Lurker in need of help with psychology assignment

[Desdichado]

A simple answer is really all I need but the additional details may be useful in my report.

Well, you certainly got the details from me.

 

[devilish]

I don't have kids, but I spank other people's kids every chance I get.

Priceless quote .... (assuming these kids you mention are over 18. )

 

[Raging Epistaxis]

1. Were you spanked as a child?
2. Do you spank your own children?

Yes, and yes. I will be 36 this year.

Rarely, and only as a last resort when he just won't respond to anything else.

(For those from the South: "Bless his heart, but ..." )
He's a lot like me, the little cuss.

The other is just too young. She's been a great baby so far.

R E

 

[Treebore]

You should have e-mail from me. It won't show as Treebore, though.

 

[der_kluge]

1. Yes
2. I don't have children, but I intend to beat the crap out of them when they do wrong.

[edit] 24 years old

[edit] Oh, interesting note, a couple of my friends were both spanked as children, but they come up with more creative ways of hurting their child, such as pinching. I find it kind of weird and disturbing, but I suppose it's neither worse nor better than spanking.

Please do me a favor and educate yourself on child abuse before you have children. you owe it to your children.

There is absolutely no valid argument for spanking children. There are plenty of valid ways to discipline children, and none of them involve physical or mental abuse.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

There is absolutely no valid argument for spanking children. There are plenty of valid ways to discipline children, and none of them involve physical or mental abuse.

There are plenty of valid arguments for spanking children.

1) Children cannot reason.

2) Pain-- serious pain, serious injury-- is a real-life consequence of many behaviors parents should discourage.

If my child reaches for the hot stove, I will smack his hand.

EDIT: And it really chaps my ass when people think they've suddenly discovered the "proper" way to raise and discipline children, as if generations of parents before somehow had it all wrong.

Do me a favor: If you can't tell the difference between spanking and child abuse, you have no business having children, and you certainly have no business telling me how to raise mine.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

1) Yes, once or twice - usually the threat of it was enough to put a stop to what I was doing.

2) No, before I had kids my wife was 100% opposed to it, but I felt there might be occasions when it might be warranted. Now that I have kids, I don't think it will ever be necessary. There are other options that I believe have better long-term effects. And no, I don't think I have found the "proper" way to raise all children, but for me and my family there are many better options than spanking.

 

[Torm]

1) Children cannot reason.

Not sure I agree with this one - after all, if they were actually incapable of reasoning, there would be no point in trying to teach them anything. They'd never work any of it out to use for themselves. But if you mean that they have a less developed reasoning skill, then that's true.

2) Pain-- serious pain, serious injury-- is a real-life consequence of many behaviors parents should discourage.

If my child reaches for the hot stove, I will smack his hand.

This one is, as I said, my primary reasoning in favor of spanking: you aren't doing your kids any favors to make them expect that the real world - once you are no longer able to protect them as well - is going to necessarily deal with them in a civilized manner. The punishment the world deals to me, as an adult, for stepping out in front of a bus is very unlikely to be a stern talking-to.

 

[Torm]

There is absolutely no valid argument for spanking children. There are plenty of valid ways to discipline children, and none of them involve physical or mental abuse.

Grounding is abuse - by keeping your children from interacting with their peers, you are stunting their social development. From the most extreme point of view, actually impeding anyone's free expression of will in any way is abuse. And the answer to this is the same answer as the answer to so many other difficult questions - intent. Which is impossible to legislate, since every case has singular details, and will always result in an all day argument, unless we make some grand and unexpected advance in social sciences.

When the informed intent of a parent is the ultimate protection and guidance of their children, spanking is discipline. When it is an act of anger at disobedience or an excuse to channel misdirected anger at a defenseless target, that is abuse.

Just my two cents.

 

[der_kluge]

1) Children cannot reason.

Come on. Do you have children? My daughter is super smart. She figures stuff out really quickly.

[/quote]
2) Pain-- serious pain, serious injury-- is a real-life consequence of many behaviors parents should discourage. [/QUOTE]

My daughter knows that the stove is "hot", and her food can sometimes be "hot". We never had to spank her to get her to understand this simple concept. The very notion of doing that boggles my mind. So what, your kid touches the stove, you gonna spank them to make sure they're not going to do that again? Allow me to introduce you to Pavlov. I think the stove pretty much took care of any need of doing that.