Parental Discipline

2009-10-30 10:35:00

Duke wrote:

"Just for the record, I still disagree on all the points where I disagreed before."

JJ:

I believer I eliminate a couple you didn't like and also changed the wording in a several. Did that make any difference? I did find your comments helpful in revising the 95 Theses.

Duke:

"I don't remember this from the original list:

"'49 It is the right of parents to decide how to discipline their children.'

"There are idiots and brutes and sadists out there who would love this one."

JJ:

I said discipline, not abuse. I'm sure you support discipline to some degree with kids. I do not know anyone who does not.

The example you gave of a parent smashing a kid's knuckles is not discipline, but abuse that violates the laws of the land and would be punished.

The problem we have is that the government is becoming more intrusive toward the family unit all the time. In England a parent cannot even take their kid to a playground unless he first proves to authorities that he is not violent or an abuser.

The main ones who want the government to intrude on parental discipline are not those who want to stop abuse, but those who do not believe in ever spanking a child. These people represent a minority however for in the liberal state of California a CBS poll revealed that only 23% would support a spanking ban.

See: http://cbs5.com/local/spanking.ban.california.2.451523.html

Most people believe that a light spanking done sparingly that creates no physical harm should not warrant government intrusion.

My experience tells me this. Some kids need never be spanked and can be handled by other measures. For other kids it will produce a positive result as long as they internally register that the punishment was just.

Many parents get frustrated with their children and spank them according to their level of frustration instead of connecting it with the child's behavior. My mother did this to me and I found it irritating, but it did not make me love her less.

My Dad only spanked me once, and it was and whopper with a belt and I richly deserved it. I behaved myself around him from that point on.

I have revised #49. See if this is better.

"49. It is the right of parents to decide how to discipline their children. This does not sanction child abuse which is punishable by law. Abuse of children by parents, other adults, or other children should not be condoned or tolerated."