In all seriousness, yes. Corporal punishment was the state of things where I grew up. Obviously, some adults handled it responsibly (like my family), while others were just child abusers.
Nasty. I might change my views on this when my child gets older but I reckon I can control him without beating him. Besides I've never beaten anyone in my life, I don't think I could even bring myself to do it.
Me too. HBO recently had Richard Pryor's second (I think) stand up film on, and our 15 year old was watching it with us (and damn near died laughing). Pryor's got bit in there about being sent by his mother to cut a switch for his own beating and after that was over our son turned and asked if we had to do anything like that. He was totally shocked to hear the answer was yes for both of us.
No way. If you beat up your son when he does something wrong you will end up being in prison for a very long time. That is physical abuse and if you tried to belt your son or any of your kids then you are insane.
No way. If anyone saw you beating the shit out of a red headed kid I reckon that you would get belted by some gang of people who hate seeing kids getting picked on by bullies such as yourself.
On this topic alone, I now love this forum. I'm with russ -- you need to learn sentences like "I don't know why I waste all of my love on someone who is so clearly undeserving."
Are you asking me if I spank my child? I haven't had to yet. I will if I think it's appropriate, but it's a last resort measure for me.
Bill Engvall does a bit on this very topic called "Nobody Disciplines Their Kids Anymore" on his Here's Your Sign album. I laughed my ass off, as did my parents when they first heard it. If you get the chance, I reccomend you check it out. My dad told my brother and I a story once how he and his brother were horsing around and managed to piss off my grandfather to the point he yanked his belt off and stood over them and calmly asked the question "Ok, which end do you want?" He didn't go through with it in that instance; he later told my dad and my uncle that the look of terror on their faces was enough.
I think the battery for a couple of peeps Humormeter has worn down. My dad only gave me one swat. I was 13, close as I can recall. The buildup was that he told me that I had to do something and I told him to buzz off, ( "you can't tell me what to do..." ) so he hauled off a smacked me across the chops. We were in my bedroom and he knocked me into the wall and onto my bed. I was more shocked than hurt. My mom told me later than he then went to their bedroom and wept because having to resort to that kind of treatment meant to him that he had failed to appeal to our relationship as father and son in order to get me to obey. My opinion of corporal punishment is this: when a child is under the age that you can reason with him, a swat or two on the behind should get the message across that you mean business. After the point where you can appeal to reason, the only justification for corporal punishment is mutiny, but that must be approached with great care.
The difference between males and females is not only physical, but mental. Most guys don't pick up on social cues very well. So they need a swat every once in a while to learn right and wrong. Guilt doesn't always work and I'm not sure that's very healthy either because if used too often kids tune it out.
Violence isn't a good idea at all especially when it is around young children. I am hoping that the author of this thread doesn't go beating up his wife. If he does then he shouldn't be married and having kids. He really should be in prison for good.
He didn't mention the baseball bat though. I say, just lock them into a wardrobe for a few days, together with a few very big spiders. That'll teach them and prepare them for life in America.