JumpStart by Robb Armstrong for April 07, 2012

what? no ticket for jaywalking?

Either you do or you don’t, no middle ground.

Once saw a 3 year old screaming F-U to the mom in a store parking lot, while the mother just kept talking with a friend like it was peachy keen. This was like ten year ago and it’s become rampant.

I agree with Dani. You don’t spank for general disobedience. Time outs, going to room, that sort of stuff is usually sufficient. I wouldn’t even spank a kid old enough to reason with for running into the street. But a toddler is willful, and they don’t understand, “The cars will hit you and kill you.” But they do understand, “Does it hurt? If you run in the street I will do it again.” Running into the street and licking the electrical outlets are about all that deserves spanking. When the consequences of not stopping are worse than the pain of a spanking. (And yes, I did that. Pried off the little caps and licked the outlets because I liked the way it made my tongue tickle. My mom says one spanking cured me of it after nothing else would.)

Spanking never HAS to be done.

Read a story about a mom in a casino in Vegas who brought her young child into the casino before they got really strict. She let the child terrorize the patrons, knocking over winnings, kicking people while just ignoring the behaviour. Well, she and the casino ended up in court, and the judge ruled in favor of the casino after witness accounts and video. Judge then made the mom spank the child, 3 swats, because she said she was against telling her child what to do and all punishments. I agreed with the judge

These new age parents who don’t spank and instead “talk”. Ugh. Are you really trying to reason with a 5 year old? REALLY?

I was spanked as a kid now and then. I don’t know what to say about it as far as my childhood was concerned, I’ve never had kids of my own and I don’t know if I would or wouldn’t say there are cases where spanking is necessary. What does irritate me though is when people equate spanking with horrible abuse where a parent gives a kid black eyes or breaks their limbs, because while any spanking may be bad, there’s a world of difference between them.