Let me say, for the record, I was spanked. I am not abusive of women, children, or animals. I have tendency to think twice before I do something, especially when it might break one of Mom's rules.
Yes, I am an adult, but when you think about it, Mom and Dad's rules stick with us for our entire lives.
I was spanked for misbehavior, usually involving totally ignoring a parent, acting up in a store (the infamous "can I have 'x'") hitting my baby sister, refusing to go to bed at the proper time, and last but not least, back talking a parent.
I grew up in the sixties, mom carried a thin leather belt when we went out shopping, wore it around her neck. She had no qualms about using it in public either, and strangely enough, she was never accused of child abuse. In fact, she was often complimented on how well behaved we were.
There were no such things as time outs, it went from first warning to whipping, and rarely did we have to go past first warning.
Today, I see kids acting in ways that would have gotten my backside spanked so bad my great great great grandkids would be born feeling the swats!
Somewhere something has changed, and personally, I think it was that guy Dr. Spock.
To quote Dr. Spock's website:
"What spanking really teaches
Spanking teaches children that the larger, stronger person has the power to get his way, whether or not he is in the right. Some spanked children then feel quite justified in beating up on smaller ones. The American tradition of spanking may be one reason that there is much more violence in our country than in any other comparable nation."
That is complete and utter nonsense. This country has a higher rate of violence for a great many reasons, but spanking is not one of them. You want reasons there is violence in the US? Look at racism, class division by income, living environment (neighborhoods, not homes), what we call entertainment, and just the simple fact that many Americans find it easy to hate.
Funny thing, those of us who grew up in households where spanking was part of the disciplinary action we could expect, have grown up pretty well balanced. People who grew up where they had nothing to worry about if they misbehaved cant say the same thing.
And people wonder why I am looking for a poster that says, "Now I know why some animals eat their young."
