'll never have children either, but I think corporal punishment can be an useful discipline method. But I don't necessarily think it is the only effective discipline method. I was the oldest of 5. I don't remember my youngest sibling ever getting any spankings. Maybe observing us was enough to get the lesson across, because my youngest sibling is not the stereotypical spoiled baby of the family either.

However, I could never fault someone who chose to use corporal punishment. I wouldn't necessarily equate it to losing control. My mother always seemed emotionally upset with us when she administered spankings and chased us around the room. My dad was very measured and required that we stand still and take our spanking and whipping, and always said "this is gonna hurt me worse than it will hurt you", yet my dad's corporal punishment hurt worse.