Discipline

[Otter]

I think the survey question should read "Do you think its ok to discipline your child in public by spanking?"  The way its written now is a bit unclear..."spank or discipline"...discipline could be spanking or go stand in the corner.....just my two cents....

 

[Ken King]

Regardless of how the question is worded a parent should discipline their children when it is needed, public or private doesn't make a difference.

 

[Otter]

So, Ken, as to the way the question is worded...I find it kind of hard to believe that the vote is 37 to 5 in favor of spanking in public.....I would have thought the lawyer in ya would have had problems with the way that question was worded...I think 37 to 5 is more indicative of disciplining your child in public, not necessarily spanking..I think spanking was not needed in the question unless the person who submitted the question wanted to know how many people condoned spanking a child in public.  Maybe I'm just reading the question wrong.

 

[Ken King]

Otter,

I have no problem with how the question is written, it is a reasonable question.  Spanking is just a form of discipline.  Under the law in Maryland a parent is not prohibited from disciplining a child in public, to include corporal punishment.  

 

[karaalexis79]

I have spanked my daughter in public, and would do it again if I felt the need.  There is a difference in spanking and beating the hell out of your kid.  Some parents chose to spank, others don't.

Kara~

 

[vraiblonde]

Part of the punishment of my kids misbehaving and embarrassing me in public is that they get reprimanded in front of everyone and embarrassed right back.  I have a friend whose very intelligent kid knows that he can run wild in public because his Mom's too embarrassed to get after him and cause a scene.  Smart kid, dumb Mommy.

 

[Otter]

Ken King on 7:41 pm on Feb. 10, 2002[br]Otter,

I have no problem with how the question is written, it is a reasonable question.  Spanking is just a form of discipline.  Under the law in Maryland a parent is not prohibited from disciplining a child in public, to include corporal punishment.  

I am not talking about the law. The question asks "Do you think its okay to spank "OR"  discipline your child in public?  You have a choice of yes or no, where you could answer (1) yes, its ok to spank, (2) its ok to discipline(in some way other than spank) or (3) No.  Three different answers to a question where you are limited to 2 replies..I realize I am splitting hairs here, but I would find the data more interesting if the question said "Is it okay to discipline your child in public by spanking?"  At this point, 70 of 79 people have replied yes, its okay...I would like to now ask each one, did you mean you think its okay to spank? OR do you think its okay to discipline? I just feel the question is a bit hazy and I wouldn't be able to form a concrete opinion from the results.  

 

[RoseRed]

I have and will again, if the case warrents, give my daughter a swat on the bum.  Just because we are out in public does not mean she gets to run amuck and get away with bad behavior and get a "get out of jail free" card and not be punished.

Don't you just love other people that look at you like you are a bad parent when you do punish your child!?!  ARGH!

 

[Ken King]

Otter,

"Concrete opinion", you making crab bait or what?  It's more then splitting hairs - look at Vraiblonde's signature line, get the point.

 

[Otter]

Never mind, Ken, definitely my mistake to try to explain what I was getting at to you. lol

 

[Ken King]

Otter,

If you are interested in data why not start a poll.  You can word the question so that it meets the need for the data you are looking for.

 

[Guesswho3256]

Otter, I see you're point.  My answer of "no" was to the question of 'Do you think it's ok to spank a child in public?' I answered no because it makes others feel uncomfortable.  If I walk down an aisle in a grocery store and a mom is spanking and yelling at her child, I go to the next aisle.  I DO NOT think its right to do in front of everyone.  Embarassing your kid can make him/her even more obnoxious.  AND, spanking leads to crying and crying leads to more yelling, which leads to everyone in the entire store staring at you.  I think a more proper solution is to warn a child before leaving the house, i.e., "If you're not a good boy at the store, you're going to have to sit in the corner when we get home" or something similar.

 

[SxyPrincess]

Guess,

Do you have a child(ren)???  I know from my own experience, if my daughter acts up in public, she gets punished in public.  I've waited until getting to the car, home etc...but it never worked and while the behavior continued in the store/restaurant until we left...I got the embarassment.  

Also, from my own experience...if you don't do anything about the child's behavior...other people sometimes think your a slack parent by not correcting it at that time!

 

[Guesswho3256]

No Sxy, I don't.  My opinion is from a non-parent looking in.  I also am pretty young and remember exactly what it was like when I was within the spanking age-range.  Just the other day I was in the store and 2 little boys probably 10 years old were running as fast as they could through the aisles.  Knocking over stuff and throwing toys back and forth.  Both of those boys would've been spanked had they been mine, but it would've been done while no one was around, whether that means in an empty aisle or in the car or at home.  BUT, if they were mine, they also wouldn't have been acting like fools in public.  They would know better.

 

[RoseRed]

Princess,

I agree with you.  Children's behavior (good & bad) must be dealt with immediately.

There was a time I was in the eyecare department at Wal-Mart when my daughter was about 1 1/2 years old.  She decided to pitch a major fit, laying and thrashing on the floor, screaming, etc.  

I was being watched by a new mother (baby in strooler maybe 2-3 months old)  She looked at me with total disgust as I was trying to calmly deal with my daughter before I took her outside.

Apparently, after I walked out she made a comment to her baby saying, "I know that you'll never be bad like that!"  My girlfriend was still in the area with her son and heard this woman and just laughed at her and told her to wait, her time will come.

 

[SxyPrincess]

Guess,

Ok...HUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Until you've "walked" in my shoes--I don't want to hear your opinion.  Your in the clouds on this one!

 

[Guesswho3256]

I'm not going to hush.  If you don't want to hear it, don't read a forum that is 100% people's personal opinion.  Maybe i'll change my opinion once I do have kids, but until then...

RoseRed...You said that you took her "outside". Does that mean that you didn't spank her in front of everyone in there?  

 

[RoseRed]

I did not that day, but I have before.

You need to pick your battles.  If she is overly tired and just can't cope, then I don't think that is the time for a swat, but if she is climbing in and out of the booth and running up and down the aisle at a restaurant or trying to run in a parking lot, then yes, I will, its a safety/bad behavior issue.

 

[SxyPrincess]

Guess,

Your right..I have no business telling you to hush.  However, you shouldn't comment on a topic you know NOTHING about !

 

[Guesswho3256]

Did the question say you had to be a parent to share your thoughts???  I don't think so.  I KNOW how I feel when I see someone smacking and yelling at their child when there are other people present.  I KNOW that i'm not the only one who feels this way, i'm just the only one with enough balls to say it in here (apparently) knowing how snippy some of you can be  I KNOW a few people (that I just asked) who DO have children and feel the same as me.  So...like I said before...Maybe i'll change my opinion when I DO have kids...but for now, my opinion (from the outside looking in) is that I do not think its right.