Whoop that behind

I was one of those parents who said they wouldn't - oh, but I have!  When it's a dangerous situation (as during a temper tantrum when she ran in the road or locked me out of the house when I went out to my car) I have resorted to the spank.

First off, there's a difference between whooping your child and spanking your child.  In my family, whopping consisted of hitting the child until your arm got tired or you got tired of hearing the screaming and crying.  Whereas a spank just meant a light smack or two across the bottom.  I think I'm still on the fence regarding whether I would do either of these when I have children, however, I certainly don't think that someone else, be it at a daycare facility or not, has the right to put their hands on someone else's child.

I can see both sides. However, I lean towards a good ol' spank every now and again. Sometimes I feel like we define good parenting by how much we baby our children (i.e. the more we shield them from every tear and fall, the better parents we are). I feel like it's a slippery slope. I don't know how I'll be with my own children but I sure hope I can practice tough love. I definitely got the belt and it whipped me into shape! I never was naughty again :)

Thanks for explaining, Dburke - the difference between a spanking and a whooping. Funny in a perverse sort of way.

I have to say -- I don't have children and I don't have even semi-regular exposure to kids.

But I'd be very, very hesitant to ever use physical force as a punishment or deterrent. When I see in the news media that someone has committed a violent crime, I have to wonder if they were spanked, whooped, or otherwise physically punished when they were children. Surely barbarism, however cloaked in discipline, must beget barbarism.

Then again, maybe I am woefully out of touch, considering how little I deal with fractious young children.

This video is one of the most shocking things I've seen in a while. The poster calls it "funny," but that, too, is sad.

I would be surprised if this kid wasn't the object of someone else's physical meltdown - if so, it would make sense for him to believe the only way to respond to an objectional situation is with brute force.

The two terms were interchangeable in my household growing up. And I don't think a corrective spanking from a parent or other family member encourages or condones physical violence in other situations. Sometimes a kid just doesn't "get" it if they don't physically feel it. I don't have kids, but I wouldn't hesitate to spank a child who responded to that form of discipline.  Nor would I spank a child who responded to verbal correction or other discipline. There's no blanket answer.

I'm for it, but only if our congressmen and congresswomen sign a waiver that we can spank them too when they misbehave. ;-)  As always, interesting post! ~h

Heather, you are too funny! Thanks for reading, and for your sass! Love it.

Only suitable for minors?:

Schoolchildrens' "spanking" related injuries (WARNING - These images may be deeply disturbing to some viewers. Do not open this page if children are present).
http://www.nospank.net/injuredkids.pdf

Reasonable and moderate? You decide.
(WARNING - This sound recording may be deeply disturbing to some listeners. Do not open this file if children are within listening range).
http://nospank.net/prj-006.wav

People used to think it was necessary to "spank" adult members of the community, college students, military trainees, and prisoners. In some countries they still do. In our country, it is considered sexual battery if a person over the age of 18 is "spanked", but only if over the age of 18.

For one thing, because the buttocks are so close to the anal region, sex organs, and so multiply linked to sexual nerve centers, striking them can trigger powerful and involuntary sexual stimulus in some people. There are numerous physiological ways in which it can be intentionally or unintentionally sexually abusive, but I won't list them all here. One can read the testimony, documentation, and educational resources available from the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at www.nospank.net 

Child bottom-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:

Child bottom-battering (euphemistically labeled "spanking","swatting","switching","smacking", "paddling",or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.

Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.

There are several reasons why child bottom-battering isn't a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:

Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak
http://www.nospank.net/pt2010.pdf

The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson
http://nospank.net/sdsc2.pdf

NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor MD and Adah Maurer PhD
http://nospank.net/taylor.htm

Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-battering isn't a good idea:

American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches' Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

In 31 nations, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The US also has the highest incarceration rate in the world.

The US states with the highest crime rates and the poorest academic performance are also the ones with the highest rates of child corporal punishment.

There is simply no evidence to suggest that child bottom-battering instills virtue.