You have probably heard the expression, "Spare the rod, spoil the child." Do you agree with it? Perhaps you were spanked as a kid. Was it appropriate? Some people see spanking as an outdated method of punishment or even child abuse, while others view a swat on the bottom as a parent's prerogative. Where do we draw the line when it comes to disciplining our children?
The argument over whether to spank or not to spank, or more accurately, whether the state should prohibit parental spanking, per se, usually devolves into two equally "hysterical" (both senses of the term apply) points of view. The No Spankers contend that spanking is child abuse, that it is associated with various adult pathologies, that there is "always an alternative" to spanking (therefore, or so this tautology goes, one should never spank), that spanking teaches children that might is right, that spanking teaches children that violence is an acceptable way of getting one's way, and that since most of the same adults who spank also teach that violence is not generally acceptable, spanking "confuses" children. This is all (I am constrained here by a terms of use provision, but the reader may substitute a more inflamatory word of choice, all of which are probably more fitting) hogwash. But it sells. The Spankers, most of whom are Christian fundamentalists (as am I), contend that the Eternal, Adonai, God Himself commands parents to spank for misbehavior. This is (I am constrained, etc.) hogwash.
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