 | After much reading I have found that pediatricians and psychologists say that spanking doesn't really accomplish anything. I must also note that I am not an advocate of spanking even though I was spanked (with a belt and many other "items" within arms reach) as a child. What is also interesting is that as more parents are choosing not to spank their children; violent crime, theft, abductions, sexual crimes, forced entries, car theft, physical attacks, violence in schools and crimes that are gun related have increased dramatically. I guess I'm curious to know if I'm the only one who thinks that there is some sort of connection. I took my daughter to the doctor's office and there was a woman and her husband with their toddler. The little boy was misbehaving and slamming toys around the play area. She kept telling him to stop but her voice had no real enthusiasm and really had no "authority" to it. It was almost like she wasn't even speaking (actually it was more like she was say, "It's ok honey, smash the toys as much as you want"). The boy then started to try to irritate me by standing beside me and making this funny sound. The husband with a more aggressive tone told him to stop and he still didn't listen. Luckily, it was there turn to go in because I was about to blow up (to the point where I wanted to spank him myself). In my day, I would have got a few smacks on the butt and been put to sit down. My wife agreed she would have experienced the same thing and we're from different cultures.
The whole spanking thing weighs heavily on my heart because my little girl is a baby now but I've seen so many parents where their children are out of control and they don't do enough to stop it (in my opinion). I really don't want her to get out of hand but I don't want to spank her because most of the time it gets out of control; I don't want to be that kind of parent. I've watched a few Dr Phil episodes (yes I'm a guy and I watch it) and he's given a few good pointers and tips but I'm really scared that they will not work. I'd really appreciate any feedback or success stories that others are willing to share and what others think about the connection between spanking and increased crime. |
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