Poll: If you were spanked as a child, do you think it made you a better person?

[rokkolpo]

Yes, I was spanked (very rarely), did it make me a better person? Impossible to tell. Did it stop me from doing some stupidly dangerous shit? Hell yes it did.

The only way a person can tell if a something is hot is to touch it. If it is, you get burned and learn never to touch it again. I like to think this analogy works for spanking.

Great example.
And I completely agree.

Kids need to learn, and learn good.
Pain/discomfort is often the best explanation.

 

[Raineheart]

I believe there are far better ways to discipline than to use physical force on a child.
For instance, threatening to take birthdays away.
That one got through to me pretty damn good.
Oh, and for issues of respect and self-discipline, send them to a martial arts school as soon as possible.

 

[bam13302]

i was spanked, it made me a better person, i did not enjoy it at the time, and i will do it to my kid (as long a the government doesnt keep trying to raise my future children)
on that note, it wasnt a common occurance, and happened less than 10 times

 

[Xanian]

I think the most important thing is knowing what you are being punished for. I can safely say the stuff my parents said did far worse than the things that they did, so spanking, pushing, throwing things at me or being slapped across the face was the least of my worries.


That being said, while I have no intention of having children, I likely wouldn't spank them. I am worried that I might be psychologically abusive as I already have very little patience with young children. I don't think spanking is bad. As I said, that was the LEAST of my worries (and I got chased out with a knife on several occasions.) I never quite knew what I was being punished for...so I didn't want to DO anything. I would go straight to my room and study for fear of reprisal and I pretty much learned not to ask for anything.

Without a clear understanding of the punishment relationship and under what conditions these punishments were being executed, I can safely say I did not make it out of childhood entirely well. As long as punishment is consistent and clear, (and doesn't involve breaking bones or other obviously absurd punishment)there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[PixelJunk]

Let me introduce you all to my lovely brother. His name is cortisol, your friendly steroid hormone. When he is elevated in your bloodstream due to stress he helps you do all sorts of neat stuff. He can be an anti-inflammatory, a performance booster, and even help you with digestion to an extent. But he has a dark side too. When you're just a little fetus in the uterus, if your mother is stressed continuosly our friend likes to influence you to all sorts of physiological and psychological changes via implicit memory especially after birth and the placenta being rich with the hormone, addiction anyone?

The good news is that predispositions are not predeterminations. To reinforce a predisposition you need to structure the subjects environment to produce the same effects. Dutch Hunger Winter (1944) is a prime example of this. So if we reinforce cortisol into your blood which sees increased secretion as a result of and including, trauma "which tends to happen under violence", negative reinforcement "the threat of violence", and deprivation "the absence of necessities..." I am hoping you're getting the picture here. You're not doing anyone a favor by hitting your kids. We create our own monsters.

 

[Zarmi]

Wasn't spanked. And I find it stupid to assume it makes you a better person. Let me ask you this, will you be a better person if I punch you in the face? I doubt it.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

I was spanked as a kid and I ended up being a bitter and angry person. I hate my family I've had no contact with mum's side of it. I do love my dad, however, and he's got me through a lot of shit. In fact, if he didn't put all that effort into me I'd be dead by now. Granted there were some abandonment issues but those pale in comparison to how many times I was "disciplined".

Even so, you have no right to beat your child. Your child is not an animal, it's a human being. It's frowned upon to beat your animals and you can even end up in jail for doing so and yet it's acceptable to beat your child.

My views on spanking are pretty clear but I've got one more thing to add. If you think you've got the right to spank your child then I think I have the right to cut my child. The argument for spanking goes that if done right it's a good disciplining method. Well my argument is that if you do cutting right, it's also a good disciplining method. In fact, anything done right is a good disciplining method including burning, drowning attempts and abandonment.

Generally, spanking and beating aren't looked at as being the same thing.

Are you hitting the child? Yes, you are. Spanking is a fancy way of saying beating your child.

 

[Cursed Frogurt]

Cause and effect. I got the soap in the mouth as a kid too. I didn't swear that much anymore.

Spanking is just one method of teaching kids about consequences, and I support it. It's not the best learning tool, but it more or less works.

 

[John the Gamer]

When I was little I cursed alot (using god's name unjustified or whatever) and my mom (strict christian) didn't like that so she forced a bar of soap in my mouth. Really helped though, and I actually appreciate her doing so. I mean, she never did it with my younger brother and he turned out to be a hooting dickhole. (seriously I want to punch him)

But it could be much worse you know. And getting hit a few times hardens your soul. Makes you a real man. Yeah. (just ignore my ranting)

 

[meowchef]

I was spanked as a kid and I ended up being a bitter and angry person. I hate my family I've had no contact with mum's side of it. I do love my dad, however, and he's got me through a lot of shit. In fact, if he didn't put all that effort into me I'd be dead by now. Granted there were some abandonment issues but those pale in comparison to how many times I was "disciplined".

Even so, you have no right to beat your child. Your child is not an animal, it's a human being. It's frowned upon to beat your animals and you can even end up in jail for doing so and yet it's acceptable to beat your child.

My views on spanking are pretty clear but I've got one more thing to add. If you think you've got the right to spank your child then I think I have the right to cut my child. The argument for spanking goes that if done right it's a good disciplining method. Well my argument is that if you do cutting right, it's also a good disciplining method. In fact, anything done right is a good disciplining method including burning, drowning attempts and abandonment.

Generally, spanking and beating aren't looked at as being the same thing.

Are you hitting the child? Yes, you are. Spanking is a fancy way of saying beating your child.

Again... spanking and beating aren't the same thing... Spanking is generally considered just a swat on the butt that from my experience is more of a surprise/scare than physical pain. Beating is what you're referring to... the cases of child abuse and all where there are bruises, broken bones, injuries, etc.

 

[Dr Snakeman]

My parents are from Alabama. What do you think?

Yes, on rare occasions, I was spanked. And yes, it is needed. Most young children need a smack on the back of the leg in order to teach them right from wrong. As they get older, it becomes less necessary, because they already know what to do and what not to do, and other forms of discipline can be used.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Again... spanking and beating aren't the same thing... Spanking is generally considered just a swat on the butt that from my experience is more of a surprise/scare than physical pain. Beating is what you're referring to... the cases of child abuse and all where there are bruises, broken bones, injuries, etc.

A swat on the butt? So you consider spanking someone slapping a child on the butt? You either have a gross misinterpretation of spanking or you've never been spanked yourself. A slap on the butt is miles away from what spanking actually is.

 

[Rakkana]

I was spanked. It hasn't done me any good.

I support it where it's necessary but leaving that decision up to the many many incapable parents out there leads me support laws that forbid it.

 

[Sacman]

I didn't get spankings... I got beat with whatever was on hand...like a big metal spoon if their cooking or a wrench if we we're in the garage... but usually I got soap in a tube sock as to not leave bruises... I hated it... I don't blame my parents but it makes me hate myself more than anything else because I always came to the conclusion that it was my fault...

I don't think it makes you a better person, hell, I don't even approve of it but god damnit sometimes kids just have it coming...<.<

 

[Stasisesque]

Again... spanking and beating aren't the same thing... Spanking is generally considered just a swat on the butt that from my experience is more of a surprise/scare than physical pain. Beating is what you're referring to... the cases of child abuse and all where there are bruises, broken bones, injuries, etc.

A swat on the butt? So you consider spanking someone slapping a child on the butt? You either have a gross misinterpretation of spanking or you've never been spanked yourself. A slap on the butt is miles away from what spanking actually is.

Yet, that is exactly how I (and I would imagine many others) would describe a spanking. An open palmed, sharp but not excessive, slap to the backside/back of the leg. NEVER the head, or torso. Only padded areas in which a slap will do no harm beyond a red mark and some over the top tears from the child.

 

[Dr Snakeman]

Wasn't spanked. And I find it stupid to assume it makes you a better person. Let me ask you this, will you be a better person if I punch you in the face? I doubt it.

If I was being a dick, then yeah, I'm certainly going to reconsider my actions leading up to the facepunch. Get punched in the face enough by enough people, and you will change your ways.

 

[Dr Snakeman]

Again... spanking and beating aren't the same thing... Spanking is generally considered just a swat on the butt that from my experience is more of a surprise/scare than physical pain. Beating is what you're referring to... the cases of child abuse and all where there are bruises, broken bones, injuries, etc.

A swat on the butt? So you consider spanking someone slapping a child on the butt? You either have a gross misinterpretation of spanking or you've never been spanked yourself. A slap on the butt is miles away from what spanking actually is.

Actually, I'm going to say that you are the one with the misinterpretation of spanking. Yeah, a real spanking can be described as a swat. Maybe a couple swats.

 

[Sindre1]

I guess all of us who where not abused are assholes then.
Makes total sence -.-

 

[Intronaut]

I was spanked as a kid and I ended up being a bitter and angry person. I hate my family I've had no contact with mum's side of it. I do love my dad, however, and he's got me through a lot of shit. In fact, if he didn't put all that effort into me I'd be dead by now. Granted there were some abandonment issues but those pale in comparison to how many times I was "disciplined".

Even so, you have no right to beat your child. Your child is not an animal, it's a human being. It's frowned upon to beat your animals and you can even end up in jail for doing so and yet it's acceptable to beat your child.

My views on spanking are pretty clear but I've got one more thing to add. If you think you've got the right to spank your child then I think I have the right to cut my child. The argument for spanking goes that if done right it's a good disciplining method. Well my argument is that if you do cutting right, it's also a good disciplining method. In fact, anything done right is a good disciplining method including burning, drowning attempts and abandonment.

Generally, spanking and beating aren't looked at as being the same thing.

Are you hitting the child? Yes, you are. Spanking is a fancy way of saying beating your child.

Sweeping generalizations are hardly compelling.

I was spanked as a child. I love both of my parents and harbor no resentment whatsoever. Besides, I always preferred spanking to any other form of discipline - 5 minutes, and then its over. The few times I was grounded were horrible.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Yet, that is exactly how I (and I would imagine many others) would describe a spanking. An open palmed, sharp but not excessive, slap to the backside/back of the leg. NEVER the head, or torso. Only padded areas in which a slap will do no harm beyond a red mark and some over the top tears from the child.

It's still using violence to discipline a child and that I can never agree to. If you're unable to discipline your child without the use of force then why the fuck did you have a child in the first place? And this still does not nullify my argument. Cutting can also be used in the same way and so can burning, pulling out hairs etc. It hurts and gets the message across. Spanking uses fear and pain to discipline a child and if that technique isn't as frowned upon then why are other techniques that use the same method not used and considered child abuse? Either all of them are legal or none.