Spanking!

There is a huge gulf between spanking for punishment and beating and abuse. I was smacked as a child when I did something very bad. Did it harm me, no. Did it help teach me right from wrong? Yes. I get mad when I read in the press about banning smacking/spanking. Sometimes children are completly unruly. Sitting them down and having a chat with them simply does not work. The parent must be the dominant force in a child's upbringing, and have respect. However having said that, the parent must be responsible, it's not simply smack the child and walk away. It is smack where appropriate, allow the child some time to think about what they've done and then for the parent to articulate why certain actions are wrong. People often talk about how children are more unruly now, I think that is largely true. A child must have boundaries and respect for authority. Without those facets children will do as they please. Society has changed a great deal from the 1940's/50's and arguably in the case of respect for others, not for the better. A very large part of how an adult behaves, comes from how they were brought up as a child. A smack is not about inflicting lasting pain and damage on a child. It is a corrective method. Any person that injurs a child or hurts them, should be held 100% to account. As I say, there is a huge difference between a smack and a beating.

When ever I got a spanking yes it did scare me but after the fright is gone and the pain along with it I was usually sent to my room for some time alone. During that time I reflected on what it was that caused me to get the aforementioned spanking. So yes I do believe that a spanking is a good disiplinary tool. That is of course as long as it does not go beyond just a spanking. Then it is abuse. If you are so mad that you cannot tell the difference between the two then you yourself need to take some time to calm down