Family Forum / Parenting / Spanking / September 2009

Joe, hi ...
I recently signed back on the a.p.s. group so it's good to see your
input. More such thoughtfulness and seriousness would help around
here.

Here in the states we have sort of gotten "enlightened" in that we
tend to look down on our heritage based on the values of bygone era's,
or Europe, (the Romans, too), even the Bible. Sort of like the idea of
moral authority is outmoded, or medieval.

Yet for me, raised back in the fifties, sixties, there were more
traditional values then. Good parenting meant you restrained your
children, kept them in line. No government EXPERTS second-guessed a
mom for giving a bratish behaving kid a good whack now and again.

But now, that kind of parenting is derided, like it is "Bible Belt"
backwardness.

I certainly dont want to get branded supporting child abuse. But in my
own memory, what seemed like total cruelty at the time, I now regard
as almost essential, indispensable, to my own moral development and
evolution into ADULTHOOD.

Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:

Child buttock-battering for the purpose of gaining compliance is
nothing more than an inherited bad habit.

Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and
learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.

I think the reason why television shows like "Supernanny" and "Dr.
Phil" are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all)
people are trying to do.

There are several reasons why child buttock-battering isn't a good
idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:

Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,

The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,

NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.

Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits
is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse
for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources,
testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily
be found by doing a little research on "spanking".

Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child
buttock-battering isn't a good idea:

American Academy of Pediatrics,

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,

Center For Effective Discipline,

PsycHealth Ltd Behavioral Health Professionals,

Churches' Network For Non-Violence,

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,

Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,

Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In 26 countries, child buttock-battering is prohibited by law (with
more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not
ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.