at best, and probably completely unnecessary at worst.
I have to say, though... RE Corporal Punishment:
I was raised that way, and I don't see that I have any problems with self-esteem. And I intend on raising my children that way, too. The Bible says "If you spare the rod, you will spoil the child." Quite frankly, I agree. I see far too many children in stores getting away with absolute stupidity. The parents, if they do anything at all, just give them a quick "Hey! Stop that!" before going back to their shopping. When I got caught doing something stupid at the store (such as running up and down the aisles and throwing cans on the floor, like I saw a child do the other day -- with absolutely ZERO punishment from his mother), my mother would grab me by the arm and tell me to stop. If I persisted, my mother would literally turn me over her knee and spank my behind right there in the middle of the supermarket aisle. Then she would make me clean up the cans *AND* apologize to the nearest store employee. You know what that taught me? It taught me that I cannot get away with doing stupid things. You know what that child I saw the other day was taught? That he *can* get away with stupid things, and the worst he's going to get is a slap on the wrist.
I don't deny that there are parents who have raised wonderful, amazing children without the use of corporal punishment. Those parents, however, still have punishments (timeouts, "go to your room," extra chores, etc...). I think the biggest issue today is that many parents who say "I don't spank my child" also could say "I don't punish my child at all." And therein lies the problem. |
