Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 16, 2012

Shannon should of been tought some manners before she was 6.

It’s nothing that regular spankings couldn’t fix.

poor Shannon, she is not even reaching ten, and she already keeps changing her age

A young teen daughter called the police on her mom, claimed her mom was trying to abuse and beat her. My Brother, the responding officer arrived and discovered the mother was only trying to spank her daughter for some bad thing she did. Bro got out the statute book and pointed to the section that shows the Parent CAN corporeally punish her. Had the girl read it aloud. Then asked the Mother if she would like him to witness so that no further charges of “abuse” could come from the girl. She did and he did. He also told the daughter that if even raises a hand to her mother while she is getting spanked, she’ll be going to juvie for assault.

I like the “meticulous” art on the walls. The last doodle appears to have transformed into a clown face….

Kids eventually figure out that if they don’t mis-behave, they don’t get spanked. After a few years good behavior becomes a habit. A couple of swats on the rump, when needed, work.Kids these days act the way they do because there is no punishment.

Shannon is rehearsing for marriage. How to handle a confrontation: Go turn on the TV.

Shannon’s already reached adolescence before she’s even reached puberty!

As a person who’s been diagnosed with PTSD from excessive physical and emotional abuse, these comments make me sick.

And as long as you differentiate between “spanking” and “beating your kid until he bleeds and/or turns black and blue,” I’m OK with spanking. Unfortunately, my father didn’t know the difference — or didn’t care. THAT’S what I have a problem with — the beatings that my brothers and I got until my parents divorced when I was eight. Child abuse DOES happen, people, and it happens far more often than you’d like to think!

You can always tell the kids whose parents don’t believe in spanking. (But you can’t tell them much; they don’t listen.)

The difference is between teaching a child right and wrong and child abuse. Child abuse doesnt care if spanking is legal or not.

Child abuse doesnt care if spanking is legal or not

I believe ONE little swat on the butt or hand as a way to say “NO” is ok, but, nothing beyond that

That’s true. Sometimes he does that because he’s guilty of something-cheating!But, I’m afraid, in the last square, you just witnessed the future.

At last, Shannon’s age has been revealed. We had been guessing. Of course, at that age, kids don’t listen beyond a sentence or two, and Luann was in a lecture mode. To get them to listen, you gotta engage them and involve them into the conversations. Not that unlike talking to a teenager, I suppose.

I remember writing an essay about school when I was about eight. The work was handed in and as the teacher read through them he suddenly started to laugh. Somehow I knew he’d just read mine though don’t ask me how I knew. He calle me out. What I’d meant to write was that on rare occasions the school used corporal punishment. What I’d written was that the school used capital punishment. That’s me, in the corner, wearing the pointy cap with the big D on it.

Brat.

Poor kid.

Shannon is in need of discipline in her life. Being for all practical purposes an orphan, she hasn’t really had any. Aunt Toni is too lenient; it falls to Luann to help the six-year old grow up, and maybe in the process do a little growing up herself….

6 year olds have an attention span of hyperactive dog.

Shannon’s in the care of her aunt because her parents are unavailable. A dysfunctional family life would go a long way to explaining her behavior..

I’m an aide at an elementary school in a nice suburb-grades K-3. Most of the kids have no respect for authority. And if a teacher calls home with a discipline problem the parents insist their child did nothing wrong. These kids need a good smack on the butt.

Luann’s lack of focus on Shannon is driving me nuts here. The child has no incentive to listen, or pay attention, or obey her because it’s just all noise. Going back to yesterday, Luann should have said “You take your ice cream in the bowl you’re given, or you have none. You choose.” And then make it stick. Lectures like she’s dishing out today have absolutely zero effect on children – the only thing they pay attention to is consequences of action. You do this, you get this. You do that, you get something else. Repeatedly, and consistently. After a while, lessons begin to sink in.

Yes, Old Wolf, lecturing is useless at that age. I thought Luann was more hip to little kids than that.

Okay, ya’ll missed the irony of Luann going on about learning to be not so self-centered— but she’s so self-absorbed that she has failed to notice that her audience has walked away— probably like a goodly number of pop singers.

The kids don’t know the difference from spanking and abuse..They’re being physically hurt by someone they love..Our son was getting that way, but we didn’t spank, privileges were temporarily taken away with the information why it was happening. .Also, he was reminded that being selfish is wrong but also don’t let others take advantage of you. Eventually a parent will see the times when to talk about these things. Times when they’re not messing up..Basically spanking is the quick, ‘thought to be,’ quick answer.but it’s not.

The evils of the child shall be visited upon them as parents.

poor shannon….

Of course we’re not speaking of abuse. You probably know that. I see plenty of undisciplined children whose parents proudly beam at. And I see them become self-centered adults. Or of course more likely to treat others poorly or become criminals. Have you not seen the steady rise in juvenile misbehavior of all kinds in the news?

I was sexually abused by the baby sitter, who later became a Michigan State Cop!

shannon apparently has parents who don’t actually care about their child.

It’s just sad that there are a few conservatives ginning up outrage. You know that this isn’t a parenting forum, right? Or a political cartoon, right? You know that today’s comic strip wasn’t supposed to be about how much or how hard you should be able to ‘discipline’ your brat, right? So why don’t we just try enjoying the story without having to turn everyday into a troll-fest? It’s really no different than shouting out your every thought in a crowded theater. No matter how right you think you are, you are still RUDE.

Take it from me, a kid growing up with my useless generation around me, that spanking works, as I got older I was spanked less and talked to more and it seems to have worked but I think it depends on the kids and the parents.

My dad, God rest his soul, was a mean drunk who beat whoever his belt would reach (my mom, me, my brothers and sisters, the dog, you get the idea.) So all the yahoos who say “spank your kids” really, really should re-think your approach. I made the commitment to raise both my kids without violence, and you know what? It works. You have to dedicate time to your kids, and be there for them, and teach them right from wrong, and they do just fine.Quick story: My husband worked nights. I was alone with my five year old, who was sick. I didn’t have any children’s aspirin, or anything for her. So at 11:30 I pack her into the car and take her to the drugstore. She got inside the door, and threw a major tantrum, I mean, threw herself on the floor, kicking and screaming. I looked at her, and in that second I realized:1. She was sick and felt terrible. Hot, achy, and her mother, me, who always helped, wasn’t helping.2. She didn’t understand why I took her out of her warm bed and trundled her outside. I knew I couldn’t leave her home alone, but she didn’t.3. She wasn’t throwing a tantrum because she wanted to, she was throwing it out of pain and frustration. So I did the only thing I could do: I yelled “Can I have everyone’s attention? My daughter wants to say something, and I think we should all pay attention to her to find out what it is.” Everyone within the sound of my voice stopped and stared at her. She sat up, looked at me, and stopped crying. I picked her up, apologized to everyone, and took her home. I gave her a sponge bath, and put her in a warm bed with some juice, and held her til she fell asleep.

Years later, when she was 19 or so, I asked her if she remembered the incident. She said, “Yes. I remember being upset, and then all these people staring at me!” she remembered climbing into my arms, and my taking care of her. She’s a nurse now, and married, and I couldn’t ask for a more loving child. She is a joy to me. So go ahead and hit your kids if you feel that’s best, but I don’t recommend it.

Discipline must never be about relieving parental anger. Regardless of the discipline’s form, it can easily evolve into abuse. Discipline must rather be about education. When parents have the right frame of mind about the purpose of discipline (to raise responsible, caring, respectful, respectable, responsive, effective, etc. ADULTS), they make discipline a means of education, not punishment. God provides punishment, we provide education.

actually, I’ll take her staying out of the way and quietly watching TV as a consolation prize.

Shannon is a Jr Tiffany.

When I was about four my brother and I decided to tell my parents that it didnt seem fair that they were constantly telling us not to hit each other or other kids, and that hitting people was wrong, and that violence was wrong, but they were allowed to hit us! They were stunned. And never laid a hand on us again. HOWEVER we grew up with hard work, curfews, a restricted allowance (we worked for our money), groundings/time outs for breaking the rules, and we had to make things right via both apology and fixing things. My brother is a successful engineer and I am working on my PhD. The only time I was arrested was in a fair trade protest, along with a preacher and several hundred others. I am not a drug addict. And I respect my parents. I dont think corporal punishment is “the answer” for instilling good values in children.

“Spare the rod, spoil the child.”If you don’t like that one then:He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. -Proverbs 13:24

In my opinion, Shannon isn’t in need of a spanking in this case. She is being RUDE and UNCARING of others, but spanking would not change that, only likely exacerbate those feelings. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++My wife and I only spanked our kids when they were under 5 and ONLY when they did something that was DANGEROUS to themselves or to others (example, a three-year-old running out into the street). All other indiscretions and issues were treated with talking, reasoning, and attempts to show what is most logical and polite in terms of behavior.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Shannon needs some remedial training in terms of compassion for others and kindness. I am not sure how easy that will be to give to a 6 year old who apparently hasn’t been taught that from an earlier age, but I suspect (hope) that given someone who is patient, it would still be possible.

The strip today is NOT about disciplining (or abusing) a child, and what type of discipline is most effective. It is first – the method required to get a child’s attention – and Luann isn’t using it. You need to arrange one-on-one with eye-to-eye contact. Admittedly, this is undesirable to most children at the time. However a lecture is less effective than a dialog, to determine whether the child “gets it” or just ignores it. Second, the talk must fit the action – and it’s questionable whether Shannon is being selfish, or not. Of course other Shannon episodes shows her to be demanding and selfish so we can assume Luann is acting on her decision to pass on some of her “wisdom”..As a child, I was fortunate to have parents who used a variety of punishments and have done the same with my own children. Some were physical and I felt my Dad’s anger and I have sometimes shown anger to my children. Other times were more practical and less emotional. I had to help correct something that I had done wrong and it was embarrassing. Both types are memorable and I can still recall them after 60-65 years of life. Again it was never abuse and I learned to respect and be thankful for the education of my parents. My heart goes out to children who are beaten by their parents, and I cannot endure the thought of little ones being beaten because their “guardians” have acted out of anger and frustration instead of disciplining with love.

True story about the spanking debate – I was in a fraternity in 1991 and one of the brother’s father had a job in the government that was kind of vague and murky. We were having a discussion about spanking and he had a strong opinion. He argued that his whole life his dad never spanked him but he never would have thought of disobeying or disrespecting him. Somebody said, “but Rick, your dad ran Central American death squads for the Reagan administration!”

A hallmark of the modern child: if something sounds boring, just tune-in to TV or a palm device; that content is soothing and requires no rational thought.

I’m glad my child raising days are over. If I was to raise a kid now days I would be in Jail… My children all turned out fine, and I survived corporal punishment.(in school) Spanking s is part of growing up, learning right from wrong.

Let me add that just because she wasn’t spanked, doesn’t for a moment mean she wasn’t disciplined.

Luann’s sort of being a condescending, self-righteous booger.

Not only can you ‘punish’ children without physical contact, you can abuse them. There are a lot of Hmong immigrants where I live, and for them a timeout is abusive, while a spanking isn’t necessarily. In a communal society like the Hmong, isolation from the family can be traumatic.

Brad must be really going to town on Toni given how long this story arc is taking to finish. i really dislike this Shannon Character . . . . but on the other hand . . . big ups for Brad’s Stamina . . . . you go Brad!!!

Luanne’s lucky, Shannon could be dis-assembling the house instead watching TV. Luann will eventually develop that sixth sense you need when dealing with kids like Shannon, but it’ll take awhile.

My nephew was uncontrollable and would kick people, bite them, etc, but his mom did not believe in spanking. one day he tried to kick a pregnant woman in the stomach and my brother smacked him on the @$$ twice and my nephew never tried to kick anyone again! spanking is NOT the same as child abuse.

So many comments in response to one of our neighborhood trolls. Do trolls get paid for every byte wasted?

I got tired and went to bed. Then I had to go to work. I have adult responsibilities. I didn’t mean to be a troll, just stating my opinion on the matter. Shannon is overdue for a spanking. Plus, she’s imaginary.As a kid I hated standing in the corner worse than a spanking. A spanking was over in 20 seconds, you’d dry up , go back and play. Standing in the corner was an eternity.

My boys are now all in their 50s and daughter is almost there. Glad to say they are doing very fine. My middle son even gives me gifts every spring that subsidise my SSA. Both he and the oldest graduated with honors and have their PHDs. The younger two had average grades like me and son is a licensed land surveyor. Daughter finally found a better husband in the 3rd, I am just happy to be back with my lover who I met shortly after my divorce.

Wow! It’s obvious that this comic arc has had a major impact on many many readers. Hopefully, reviewing past experiences with spanking will cleanse the bad memories of so many people. It becomes much clearer as to why the laws about spanking had to be changed. Too many adults have suffered far too long because of excessive force dealt out in response to really minor issues caused as children.

As seen in the cartoon, Shannon has simply walked away from Luann’s ranting and decided to quietly watch TV by herself. This shows how she has adapted to the environment in her home life….she isolates herself from the negativity and wraps herself in her own world. Luann could just as easily taken Shannon for a walk and chatted calmly with her or shared an activity such as drawing with her. She could have done the laundry at a later moment. Shannon’s continued poor behavior is just a coverup for her loneliness.

legaleagle48 is correct. I had parents who knew how to discipline and I occasionally received a swat on the rear. Conversely I had a friend whose father beat all of his children unmercifully. I was in public education for twenty-eight years, from teacher to principal. When I started you were allowed to use physical force when necessary. By the time I retired it had changed. A very good middle school principal I knew of retired after he was charged with assault by the parents of two seventh graders. What was his crime? When the told him to go f_ _k himself he grabbed them by the shirt and took them to his office where he called the parents. He was found innocent but after that he said to hell with it. He spent several months worrying whether or not he would be incarcerated. He retired and took a job selling appliances at Sears. Dale