Quote: Originally posted by alan29 on 07/4/2018
Odd that we managed to raise three decent kids without smacking them.
When everything else is wrong in a family, smacking just teaches that violence gets you your own way.
When relationships and shared values in a family are solid, smacking is not needed.
Both my brother and I were smacked from time to time...with good reason I might add and after being warned verbally more than once. It taught us one thing only...don't ever do it again!
I am sure my parents would say they raised two decent kids. We both loved and respected our parents and neither of us condone or tolerate violence. We brought up our children with the same disciplines and they have all turned out to be decent kids too.
Whatever works for you. If your kids will listen and behave themselves without needing a smack from time to time then you are lucky. My own children's kids (my grand kids) are being brought up in this era of no smacking and from time to time they can be right little so and so's with parents shouting, pleading, begging, offering bribes and being pretty well ignored. I have to watch this and keep my hands in my pockets knowing full well that a quick slap across the back of the legs with a stern warning would stop the tantrums in their tracks.
Although the kids of my childhood were no angels they were taught respect and decency and that was backed by...or the threat of...physical chastisement. Over the years physical chastisement has been frowned upon and kids are becoming more and more violent so the suggestion that physical chastisement breeds violence doesn't seem to hold up.
A lot of it is down to reporting or lack of it. Yes there has been a fair few violent attacks this week, that's awful. In context the same period last year, there was 14 such attacks that wasn't reported as widely. Why the reporting this week?, what are they trying to deflect or who are they trying to blame...all very fishy to me!.
Nail on the head Bob, like you said if your kids tow the line and dont need chastisement your lucky!
Lots of parents thinks its abuse but if a child is continuously pushing the boundaries with no signs of changing their behaviour, they will keep doing it and running rings round the parents.
Having said the above, with clear boundaries set for children and them clearly knowing whats acceptable, smacking shouldnt be needed. We've never had to smack our kids and they do sometimes have their moments like all children but i wouldnt hesitate if they go to far and they start showing little regard to other forms of discipline.
Getting back to the topic directly, the occurrences over the last few months and longer with youth culture is disgusting, im genuinely worried for our younger generations growing up, it has everything to do with respect and your upbringing and shines the spotlight on how generation after generation have/are being failed, this in turn is directly related to the huge global problem of recreational drugs being the 'norm' of todays youth!!
It isn't a problem of youth culture. Its a problem of poor parenting and broken families.
I spent 25 years as a secondary teacher in one of the toughest and poorest areas of one of our Northern cities. Every child came from a similar financially deprived background.
The fact is that not every kid was into drugs or violence or drink etc. Very few were.
But almost all the lads that were in gangs and involved with the law came from backgrounds where the family was in bits - where Dad was not around.
How can lads be expected to grow up into decent men if they don't have a decent Dad to show them how?