[Typhoid]

I just smoked a bowl, and I feel like touching on a few things that stuck in my head from this thread.

First off, I don't consider spanking your child "hitting", or "beating" them. Maybe I was spanked differently. It wasn't about the pain, it was about the embarrassment of having your parents smack you in the ass with either a hand, or an object. I'd hardly equate spanking a child to clocking them in the teeth with your fist, or hurling some dinner plates at their heads.

Secondly, I don't believe in time-outs. If you somehow end up raising a shitty kid (parenting skills aside), putting them in the corner of a room won't do shit. It won't teach them that _____ was wrong, it will just piss them off for being in the corner of a room. Time-outs are the stupidest things ever, and were probably created by parents who were legitimately beaten as kids, opposed to spanked.

Third of all, I wouldn't go the route of public humiliation with your child. That's not only rude, but it's cold-hearted and mean - especially to your child. Not to mention it makes everyone else around you feel awkward.

I also wouldn't argue the points with my child. Your child is not your equal, they are your child. You are not to raise them thinking that yelling and arguing are the proper ways of communicating a point. If you live in a household where arguing and yelling is the way to 'win' a discussion, that child will just grow up to be a really annoying and abrasive person who is always loud. If you prefer the verbal approach, try a nice, calm discussion of why what he/she did was wrong. This method assumes that your child is not a complete degenerate, because you have hopefully raised them to respect people at this point.

Now, back to the topic of spanking. It really bugs me when people say "I spanked my kid", and someone else pipes up with "You hit your child?" as if a smack on the bum is on par with whipping a little girl with a belt, or backhanding your son across the face. It even bugs me when people refer to spanking as "hitting". Sure, it's hitting - but you're not hitting your child. If I spank my girlfriend, I'm not beating her. I'm spanking her. Sure, it's a different context, but still.

Now, while I completely am behind (har har) spanking, I don't think it should be the go-to 'punishment'. I was only spanked a handful of times, but it was the thought of being spanked that straightened me out in my times of hyper-annoyance and excessive sleuthing.

With children, the thought is far worse than the act. For most things.