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presents

WebMD Community Talk Show

Serving up a new debate daily, this is the place where putting up your dukes and defending your opinion is encouraged.

Last Reply:

Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?

Olivia_WebMD_Staff posted:

To spank or not to spank? That is one of the more popular debates in our parenting communities here at WebMD.

What are your thoughts? Do you spank? Do you think it is ever an appropriate way to discipline your child?

What form of discipline works best for you?

Share your views and defend your stance!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Again, remember to attack the position, not the member. Each person has his or her own viewpoint, and you are not likely to change a mind by name-calling or personal attacks.)

100 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?To spank or not to spank? That is one of the more popular debates in our parenting communities here at WebMD. What are your thoughts? Do you spank? Do you think it is ever an appropriate way to discipline your child? What form of discipline works best for you? Share your views and defend your stance! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Again, remember to attack the position, not the member. Each person has his or her own viewpoint, and you are not likely to change a mind by name-calling or personal attacks.)

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brunosbud replied to apprd's response:

Hey, "dude"...you still think I'm the argumentative one, now?

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?Hey, "dude"...you still think I'm the argumentative one, now?

CanadianDyanne replied to naggingwife74's response:

I am so happy that you turned out so well under your childhood situation. My husband faced the same in his youth yet he knew right from wrong once he was grown.

WORN1...I can understand where you are coming from as well.

Spanking sometimes is what a child understands and its because of the embarrassment imo ! I only got spanked a few times, no nothing that actually hurt me, but boy was I embarassed and I did not do it again let me tell ya.

Whats most important, as others has said, there is a difference between beating and spanking.
Tapping a toddler's hand once, popping achild on a pamper once really is more of a 'shock' effect and can be very effective.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?I am so happy that you turned out so well under your childhood situation. My husband faced the same in his youth yet he knew right from wrong once he was grown. WORN1...I can understand where you are coming from as well. Spanking sometimes is what a child understands and its because of the embarrassment imo ! I only got spanked a few times, no nothing that actually hurt me, but boy was I embarassed and I did not do it again let me tell ya. Whats most important, as others has said, there is a difference between beating and spanking. Tapping a toddler's hand once, popping achild on a pamper once really is more of a 'shock' effect and can be very effective.

concern83 replied to Boyzmomee's response:

first of all skills you learned in a classroom has nothing to do with it. all discipline hurts the child in some way if its the behind or the feelings. now i do use other forms of discipline such as grounding or time outs for the youger ones. and you have some degree in mental health right tell me why most of the children you hear of blowing up things and shooting up school there is/was a lack of discipline. like i always said to each is own i dont put down how no one parents because no 2 people are the same. im just saying grounding,timeouts and spankings work well with me and mine. and for you to say you never hurt your child in any way i find that very hard to believe because whatever form of punishment you use its gonna hurt the childs' feelings.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?first of all skills you learned in a classroom has nothing to do with it. all discipline hurts the child in some way if its the behind or the feelings. now i do use other forms of discipline such as grounding or time outs for the youger ones. and you have some degree in mental health right tell me why most of the children you hear of blowing up things and shooting up school there is/was a lack of discipline. like i always said to each is own i dont put down how no one parents because no 2 people are the same. im just saying grounding,timeouts and spankings work well with me and mine. and for you to say you never hurt your child in any way i find that very hard to believe because whatever form of punishment you use its gonna hurt the childs' feelings.

concern83 replied to CanadianDyanne's response:

could not have said it better myself well put

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?could not have said it better myself well put

An_241873 replied to Boyzmomee's response:

Well educated people can also make bad decisions....

-apparently "lesser" educated person

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?Well educated people can also make bad decisions.... -apparently "lesser" educated person

brunosbud replied to concern83's response:

Concern, I said the same thing a while back...

It doesn't work.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?Concern, I said the same thing a while back... It doesn't work.

ewcollins replied to An_241873's response:

My Dad was well educated; he had a Ph.D. in Sociology. He spanked me with his belt. That was the way that he was brought up. He did not consider spanking with a belt to be beating.

It did me no good whatsoever, and 50 years later, I still resent it. I never hit my boy, and he turned out better than me.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?My Dad was well educated; he had a Ph.D. in Sociology. He spanked me with his belt. That was the way that he was brought up. He did not consider spanking with a belt to be beating. It did me no good whatsoever, and 50 years later, I still resent it. I never hit my boy, and he turned out better than me.

An_243740 replied to ewcollins's response:

im sorry by your son turning out better than you is just a result of different parenting all together not based on just discipline. i feel bad for you for what ever childhood you had to go through but you cant just put that on wheather you spank your child or not. the way a child turns out have to do with overall parenting.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?im sorry by your son turning out better than you is just a result of different parenting all together not based on just discipline. i feel bad for you for what ever childhood you had to go through but you cant just put that on wheather you spank your child or not. the way a child turns out have to do with overall parenting.

DoOvers replied to ewcollins's response:

Ewcollins, you seem to be presenting the most rational argument on here and brought some data to the table. I find it amusing that in a debate this heated noone has tried to refute or comment on that. I would say you are doing pretty well.

P.S. All the (An_numbers & Anon_numbers ping back to the same I.P. address).

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?Ewcollins, you seem to be presenting the most rational argument on here and brought some data to the table. I find it amusing that in a debate this heated noone has tried to refute or comment on that. I would say you are doing pretty well. P.S. All the (An_numbers & Anon_numbers ping back to the same I.P. address).

monkeyboy2010 replied to Boyzmomee's response:

I try not to do it.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?I try not to do it.

jbrinson2 responded:

I was spanked as a child, and I will discipline my children in the same way. Children HAVE to understand that their are boundaries and that respect is NOT an option. Parents that allow their children to run the household are not only spineless and weak, but also pose an emense burdon on society because these little hellians of theirs go out into the world to be (in my opinion) a whole lot more socially distorted than those who have been physically disciplined over the span of their childhood. They are not doing any of us any favors by not spanking/disciplining their children.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?I was spanked as a child, and I will discipline my children in the same way. Children HAVE to understand that their are boundaries and that respect is NOT an option. Parents that allow their children to run the household are not only spineless and weak, but also pose an emense burdon on society because these little hellians of theirs go out into the world to be (in my opinion) a whole lot more socially distorted than those who have been physically disciplined over the span of their childhood. They are not doing any of us any favors by not spanking/disciplining their children.

Anon_475 replied to jbrinson2's response:

Children are perfectly capable of understanding boundaries without being spanked. Children who are not spanked are not necessarily children who are not punished. Parents who do not spank use other means of education and discipline and do not let their children run the household any more than parents who DO spank. Just because you cannot imagine such a situation does not mean it does not exist.

Report This| Share this:Spanking as Discipline: Yes or No?Children are perfectly capable of understanding boundaries without being spanked. Children who are not spanked are not necessarily children who are not punished. Parents who do not spank use other means of education and discipline and do not let their children run the household any more than parents who DO spank. Just because you cannot imagine such a situation does not mean it does not exist.

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