Things have changed so very much...
...over my lifetime. I could list a thousand things that are extremely different than they were when I was a kid but I'm sticking to the things that parents do.
The yahoo that commented, "You hit a child?" may have been unaware that 20 years ago, physical punishment was accepted to an extent. And, when I was a kid, it was accepted to a much larger extent.
When I was raising my children, some things that I did (things that everyone did) would probably get me arrested today. We didn't have car seats so we put infants on a pillow on the floorboard of the car and knew that they were safe. Of course they weren't, but that's the best idea we could come up with.
My mother smoked around her kids...I remember her nursing babies with a cigarette in her hand. As awful as that sounds today, it was what mothers did back then. And, as I said, my father spanked us with a belt. We were left with welts and bruises from the whippings that we received. If we had called the cops, the cops would have laughed at us and high fived the parent who had done the punishing. My parents were loving parents and they had our best interests at heart. It's just that parents did these things back then...it was considered normal. I'm quite sure that parents of today are raising children in a way that will be considered cruel, stupid or even illegal by the time their kids have kids of their own. So, don't be so quick to judge the way that older generations disciplined their kids back in the day.
Personally, I think that there are 2 situations where a child deserves to be spanked. One is blatant disobedience and the other is when they do something SO stupid that a parent doesn't have time to teach them the lesson at hand...such as running across the street. If a kid is so stupid that they don't know why you shouldn't run across the street, a parent should give them a reason...a good old fashioned butt whippin'. Things like that are potential life savers and parents don't have time to worry about having "discussions" that may or may not teach the kid that lesson. They need to save the kids life and if a spanking is what it takes, then so be it. I'd rather smack a kid than "talk" to them, hoping that the chat will sink in and save the child's life one day.
I also believe that a parent has the right to raise their children the way that they see fit, within reason of course. Parents certainly pay the price when the kids do something destructive or illegal so they should have the right to discipline in the manner that they feel is best for their own kids.
I have to wonder who that commentator was...they were offended that I smacked a kid, but didn't mention a thing about Rick spanking my kid...which was also in the post that they commented on. Why would someone be so selective in their complaints about corporal punishment after reading that post?
I think I know.
Well, I busted my ass last night and I need to go straight to bed right now before I pass out at the puter.
Have a great day ya'll!
Meg
...over my lifetime. I could list a thousand things that are extremely different than they were when I was a kid but I'm sticking to the things that parents do.
The yahoo that commented, "You hit a child?" may have been unaware that 20 years ago, physical punishment was accepted to an extent. And, when I was a kid, it was accepted to a much larger extent.
When I was raising my children, some things that I did (things that everyone did) would probably get me arrested today. We didn't have car seats so we put infants on a pillow on the floorboard of the car and knew that they were safe. Of course they weren't, but that's the best idea we could come up with.
My mother smoked around her kids...I remember her nursing babies with a cigarette in her hand. As awful as that sounds today, it was what mothers did back then. And, as I said, my father spanked us with a belt. We were left with welts and bruises from the whippings that we received. If we had called the cops, the cops would have laughed at us and high fived the parent who had done the punishing. My parents were loving parents and they had our best interests at heart. It's just that parents did these things back then...it was considered normal. I'm quite sure that parents of today are raising children in a way that will be considered cruel, stupid or even illegal by the time their kids have kids of their own. So, don't be so quick to judge the way that older generations disciplined their kids back in the day.
Personally, I think that there are 2 situations where a child deserves to be spanked. One is blatant disobedience and the other is when they do something SO stupid that a parent doesn't have time to teach them the lesson at hand...such as running across the street. If a kid is so stupid that they don't know why you shouldn't run across the street, a parent should give them a reason...a good old fashioned butt whippin'. Things like that are potential life savers and parents don't have time to worry about having "discussions" that may or may not teach the kid that lesson. They need to save the kids life and if a spanking is what it takes, then so be it. I'd rather smack a kid than "talk" to them, hoping that the chat will sink in and save the child's life one day.
I also believe that a parent has the right to raise their children the way that they see fit, within reason of course. Parents certainly pay the price when the kids do something destructive or illegal so they should have the right to discipline in the manner that they feel is best for their own kids.
I have to wonder who that commentator was...they were offended that I smacked a kid, but didn't mention a thing about Rick spanking my kid...which was also in the post that they commented on. Why would someone be so selective in their complaints about corporal punishment after reading that post?
I think I know.
Well, I busted my ass last night and I need to go straight to bed right now before I pass out at the puter.
Have a great day ya'll!
Meg
posted by Meg Kelso | 5:36 AM
5 Comments:
Just to back you up here, Meg, twenty years ago and especially before that when I was growing up, things were quite different from today. There weren't women's shelters, sexual assault centres, or police officers trained in dealing with domestic violence issues. You're right. Cops would high five the parents or the abusing husband.
There were no seat belt laws and drunk driving wasn't considered dangerous or taken seriously as a criminal offense.
I didn't hit my child (who is now 21) but I do remember people smoking around him all the time. No one thought twice about it. I was "weird" for raising my child with non sexist values, not believing in violence as punishment or child rearing, all that New Agey stuff LOL
I am considered to be a generation X'r, and I do believe that an occassional good spanking - when deserved, will instill a healthy and respectful fear in a child. There's a very big difference between physical abuse and needed discipline.
Yep, 25 years ago I was considered "ridiculous" for not letting my boys play with guns. My mother in law bought my son a gun that shot out ping pong balls and he shot his sister with it. I couldn't take it away until the grandmother was gone, and he had some fun until I did. So, some of us were actually a bit behind the time with our "new agey" parenting skills.
And a good old fashioned spanking is what's missing in so many kid's lives today. You don't have to run around hitting them all the time...just the knowledge that you WILL do it is enough for most kids.
I remember lying to my parents about where I was going...I didn't actually "lie"...I just didn't tell them that it was my boyfriend who was hosting the slumber party. His mother called all of the parents and in the middle of the party, someone said, "Your mother is on her way over here." We took off and went to a bowling alley where my mother saw us jumping on the car after we locked bumpers with another car. She chased me into the bowling alley and like an idiot, I ran into the bathroom. I was cornered. She took me home and spanked me and then she sent me upstairs to where my father was waiting for his go at me. I was spanked twice for the same crime. I didn't think that was fair at all.
My father also lectured us, for what seemed like hours. I would stare at him thinking, "Beat the hell out of me and let me go." But I remember the things that he said during those lectures and they have held me in good stead over my life.
As a single mother, I had to have control over the kids and it was a good healthy fear of a spanking that kept me in charge. They don't remember being spanked, but they were. After that, they grew up knowing that they needed to listen to me, they didn't quite know why...but they knew something bad would happen if they didn't.
As I said, I'm very proud of my kids today and I wouldn't do a thing different...except perhaps marry Rick.
Meg
Oh...about the drunk driving, I saw a movie years ago that had a man who killed a little girl accidentally while drunk. Rather than being ostracized, the entire town felt sorry for him because he had to live with the guilt of what he did. Things certainly have changed!
Meg
When I was a kid ( 6 going on 7 ) I had a pop gun, i would race to the local shop and buy caps for it, then race back ( on my two wheeler) back home. I was playing cowboys and indians ofcourse.
I am happy to say I don't play with guns now, I actually don't like real guns. LOL another female generation Xer here too lol
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