gramajo

I had to laugh at Madame Kelly's child trying to connect the dots on the Dalmation with felt pen.

NZquilter

Yes, it only takes me a second to assess myself, so to speak, before I give the swat, and to anyone watching it looks like 'acting right now'. The noise is was really wakes the child up more, lol!

I remember while I was in highschool I would house clean for a lady with six boys. She always seemed to be yelling at them and spanking them and giving them 'time out'. Nothing seemed to work and I think it was because the kids could tell she was at a loss on how to control them and how to control herself. It made me so sick to the stomach when she one day gave the toddler 15--- yes 15! smacks on the rear with the plastic spoon! He wasn't in padded diapers either. The kid howled, but didn't learn any lesson except that mom was mad. It was then that I promised myself that smacking would not be the first punishment I would turn to. It was sad!

Endora

Poor kid. Now that is no longer a spanking IMO. I witnessed a few bad spankings in my day, too... spankings that were way out of control.

pewa88

As many have said there is a clear distinct difference in a spanking and an abusive form of corporal punishment. I am saying that any attempt , even if is a swat on the bottom; an appropriate time out; counting to three is better than how most kids are being raised today. Permissiveness, disciplining in a very inconsistent way (ex. yesterday it was wrong to do but today nothing is said- type of thing) is not correct training for children. Without proper training they are very unhappy and floundering and in need of love. Yes, to discipline a child is to love them. My parents spanked me and sometimes said things that maybe they should not have said but I never doubted that they did not love me because they were connected and engaged; I tell you my Mom did not miss anything. She was a 4th grade teacher and I became a teacher and we do have eyes in the back and sides of our heads. If a child knows that you are watching and engaged many times they will think twice before doing something they shouldn't. And yes, children do do things that they shouldn't.

Endora

From what I'm seeing today, a good number of kids are ruling the roost. When I was growing up and my mom told us to do something, i.e., stop it, cut it out, don't touch, etc, and we carried on, our pants were pulled down and we got a good lickin', and that lickin' burned for a long time as a reminder, not to touch, or don't do that. Nowadays I see kids (all the time) blatantly ignoring their parents instructions.

I had one son that was a terror when he was little, and I remember marching him outside to the car one day while out shopping, where I took up a seat in the back with him over my knee, and after closing the door, I paddling his little butt good and proper. That spanking definitely hurt him more than it did me. When he settled down enough after his spanking, I told him, do it again and you'll get another, then I marched him back into the store and he never acted up again while we were out shopping. Do want to add, I never paddled him 15 times, and I didn't use a spoon either.

I think the worst spanking I ever witnessed, took place at a neighbours house while I was visiting. Boy did that kid get it. I've never heard a kid wail like that before in my life while being spanked (and after), and when the mother sat him on the floor after blistering his bottom, the child was unable to even catch his breath, clutching his bottom for all he was worth with both hands, and flipping around on the floor like a Mexican jumping bean for what seemed like eternity. There's not a doubt in my mind his butt was on fire, and that was the result of a wooden spoon administered so many times that I lost count, and really hard smacks. The mother would wind-up fully with each hit and she wasn't a small woman. Awful.

madamekelly

I have a friend who has always wanted kids, but injuries from childhood made it impossible. One day she went with a cousin to someone's home to drop off a food box to help out. While there, the woman's son came into the house all covered in mud, crying, and saying he fell down. The woman started screaming at him, calling him filthy names, telling him he was worthless, while hitting him the whole time. My fiend could not bear to watch, so she said rather loudly, "would you like some help cleaning him up? I can do it for you". She figured the little guy was all of about five. She helped him wash and change clothes (turning her back to avoid embarrassing him when appropriate of course) and helped him wash his hands and face, etc. she dried his tears and spoke to him about sometimes mom's are just having a bad day, to which he replied, "No, she just hates me." That broke her heart. When they returned to the front room, the lady and her friend were just finishing their conversation. My friend said, "Here he is, good as new." She then told the mother "If you ever just need it, I would be glad to come and get him and go to the park with him and let you have a break." The woman looked her right in the eye, gave her son a shove towards my friend, and replied "If you like the little bas***d so much, take him with you!" My friend was shocked, and figured she would call her bluff to calm her down. She took the little boys hand, and walked out the door thinking the mother would come after him. She did not. She let my friend and the gal she was with, whom she had never met or seen before, and whose name she did not ask for, get in a car, and drive away with him. That is when my friend found out from him that he was really eight years old! She came to my house because she was afraid the mother might call the police on her and did not know what to do. I told her to call the police, and tell them what happened. She called and they sent a police officer and a children's services officer to my home to take a report. The children's services officer said they had no where to put him that night, and asked if he could stay with my friend. Of course she said yes. The next day they brought her paperwork to take foster parenting classes, and temporary custody papers signed by a judge. His father, who was in prison signed his rights away knowing he was never getting out of prison. The happy ending is that Jaime just started ninth grade, and she adopted him and he adopted her in court, so they are a family. My friend and I celebrate each Mother's Day together, since she feels I helped her become a mother. Jaime has had lots of counseling, and quite a bit of work to learn to trust, but he is one neat little (or not so little) kid. None of us will allow him to be hit for any reason. We figure he was punished for each and every wrong thing he ever does already. Just wanted to share this so you guys see that sometimes speaking up for a child, literally can save a life. Blessings.

Eva Knight

yes, my boys were spanked when nothing else worked. They are great, well respected men. My brothers grandson was never made to behave, would not do what he was asked or told to do. Would not behave. Sunday morning July 23 of this year, he drove his drug supplier to his granddad's home for payment of his drug habit. They were both beat almost to death and between the 2 of them they were shot 15 times. They will be laid to rest tomorrow. Should we discipline our children, to teach them from right or wrong? YES. My brother did not deserve to die in such this way. He just turned 73 and had heart problems.

romanojg

I was spanked, well it was more harsh than spanking, I did spank my kids and my do grandkids.

It's not my first choice but its definitely an option. I was once asked if I'd like to learn alternatives and not spank my kids. I told the person no, I don't beat my kids or leave marks and that God gave kids a bum so there was a place to spank them.
When I want to school, the teachers also spanked, one had a leather strap in his drawer. Trust me, there were lots of us who didn't anything we weren't supposed to do because we knew what would happen. When my oldest kids were in school, parents had the option to give teachers the right to spank. My kids always thought I had told the teachers yes to spanking, even though I didn't and they did great in school.
When my one son was in his teens, he was a handful always threatened to call the cops if I spanked him or disaplined him at all. So one day I took him to the police dept so they could educate him on the subject. He quickly found out that in our state, its not against the law to spank, I could lock him in his room if I needed too, and I could and did take his door off of his room due to constantly slamming it. By the time we left he never threatened me again on the subject. He also learned that at his age, all I had to do was supply the food in the house, I didn't have to cook it. It was an eye opener for him.
I think you have to look at the child, the situation and if all else fails, then its spanking. I have told my kids, and my grandkids when they are misbehaving that if they don't listen and once I get my but up to spank them, they are going to get it.

Jennie and Me

There is such a huge difference between swatting and beating. No child should ever be beat. But when I look around at todays children, a lot could benefit from a good spanking. There are so many rude, bratty kids out there who are brought up thinking they rule the world. I never wanted to go someplace and have someone say "Oh, Lord, here comes Phyllis with her horrible kids." Children learn really young what they can and can't get away with.

b.zang

When my first child was about 15 months old, she was hit by another young toddler who wanted the toy she was playing with in our church nursery. From a one-year-old point of view, it makes perfect sense to smack away the hands that hold what you want but of course, my daughter cried. I picked her up to provide comfort but the mother of the other child hauled her child up and said "you don't hit other people", punctuating every word with a hit to her child's bottom. The irony of her actions was so strong for me, I vowed to never hit my children.