Spanking kids cause long term harm?

Hmm...well everyones opinion seems too have some merit hence why discretion is very important so as not too seem self rigtheous I suppose...

I don't know about you guys but I use to get my ass beat relentlessly with a stick back in africa if I did something really out of line, nothing scarring but it sure did hurt. and with that beating natural instinct took over and anytime I think of doing something bad I think about what my parents would do and steer clear when I was younger...only down side is that my threshold for pain became really high and their beatings didn't effect me when I got a little older and use to think it was out of 'hate' which could if kids who take parental beatings to heart might get the impression that their parents hate them and do bad stuff out of spite to get back at them or something along those lines...whatever it could be; get punished when you do something bad is a must when your a parent (I sure am gonna kick my kids arse if they do something irrasponsable) :P

My dad grew up in times when corporeal punishment was still quite standard, and raised me in the same way.

And yet I am such a shining paragon of a model citizen that Lords and Ladies can only gawk in awe at my cool.


But- nah- I'm not against it. I'm not saying that we should beat kids senseless- but people are way too easy on the l'il bastards these days; they never go outside, they're spoiled silly with junk food and gadgets, they dress like slobs and are exposed to terrible media influences constantly.

I say if they step outta line- a good knock oughter learn 'em. A solid whack and they'll think twice before picking up another doobie.

I've always wondered if spanking children would make the child develop a fetish of it.

Maybe...I hope not. That would be kind of loco.

Can't speak from personal experience because I am one twisted bastard, but physical punishment such as spanking doesn't result in adverse effects in a child's growth. The exception being in the case of abuse but I doubt it would be exclusively spanking in that case. It seems (after listening to my generation and older generations) that physical punishment was better for children in the past then the abuse that spoiled children go through today that is creating an army of selfish, unimaginative, unintelligent brats.

You hit the nail right on the head...

It depends on many factors in the kid's life really guys...Like for me, I was punished through sitting on rice by using my knees to being whipped with a belt, which I was not just whipped in the butt, but also the back till it changed color. Overall, I never called the police, because I knew I did something wrong before. And when I look back at it now, I would laugh at myself for how dumb I was back then.

But spanking to me doesn't cause any long term harm to the kid. It sets them to remember what they did as being wrong. If I was to discipline my kid someday, I would tell him/her to get the belt and bring it to me. If he didn't listen, I would give him a look and count to 3. If he disobeyed further I'll get the belt myself, and spank him for disobeying me then spank him again for what he did in the first place. Then after, I'll tell him why I spanked him and explain what he/she did wrong. Then I'll kiss him/her and hug, then tell them no matter what happens, I always love him/her and nothing can change that. Just remember to always tell them what they did wrong after you spank them, so they know why they received their punishment.

I see... What I love about people who say "I will not do what my parents did to me."(concerning discipline) Is the fact they end up not sticking to their guns and end up doing to their child what their parents did to them.

People are so indecisive it is not even funny...

Well as long as that dang child knows what they did was wrong all is forgiven.

Exactly man :)

As i child i was smacked and kicked (among other things) and for myself i cannot notice a difference this is because i have PTS, post traumatic stress. Which affects behaviour and causes me to have severe anxiety issues but w/e i will learn to deal with it ;)

Yes, it is very sad you have that condition but you must...

Roll with the punches your gonna go far kid! Ya gotta believe!!!

I understand that a spanking in certain conditions may be useful, but I plan to raise my kids with no corporal punishment, same way as I was created. There's always another options.
One time I've started a tantrum at the market because my mom weren't going to buy me sweets. My mom just looked and left me behind. Never again.

And i see a lot of parents using the method of spanking just to calm down your kid faster or to impose your opinion. THIS is wrong, imo (too lazy to try another methods, maybe?).

Hmm...good luck with that also I hope you did not make a promise to yourself not to spank your children because nine times out of ten people who made that promise still do it...

Well, in my case, those spank I got from my parents help to develop my sense of responsibility, and because of it, I've always got this pressure to be perfect, or at least to be at a level where it can satisfy them. Now that I've a bit matured, it becomes a habit, and somehow, those sense of responsibility helps me to get into the society.

In a sense I can say that instead lowering my IQ, it help me develop my reach and goal.

Yup, another example of how not everyone has the same experience when they deal with getting spanked as a child. It is kind of good if it made you responsible like you say.

I was the first of four children and the only one that was spanked, I feel that I was the only one that showed any respect and never once smoked or drank while in home. I think, if done right, a spanking is good for molding good children that obey but are still happy

Now that is the tricky part. Nothing worse than a child who can't tell right from wrong...

Don't really see the need to spank a child. I see it as a form of venting for the parent. Like they get so frusterated, they take it out on the child in a physical manner, and this in turn allows the child to see it as a sevier punishment. Pretty much, it's making the child fear doing anything bad, and not letting them know what they did was bad and why.

My brother puts his kids in 'timeout', and it's a pretty minor punishment, some might say, but for a child, it seems to be a matter of principle, that they realize they did something wrong. Granted, they get upset, but they do learn a lesson.

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

Abuse the rod, shatter the child.