Discipline, old Fashioned, or much needed?
"All that kid needs is a good old fashioned whippin" How many times have we heard that from an "old timer"
The truth is, in an era of baby-boomers this generation of parents seem to have a new view of discipline especially spanking...
so how is that working out for these new parents? Kids seem different these days. Times have changed, should parenting skills change with them?
This is a very interesting argument, that can honestly be seen from both angles.
The ultimate goal of discipline is primarily, not to cause pain, but to train. Much of this can be accomplished without spanking, though that may be necessary at times. Spanking if chosen as the proper form of discipline for the action needs to be done without angry outbursts and excessive force even when spanking is at times needed.
I have always found the 1,2,3 method interesting, mainly because it seems parents who follow the 1,2,3 method, rarely follow through- for example,'Johnny- you better stop doing that, if you don't stop your going to be in trouble- JOHNNY- 1, 2 you better stop, that's it, 1,2,3 Johnny you better stop'... you get the point. I thought this was a very interesting point.. if you train your child to listen to you only after you counting to 3 what could happen in those 3 seconds your child chooses not to listen. Imagine this- Your child is standing on the curb about to step into the street, he has not been trained to listen to you the first time- every time, you for see danger and it very well means your child's life, and you call out wait, do not take another step... do you see where I am going with this? This was An interesting point to think about, that I had found very helpful when told to me.
One study revealed that many abusive mothers expect infants to know right from wrong by the time the child is one year of age. A third of those surveyed specified six months. As shocking as that sounds, how many of us can say we have felt this way a time or two? The truth is, as sleep deprived frustrated parents, at times we can think unreasonably.
More is involved in being a parent than producing a baby. Sadly, though, many today view their children as a burden and therefore lack commitment to their parental role. Such views can lead to the sad reality of the abuse of children.
The Greek word for Discipline means to Educate. If your child hits his friend across the head, and you smack your child across the head yelling- don't hit your friends... what is your child learning from you?
“Spanking can become child abuse when it is done in an out-of-control way, with enough force to leave injuries. Using instruments to hit, spanking with a closed fist, hitting very young children, and hitting in vulnerable areas (face, head,stomach, back, genitals) can increase the likelihood of corporal punishment becoming child abuse.”(quoted from the book: outgrowing the pain)
With all this being said, the question stands, is spanking a vital tool of discipline or an old fashioned and outdated method? To each parent, belongs their own choice, but serious consideration is important to maintain strong family units, helping our children give us a shinning hope for such a dark future.