Hot Topic (2/18): Discipline - OK to spank or do other methods work better? How young is too young to punish a child?

I am okay with it...  but it COMPLETELY depends on a few factors.   The parents that practice spanking should be balanced emotionally.... those people are hard to come by.  Then, there is the "how hard" factor.

I was spanked as a child and turned out well, IMO.   But I'll never forget the day I was in my teens... mom tried pulling that card and I just laughed in her face.   I lost a lot of respect for her that day.  There HAS to be a cut-off point or the kid will only retaliate.

As for MY kid...... I've been in agreeance for the most part with spanking.   BUT, when I imagine doing it to my own child, I can't bare it.... not even the thought.  Instead, I will step back, analyze the situation, and find what I am doing as a responsible parent to provoke the behavior directly or indirectly.  There are other methods.

i agree with spanking whole heartedly although it has become an issue in this house with step parents spanking step kids i believe and society has plenty of things that have happened to prove that if we dont spank our kids all hell will break lose look at the unruly kids their parents dont know what to do because they dont wanna spank and some end up in gangs and dead and some go to boot camp but what about the 3 and 4 year olds when are we going to nip it in the bud and put an end to it all i personally think that a swift swat is what alot of kids need and it sux that the government is giving the kids more rights than the parents and taking the right as a parent to spank away , and when a child is old enough to start doing things after being told not to then its time to start doing something or the child will rule the house not the parent i say when thet are old enough to move around and reach for stuff and are told at least 2 or 3 time a pop wont hurt i mean when did a spanin kill any one

and if any one can come up with an alternative that will work let me know ive tried time outs corner chores and allowance spanking was the only thing that worked and as i said that is causing issues at this moment and we need something else

Wow - we're really going to get into controversy around here, aren't we?  Okay.  Here's the two cents of a mom of kids who are now teens, who did get their bottoms popped from time to time when they misbehaved, when they were smaller.

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I think every child is different and therefore every child responds differently to punishment. Some kids, if you spank them will only learn anger and start hitting everyone. I personally love Super nanny and think we should start with more educated ways to teach our children proper behaviors. I love time out, I love rewarding good behavior and taking things away for bad behavior. Some see bribing as a bad thing, but my 13 year old is one of the best kids her age, she is compassionate, works with a global community advisor group at school to go into the community and help others, she loves playing "psychologist" with her friends and helping them solve problems, she is patient, loving and well rounded and her teachers repeatedly tell me what a mature little mother I have, so I guess my bribing and reward methods have worked well so far. I also believe in being able to earn back things. Say my dd swore, ok so she loses her laptop for the day, then she goes and cleans her room and helps me with her baby brother, then we have a discussion why the word was inappropriate, what she could have said instead, and she can earn her laptop back early. she learns a lesson,and housework gets done, yay! My 2 year old son is harder, he's autistic and always in trouble, he doesnt understand bribery really or much else, so if hes doing something hes not supposed to, then I have to redirect him and give him something else to keep him busy. We're struggling with him climbing on things like my entertainment center and his desk right now, his poor little legs are all bruised and he keeps falling off, nothing is working..so I guess its time to put up the new desk we just bought him, he loves to color, and get a higher entertainment center he cant climb on. Maybe I should call super nanny for help on this one....

I don't usually spank my kids, now and then I give them a swat on the butt if you want to call that technically spanking...I don't think you should use a belt or anything besides a hand on the bottom, and it shouldn't be done while angry.   As a kid I was "spanked" and I feared the people who did it, I want my kids to RESPECT me not fear me~  The child also needs to be old enough to understand why they are getting spanked & what is "going on". 

There have been plenty of kids I have seen who seem to need a good spanking though, lol.

People who spank have anger issues and a lack of imagination.

Sorry, but I just don't see how you can look at your child and say you love them if you hit them. There are so many other ways to punish to get a point across without resorting to psychical abuse.

my son is 2 and most of the time he listens to No but when he dosent he gets three chances then he gets spanked and by that i mean one swat on the but or the hand depending on what the offence was its never hard and its never more than one swat i spank him before i get very angry i smacked his bum once when i was angry and i cried cause i smacked him too hard so now i know u spank when u are still calm so u dont ever hurt your child spanking should NEVER leave a mark on a child

I spank my 2 yr old. She gets a warning and then the 2nd time she gets a time out and if she does it again she gets a swat on the butt. I know alot of people say its wrong ect. But its what works for me and my family. I think if u figure out what works in ur house use it.

I believe that spanking is just find there is a diffrence in spanking and beating, a little swat on there bottom never hurt them. I think todays world is what it has become because parents cant disipline there children the way that they see fit.

Spanking should be left to life or death susitions. NO other times.

I found the best way to disiplane my children was to pull them aside hug them and WISPHER in their ears what they did wrong and the corrective action I wanted them to take.  It is very hard to ingore someone who is wispering in your ear.  My kids are in college and high school and still cringe when i speak quietly, they know its time to listen when mom speaks softly.  I t also works on my nieces and nephew who were raised by yelling and spanking, I get better results then my sisters who are amazed that their kids listen to me with out complaint and take prompt action every time.

Yelling never works.