Spare the Rod?

Anna Gregoline | August 10, 2004
Should children be disciplined by physical punishment?

Jackie Mason | August 10, 2004
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John E Gunter | August 10, 2004
A lot of it depends on whether the spanking works on the kid. Some kids no matter how much corporal punishment you give them just don't seem to get it.

Just have to remember that as a parent, you can only do so much to guide your child. After all, eventually they do grow up and become their own person. Then depending on how they have decided to develop, it's out of your hands.

John

Melissa Erin | August 10, 2004
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John E Gunter | August 10, 2004
Although, I've had some success in the past with "time out" as long as you watched the child while they were in "time out".

My grandson was bad many years ago, I think he was about 5 at the time and I put him in "time out". I had him face the wall, at first, he tried to look around to see what my wife and I were doing. Of course, watching to make sure he was getting punished, I saw him doing it and proceeded to walk over and turn his head toward the wall.

You'd have thought I beat him bloody the way he started wailing because he couldn't watch what we were doing. Course, it didn't make me feel that good to listen to him, but you have to make sure you let the children know what is wrong and right.

Course, then his mother got a hold of him and everything my wife and I did to make him into a fairly decent child went right out the window.

John

Jackie Mason | August 10, 2004
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Scott Hardie | August 11, 2004
John Gunter? He's 27. The times they are a-changin'.

John E Gunter | August 11, 2004
I'm much older than I look and what was it someone I know said to me, I look a lot singler than I am. Don't remember it exactly, but that was the just of it. :-)

I'm 43, which although I'm not quite old enough to have a 13 year old grandson, I did have help. :-)

John

John Viola | August 11, 2004
Yeah, he doesn't look that old in his picture - but that picture was taken in 1964. ;-)

John E Gunter | August 11, 2004
That picture is only 6 years old, biotch! ;-)

John's just jealous cuz he just turned what was it, 30?

John

John Viola | August 11, 2004
Yes, I am jealous. I just hope I can live to see 43!! Wow, the stories you can tell having been born in the 60's....

:-p~

John E Gunter | August 11, 2004
Yep, walked to school through 3 feet of snow, up hill both ways, 365 days a year!

;-)

John

Anna Gregoline | August 12, 2004
I think it's a fine line - I hate when parents are trying to reason with a 2 year old that's screaming and kicking his feet on the floor. That kid is no longer listening, reasoning will get you no where. Just grab his arm and leave. But it seems like more and more, instead of that, people are just ignoring their children's behavior. At least according to the stories my mom tells from the library. I'm so glad I don't work there anymore.

John E Gunter | August 12, 2004
I remember one time when I pitched a fit in a store. My father grabbed me with a vice grip and spun me around then said to me, "You want something to cry about, I'll give you something to cry about!"

He never spanked me, but from his tone and past punishments, I knew it was important decision time, either stop, or get the most embarrassing beating of my life!

Now, on the opposite side of that, my wife told me of something that occurred where this little brat was running around a store like a little animal. He ran right into an elderly man, almost knocking the man down. Well the man grabbed the child, partly to keep from being knocked over and the child's mother made some comment about how the old man had better let that child go or he would be in trouble.

My wife proceeded to give the mother a piece of her mind. I think it embarrassed the mother, at least I hope it did, because she grabbed her child and let the store. The old man thanked my wife, who was just amazed at the whole incident.

But that kind of behavior, or lack there of is part of where our society is headed. Gives me chills sometimes wondering what we’re headed for.

John

Scott Horowitz | August 12, 2004
I think we should install chips into our children that send them a shock every time they misbehave.

Anna Gregoline | August 12, 2004
My mom tells stories all the time of children who are being corrected by strangers, and when she asks them where their mom is, mom is sitting right next to them, saying nothing. Or the child will do something with the mom engaged, and the mom says nothing. Like this kid and his mom at the reference desk - the kid (who was at least 7) climbs up on the desk and lies down on it trying to see my mother's computer monitor. The mother says nothing. How is this kind of thing acceptable?

John Viola | August 12, 2004
It isn't. A good backhand can work wonders in those situations. Just don't be afraid to do a little jail time by standing up for what you believe.

Jackie Mason | August 12, 2004
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Anna Gregoline | August 12, 2004
He might be - sounds like my cousin when he was young and before he was taking medication. He literally couldn't stand still, and would speak gibberish if he ran out of words.

Scott Hardie | August 12, 2004
I have started shopping at the Publix across the street from my office instead of driving all the way down the highway to the stores I prefer, but the epidemic of screaming, greedy, ill-behaved children at that store may push me back to my old favorites. The parents have allowed their children to think that screaming and crying for any treat they want will result in getting it, and after a while the parents just began to tune it out, so that it only bothers the rest of us.

Melissa Erin | August 12, 2004
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Robert Phillips | September 1, 2004
I once spanked my 5 year old when he spit in a spectators seat at a soccer game we were watching. He also was made to apoligize and face the person he wronged. There has been no more need to spank since then, but for him it was absolutely the right thing to do. If you ask him today he would agree that it was the correct thing to do.