Do you think it is ever appropriate? Should it be illegal? Do you think the Bible recommends doing this?
What's Your Opinion Regarding Spanking A Child?
by minimus 95 Replies latest jw friends
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GermanXJW
minimus, someone should give you a good spanking. :-)
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minimus
You're not a big enough German.
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Golf
Disciplining out of rage is not reasonable discipline. Some children just need to be looked at with a stern face and they get the message, others need more than a stern face or words. My children survived and they live a normal life.
Amazing how we can talk about disciplining children and here we are grown-ups fighting in bars, express road rage, killing one another over family conflicts or community affairs and having international conflicts without having second thoughts about who should dicipline us! When does it start and when will it end? Excuse me for slightly getting off 'course,' but then again I play golf don't I?
Guest 77
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blondie
I'm not personally in favor of spanking. I wasn't spanked much growing up (there was other abuse though). I think that spanking is a "quick fix" and avoids the real need to talk with children and model the proper behavior. This takes more time, time many parents don't have or won't take because it interferes with their own amusements. I admire parents who take the time realizing it is a personal sacrifice and shows real love for their children. Imagine if when you made a mistake, your supervisor took you in the back room and gave you a few whacks...would that work for you?
Blondie (who raised several siblings and foster children)
Should it be illegal...I don't think many people can gauge when spanking is abusive...how has making it illegal in some countries worked?
http://www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,1-286,00.html
The Case Against Spanking, by Irwin A. Hyman, director of the National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives, also makes clear the connection between spanking and rates of child abuse. Citing Sweden, a country that made spanking illegal in 1979, he notes, "In 1981, only 26 percent of parents supported spanking. The support rate is currently less than 11 percent... [and] Sweden went from a family violence-related child death rate of 18 percent in 1970 to 0 percent in recent years."
I don't think the Bible meant spanking when it says discipline and "rod." The shepherd's crook was not used to beat the sheep but to gently guide and to pull them out of holes, etc.
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ohiocowboy
I do not believe in spanking children. There are plenty of other ways to discipline a child such as taking away a priveledge, a favorite toy, etc. for a time. I feel that spanking is physically and emotionally demeaning to a child. Of course the
BabbleBible says to use the rod on a child, but it also commanded parents to stone their children to death when they did wrong.CJ-of the spanking is only for monkeys class....
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Englishman
There's got to be some consequences for bad behaviour, hasn't there?
Englishman.
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Yerusalyim
I like Dr Dobson's guidelines on this...and he's actually a smart guy in this whole child rearing thing.
Never punish when you're angry
Physically punish when the child endangers himself or others (i.e. a smack on the hand when you catch them trying to stick the paper clip into the electrical outlet)
For open defiance...when they tell you NO when you ask them to pick up a toy and put it away...or ignore you....a solid swat on the behind is appropriate...which is why God gave us so much padding back there as kids.
After age 10 or 11 physical punishment is generally out of order with some exceptions.
Without going into details I tossed my 18 year old step son around like a rag doll when he tried to intimidate me with his greater size and weight.
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Brummie
This was a big debate in England earlier this month, the law decided to opt for "moderate" spanking, so after the loong debate the final conclusion is that it isnt against the law to smack in England as long as its done moderately. I hope the bully parents know how to define "moderate".
However imho, I think its ok to spank if thats the way the parent wants it to be, as long as its not outrage or done in anger. I DO NOT spank my kids, I remember slapping my sons back leg one time a few years ago, it ws an outburst and it never happened again, I still havent forgiven myself for it even though it was only a light slap....they have me wrapped round their finger en it.
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Angharad
I dont think smacking really works
There was a great program on TV the other day, called Super Nanny. The nanny goes into peoples house who have out of control kids or behaviour problems. It was amazing the transformation of these kids in just two weeks. She had a very simple three step program.
1 ) Come down to their level and give a firm verbal warning - explaining what they have done wrong
2) naughty corner or step if they ignore the warning - until they say sorry or tidy up what they did
3) if they continue after the corner - take away a toy - they had a box where these toys went into.
It really started to work after just a couple of days. The main thing that was needed was consistancy and always follow through on the warning.
http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/S/supernanny/
http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/family/fli_toddler.html