Spank your kids? Might as well hand them a cigarette

Do you spank your kids? Were you spanked as a child yourself?

Apparently you and your kids are headed down a long slippery slope.

I opened this article with my inner skeptic already perked. It just worsened the further I read.

Psychologists don't like spanking. I've known this for years. Spanking kids makes them more violent, causes distress, etc. etc. blah blah.

My mom spanked me. My friend's mom spanked me. You can be damn sure if they did, I certainly deserved it. I'm not psychologically scarred in any way. In fact, I'd probably be more of a delinquent if they hadn't deterred me from my evil ways. No threat ever worked quite as well as a swat on the bum.

This article on spanking claims that I am not the norm, but the exception. As a spanked child that functions normally in adulthood, I am likened to a smoker who reaches the age of 60 without lung cancer. It doesn't make smoking good for you, it just means that person is lucky.

Linked with spanking are apparent higher rates of partner abuse, crime, violence, and my personal favourite, sexual deviance.

Scientists have also recently found a link between married couples and pancreas size. You can find a link anywhere if you look hard enough for one.

I'm not saying a daily spanking, prolonged spanking, or smacking your kids across the face is okay. Far from it. That is wrong. Any action based on anger is wrong. An occasional smack on the butt as a disciplinary tactic is an entirely different matter.

I would invite any of these scientists performing such a study to operate as a substitute teacher or caregiver for a week to test out their theories. To live with obstinate kids who will not change their behaviour, who are rude, billigerent, violent and ill-behaved (and have never been physically disciplined). I personally suggest the 12 to 14 year old range for maximum effect.

These children are immune to current popular forms of discipline. They are savvy little sneaks who know exactly what they can get away with. No punishment fazes them; they have been allowed to run over everyone since birth. Many times attempted discipline is thwarted by the parents themselves, who teach disrespect to their children through their lack of discipline.

These same psychologists will also tell you that children don't develop the ability to understand reason or consequence until they approach the age of ten. Why then do they advocate reasoning as an explanation for punishment with these same kids?

A little healthy fear and respect would do them all a world of good. If a psychologist wanted to train a rat not to touch something, it would use a pain stimulus as a deterrent. What's good for rats is good for brats, I say.

What avenue of discipline remains for parents? For educators? For any of us?

What do you thnk