Saturday, January 30, 2010

Spanking is bad

I stumbled across one of those "mommy boards" this morning. The biggest thread was about spanking and how bad it was. (that argument isn't over yet? They were still fighting that one out 10 years ago when I left mommy boards....) You wouldn't hit an adult, why hit a kid... all the same reasons. I grew up being spanked, but I could count how many times on one hand. My dad didn't have to spank... I knew if I screwed up I'd get spanked and who wants that? I don't see spanking as hitting... slam me for that one.

But stop and think about it for a minute.... when the parenting experts (coughbullshitcough) decided that spanking was no longer a correct form of parenting, what happened? What are we all bitching about now? The lack of respect that kids have for adults these days...

Think about it.

When I was in high school there were a few teachers that you just knew going into their class that you didn't screw up in their class. We heard the stories - sometimes from the "victims" themselves - of those teachers picking up boys by the collar and holding them up against the wall and getting right in their face. There weren't many trips to the principle's office in my day, the teachers took care of the discipline themselves. And they were respected. To this day they are respected by my generation and generations before me. I hear kids in school now talking about these same teachers... yep, some are still there... and I wonder if they are talking about the same people! He doesn't scream until blood comes out of his nose anymore? She doesn't slam books on the desk? He doesn't throw erasers at students anymore?

Of course not. They can't.

And guess what? There's no respect anymore either. People are horrified about the old stories of the nuns in Catholic schools who would break rulers over someone's hand. Yeah well, there was no disrespect in that generation. None. The word didn't even exist.

You call it fear? Call it what you want, but I call it respect, which kids have none in this world today... they don't even have fear! They know adults hands are tied - someone is going to cry abuse.

So to all the parenting experts and all of you parenting-by-the-book people - thank you.

And don't even get me started on the baby-wearing, breastfeeding until kindergarten, don't let the baby cry, co-sleeping, toy bleaching parents....

Sorry. Just my little temper tantrum this morning.


4 comments:

Kimber said...

LOL I love your tantrums!

Bud Weiser, WTIT said...

I think that this was as accurate assessment of PC that I have ever read. This is a perfect post. I spanked my kids. Of course, I'm old enough our pediatrician told us to spank. Bravo. I really mean it!

Fragrant Liar said...

A welcome dose of fear of one's elders is a good thing. Parenting experts be damned, and you're right. Kids don't respect authority anymore because the authority has been stripped from them.

Susan said...

THANK YOU! GOodness...I am so repulsed by the lack of respect in our schools. And now the Catholic schools are filled with all the reject kids from public schools. When are we going to start teaching our children to respect their elders? It just drives me mad.