Is spanking a kid is okay?

I am the child of two parents from the south..and down there, kids get spankings and learn to act right..I am not one for abusing kids, but I learned by watching parents today that they have gotten soft...there are kids who just need one good country spankin' and they will behave...there is enough violence in the world and again I don't think kids should be abused, but if you start on a child early, they won't embarrass you in public and act out..time-outs just give a child a break long enough to figure out what to do next..and taking their things away doesn't prove anything either..they eventually get them back..so I say every now and then, hand out a spanking and your kids will act right...

It worked for thousands of years and kids minded. Look how kids behave nowadays. I don't think a kid should be spanked for everything under the sun but there are instances I think that can warrant a spanking, such as; endangering ones life or anothers. Harming animals or other people. Lighting fire to things (ie burning your home down) Deliberate destruction of others property. The more serious childhood offenses. Otherwise talking to them usually gets the point across.

Here in sweden spanking is actually illegal and is considered to be childabuse, so for me spanking is not ok and it is not something I would use on my kids. My parents also never spanked us kids and we all turned out fine *lol* They used instead to ground us and we then just had all priviages taken away and also our weekly allowance.

The first place where the children learn behaving is their home. They copy our behaving.

I am in total agreement with you....talk about mixed messages.

i don't think it's ok. you never know what effect it might have on the kids. they might rebel even more to get back to the parents who spank them :P (are there kids who do this?? i hope not!) ..anyway, i believe that there are other ways to discipline kids and to teach them a lesson, but not spanking or hitting them..i'm against this.

I don't think spanking is bad as long as you are appropriate with it. You can't spank your child until you leave cuts or bruises. That is just plain abuse. And you shouldn't spank your child for every little thing. Personally, I have made time out work well for me. My daughter isn't even 2 yet so I dno't punish her yet. But my nephew is 5 and he HATES being sent to the corner. All I have to do is threaten to send him to the corner and he instantly straightens up. My nephew RARELY gets a spanking. But when he does, it is for a darn good reason. Also, I don't think spanking is considered violence. When I was a child, I got spanked a lot. Everything I did wrong I got a spanking for. Which I think is excessive, but I haven't turned out bad because of it. I think that the long term ramifications are minimal. I haven't turned into a violent person nor do I resent my parents. Spanking did not affect my life as a teenager or as an adult. Some people taking spankings WAY too seriously. There is a very thick line between discipline and abuse. As long as you don't cross that line, your kids will probably be safe.

In extreme cases, yes it is okay. But grounding is better. In other words, as a last resort, when all else has failed. Besides it probably hurts the kid more to take away his Tv time and to not let him go out with his friends.

In some cases, for some children, a light tap on the butt may shock them enough to get their attention. I'm thinking of times when a toddler tries to touch the stove, that sort of thing. But most of the time, I think it's inappropriate. As you said, we want to teach our children that violence is wrong & that we respect each other. Children should feel safe & loved by their by parents, not scared into behaving.

I wouldn't say spanking your kids is a bad thing. Some parents use belts and all other sorts of weapons to spank their kids, and i would say that is a no no. To me spanking a kid is the only choice somtimes, but don't go to extreme like using belts.

i belive that spanking should be your very last option. there are so many other ways to get through to a child and they work just as good if not even better. I would only do it if i have already tried everything else and they did not work and it would not be anything more than a little pop on the but with the hand.