Quote Originally Posted by LyingEyes
How do you feel about disciplining a child? Do you prefer spanking? (If so by hand or belt?) Restriction/Grounding?

Well through various age groups I'd have to say I'd probably raise my child like my parents raised me.

When I was very young. Toddler size my parents never hit me. Not even a simple palm slap because a child cannot possibly comprehend pain as "no." When I grew up a little more, around the age where I knew right from wrong I was spanked with a belt. Not excessive beating, but across my tail where I got the point. :B And finally when I reached my early teenage years my parents would place me on restriction. Taking away games and what not.

So I figured that was quite fair and I've suffered some rather beasty beatings in my early youth. ): But then again I was never injured. I fail really to see how spanking a child is considered by most of the public's means "child abuse." Sure it can be if it's excessive and extremely harsh in nature. But when I describe a spanking I mean across the tail. Without monster truck force. But enough to inflict a sore tail. :P

Anyway what is your view??
I can agree with a lot of that. Spanking with a belt or other implement (read: weapon) is something I would declare off-limits, but by hand it shouldn't be too bad as long as excessive force is not used.

I disagree with your statement that a child cannot interpret pain as "no", however. Pain is the only thing a child intereprets as "no". A child who touches a hot stove quickly learns not to do it again. As long as the pain follows the incorrect activity closely enough that the child associates the pain with the activity, it is sometimes the only way to get a child who is too young to understand punishments like parental disapproval to understand that what he did was wrong. Not that I'm advocating beating children for every infraction, or even beating them at all. But a swift swat across the hands to a child playing around an electrical plug (though any plug near a child that young should be blocked, it's just an example to demonstrate my point) may save that child's life, while the child might not associate having its favorite toy taken away with the incorrect activity.