I agree... My 9 yo... all out belt beating I can count on one hand how many times I've whooped w/belt.

My 2yo... Prolly once.

My 1yo... Prolly never.

I have an 8 year old, 2 year old, 1 year old - all boys. I apparently have another one on the way - damn New Year's Eve.

When the 8 year old was young, I did have to spank him. Not often, but enough that he knew what it was.

My 2 year old (well, soon to be 2 on Feb. 16th), I just started spanking him. He's as hard headed of child as I have ever seen. Tell him no, he does it again with you watching. Make the "I'll spank your butt" threat, he smiles, does it again. That's when he gets a swat.

The 1 year old: Only once thus far. There's only so many times he can try to put his hand in the fire place before he actually gets burned. He's shaping up to be the hard headed type.

Thus far, I think I have given less than 10 "diaper free" spanks - all to the 8 year old. The diaper provides extra padding, plus, if you pop it just right, it makes a sound like you just hit them with a piece of wood and puts a little fear into them. Now, the 8 year old immediately pops into shape with the "Do I need to come in there and swat your butt?" Plus, my wife has the threat "I'm going to tell your dad when he gets home". Works out well for everyone.

Spanking = physically striking your child as a form of parental discipline and or punishment

How's that?

Dammit, don't ruin my thoughts about spanking. I think about spanking everytime I see your Avitar. Now I'm getting confused.

I have 2 kids. I have spanked my daughter (11) maybe twice in her life. She is a very good kid. I have spanked my son (8) more often. Though it has been a few years since his last spanking. I spanked them only when they truly needed to be spanked. They both learned early that I mean what I say. They are both really well behaved kids.

That would be weird spanking your daughter. Really, it would be weird having a daughter. If I had one, I don't think I'd ever do anything to it. Not even talk to it.

I'm curious about those people that think a spanking can exist without inflicting pain? Isn't that the whole point?

Do you think that the need to spank rises in correlation with number of children in the same general age range (under five years of separation). I just noticed from the replies that seemed to be true. Perhaps with the availability of co-conspirators the propensity to boldly challenge the line increases?

-HH

I've spanked my boy probably about 8 times his whole life (he's 13 now) and not for years. What I've noticed about parents I've seen who do not believe in spanking because "they're civilized", is that they suck at discipline in general. I know about 4 couples who've never spanked their kids, and I'm amazed at the length they have to go to get their children to obey them, if they obey them at all.

i got spanked when i was a kid. with all kinds of things to cords, hangers, sticks, and those fancy belts with all the little metal crap on it. i look back and i know i deserved every one of those i was bad when i was a kid. if my kids turn out like me i know im gonna have to give a couple of whoppins to.

im curious about the guy who started this thread. did u start it because u heard about the new law in california ? for ppl who don't know in california there is a new law that says if ur child is under 3 u can't spank them for any reason. punishment i think is they charge u with child abuse.

Not in my opinion. The point in spanking is to break their will.

I only think spanking is necessary whenever a child knowingly and intentionally is defiant. They do something wrong, yo let them know what they did is wrong, and that, if they do that again, they will get a spanking. The ball's in their court. They know the consequences if they do it again.

The thing I hate is, when in public, hearing a parent count to three. Problem is, nothing ever happens once they hit three. The just start counting again, only louder. Hello. It's not that they didn't hear you the first time. Think about it.

I think the first spanking my boy got was when he bolted from me in the mall, after he'd been warned the first time. I got quite a few nasty looks, but I couldn't have cared less. I'm not going to let some bleeding heart onlookers give my boy a chance to pull that stunt a third time and possibly have some perv smuggle him out of the store, all because I didn't want to look bad . . . and I too deserved every ass-whoopin I got. My mom was ironing once and I back-talked her and she pulled the iron cord out of the wall and whipped my ass with it. Talk about surprised . . . now that's multi-tasking!

Well you might hit the pamper (which doesn't hurt at all).
You might lightly swat just to let you know that you mean business and they're going to really get it if they don't do as you say.

My 1yo son, he has a fetich with pushing buttons. That's what most of his spankings are. He'll turn the knob on the receiver. Turn the T.V. off. play with the computer. Stand up in chairs. Pull my 2yo hair. Hit 2yo. Plays with water in toilet. Goes in shower by himself and get socks wet. That's the short list.

Some I handle. Some I tell the 2yo to handle (It builds character if they work it out themselves. He needs to learn how to respect things/people).

Mostly he gets swats to make him stop pushing the buttons, playing in refrigerator, being in room he's not supposed to be in. He gets whoopings for playing in toilet and stuff you really wouldn't want him doing while you weren't around and he could possibly get injured doing.

"Do you want me to get the belt?"

"we had never seen the belt. we had only heard about it...

...the belt was eight feet wide...nine feet long...
and had hooks on it that would rip the meat off your body when it hit you...."

I agree that breaking the will is the underlying goal. I'm just not sure how taps on pampers or other non-pain spankings actually break a child's will.

Perhaps the underlying question of the whole thread is, "Are you willing to take it to the wall" with your defiant kid?