Quote:
Originally posted by Melusine:
And why is it weird, Johnny? It's not weird to me at all. In fact, it allows people who are pro-spanking to demonstrate that spanking is not the same thing as child abuse. A normal parent who spanks would never leave a child bruised or with broken bones, whereas someone who abuses a child could.
I think it's a good poll to examine what exactly is considered appropriate when it comes to punishing children physically.
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The poll is weird because it doesn't allow appropriate answers. For instance, I chose the belt/cane and I chose below the waist, but I feel in some egregious circumstances a smack on the cheek is appropriate (For instance: my mom could spank me on the butt all day long and I would never know it -- a smack on the cheek was her only way to get my attention).
As for the bruises, I think you can bruise kids. I've seen a kid get bruised by a belt/paddle to the buttocks. You should not be attempting this, but some kids do bruise easily, and a belt swing may miss and hit legs instead of buttocks.
I noticed I was the only one to choose an implement. Here is what an implement does -- it ceremonializes the spanking. Totems give things meaning. I still remember the paddle some crazy-eyed old man driving through the neighborhood gave my dad one day (BASTARD!!)
An implement also forces a parent to step back and make sure they approach the corporal punishment properly. Smacking on the legs or face at the moment of wrongdoing is more likely to go awry or be done for the wrong reasons than a paddling/belting/switching done 10 minutes later. Plus, it allows the parent time to compose their reasoning to present it to the child before punishment is executed.
[edit] Finally, I did not limit the age. This is not because I think you should spank kids that young, but rather because I hate governmental intrusion into the home. While I agree these things should not be done, I'm not going to advocate any new laws/rules in society. We have plenty. I think spanking a kid that was too young could rightly come under parental neglect/abuse laws. In short, if you can break the kid, don't spank the kid.
[ 08-12-2003, 10:19 AM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]