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Jon and Kate spanking debate: Jon and Kate's Kate Gosselin spanks daughter Leah, defends actions as appropriate parenting

Posted Fri, Jun 19, 2009
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Jon and Kate Plus 8's Kate Gosselin found herself in the spotlight again this week, this time because of photos published by In-Touch magazine which showed her spanking her daughter Leah for blowing a whistle.

Gosselin immediately sought to defend her actions, telling Life and Style,

"Whether the paparazzi are there or not, I am a mother first. I love my children and when they misbehave, I discipline them as I deem appropriate for the situation."

In other words, Gosselin felt that spanking was a suitable method of child discipline.

While parents in generations past may have believed that spanking was an effective method of discipline, for the most part, that way of thinking went out of style along with beehive hairdos and gelatin salads.

Most child development experts and most parents today believe that the most effective discipline methods build upon the bond of love that exists between parent and child, and that discipline works best if it focuses on teaching rather than punishing a child.

Not only does such an approach feel better to the parent and the child: it tends to be a whole lot more effective over the long run. And that's what we want to be thinking of when we're making these types of parenting decisions -- the long-term benefit to the child and how it will affect the parent-child relationship.

After all, parenting is a long-distance marathon, not a sprint.

Jon and Kate fans who were asked what they thought about the acceptability of spanking children were pretty clean about their disapproval. As of 10:25 am ET Friday morning, 88 percent (324,153 votes) had indicated that they did not consider spanking children to be acceptable; while just 12 percent (43,222 votes) voiced their approval.

So, what's your take on the situation - and the spanking issue in general?

  • 1. Posted by catedwards@ymail.com on Fri, Jun 19, 2009

    I don't remember giving a quick slap to hand or bottom to my kids, but I may have when they were toddlers. I never gave what I consider spankings (multiple swats to bottom with hand or belt) to my two boys but I was strict. They had a chore sheet, complete with penalties and they paid them. Penalties included loss of allowance as well as loss of privileges such as computer time, video game time, grounding, and the loss of electricity (no computer, no games, no tv, no phone - this was reserved for lying to us). Other parents thought we were overboard, making sure we had a telephone number where our kids were or else they couldn't go, etc. etc. Now that the boys are grown, they are respectful, capable, and responsible. Their friends' parents love them, their employers value them, and while their grades weren't anything to write home about (mainly in the C range with an occasional A/B and very rarely below C), the boys are doing well on their own so far. I still see physical discipline as having a place, though, particularly with very young children whose language and understanding are immature. A swat on the hand or bottom can instantly communicate without a half hour of discussion or naughty-stool wrangling. My own parents used hand slaps when we were young and other forms of punishment when we were older, and I think they had a good blend.

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  • 2. Posted by Cheryl on Wed, Jun 24, 2009

    Hi friends, Well spanking may have gone out with the '80's, but so did the respect for authority figures. That's why kids these days are soooo out of control. They have no respect for adults, be it strangers or their own parents. I have always believed in spanking (when deserved). I also didn't care where it took place. You don't wait to discipline your children because you're in public. Then I think there is a problem. You should discipline your children the same way you do at home. Unless you're truly beating them and don't want to be seen. My children are basically grown up now, two boys, 19 and 23 and a daughter 15. I have had some many compliments about my kids manners and the honest respect they show for me and their father and any other elders they might have contact with. Letting your kids just run wild with no consequences is just asking for trouble. I would rather give my children a swat on the bottom when they're young and still learning than to be fighting with them in the middle or a mall or elsewhere. It just makes me laugh when I hear parents say, what has gone wrong with kids of today. Well if they would take those child psychology books and use them on their kids butts, then they would really be doing something. Don't beat your kids, but please discipline them. You're not doing them any favors later in life if you don 't. Sincerely, Cheryl

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  • 3. Posted by Ursi on Wed, Jun 24, 2009

    Look, I went over my dad's knee just once!!! It was enough to teach me. Back then it was "discipline" now its "child abuse". Kids have way too many rights these days and parents have none. There is way to much stress on parents being given by all the so called "experts" who don't have children themselves. I say a smack on the ass never hurt anyone!

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  • 4. Posted by . on Thu, Jun 25, 2009

    Ridiculous! Since when is it wrong to discipline your child??! If my daughter misbehaves, I smack her bum, it soon sorts her out. I don't agree with parents who beat their kids, but a smacked bum is not wrong at all.

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  • 5. Posted by Roguetheelf24 on Sun, Jun 28, 2009

    I think there is a big difference between beating a child and disciplining and punishing them. I think its very wrong and abusive to use a belt on child, but theres nothing wrong with a open hand, if no other way of communication is working and if the kid is really and deliberately asking for it.

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  • 6. Posted by sam on Fri, Jul 17, 2009

    Too many Rights these days?Not so,just the same as you and I. Why do so many adults believe in their right to tell a child what to do? A child is a full person like every adult.No one has a right to hit a child! Imagine being a child simply blowing a whistle and then being hit for it in the name of discipline? You would never defend an adult doing that to another adult...

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  • 7. Posted by ruruman4 on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    sam....everyone here who read your post knows instantly that you are a child just from reading your response. you will one day grow up and understand that good discipline when a child is young have long lasting affects on everyone. children and even young adults have no repsect for the elder or authorities (or each other) and the answer is simply because they were not displined properly at a young age and now they get away with murder. they think if they shoot someone else that they will propably be told that they cannot play on their computer now cause they were "bad"......its a joke. you dont have to kill your child when you discipline them.....their are proper ways of doing it and in doing so at a young age you can bend/shape the tree while its still young. in my first language we have a saying " a pak op sy tyd is soos brood en konfyt" wich means..."a good hiding at the right time is like bread and jam"

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  • 8. Posted by AJ C on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    RIGHTEOUS FREAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK AT TODAY'S SOCIETY LOOK AT THE LACK OF RESPECT THESE KIDS HAVE TODAY THEY ALL WANT SOMETHING FOR NOTHING EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FREE REINSTATEMENT OF A TAP ON THE HAND, AND ON THE BUTT IF NEEDED WOULD WELCOMED OPEN YER EYES PEOPLE

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  • 9. Posted by Shellie on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Children today show a general lack of respect for those around them. The so called experts that ask us tor reason with our children forget that these are our future leaders. It is not hard to imagine the world going to hell as it has in some of the futuristic movies we watch when I see how today's children behave. Is spanking the right answer - I think that there is a fine line between a spanking and a beating but a swat on the bum of a toddler wearing a diaper is a lot more effective than trying to reason with a child that has a limited vocabulary. The biggest problem I see today is that parents want to be their kids friends and are afraid to be consistent. In whatever form of discipline you choose, consistency is key - if you say "don't do that or else you will lose a privilege" then make sure the child loses the privilege otherwise they walk all over you. Most parents are inconsistent with their follow through which tells the child they can walk all over authority figures. In households where both parents are working, it is easier to give in then it is to follow through. All parents should suck it up for the first few years of their child's life and be consistent. Once the child knows you mean what you say and that you follow through with the punishment, then it will get easier to discipline them. Don't get me wrong, all kids (well behaved or not) are going to try their parents on to see if they can get away with something but as a parent we need to stand strong and be consistent and don't bargain with or bribe the child. Nothing drives me more crazy than to be out in public and hear a parent say to a child that is misbehaving "if you stop crying, I'll buy you an ice cream" or some other such nonsense. The response should be - if you don't stop then you lose "x" privilege for the next number of days. Come on - who's the adult and who's in charge of the household? Today it appears to be the child more often than not!

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  • 10. Posted by Shellie on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Children today show a general lack of respect for those around them. The so called experts that ask us tor reason with our children forget that these are our future leaders. It is not hard to imagine the world going to hell as it has in some of the futuristic movies we watch when I see how today's children behave. Is spanking the right answer - I think that there is a fine line between a spanking and a beating but a swat on the bum of a toddler wearing a diaper is a lot more effective than trying to reason with a child that has a limited vocabulary. The biggest problem I see today is that parents want to be their kids friends and are afraid to be consistent. In whatever form of discipline you choose, consistency is key - if you say "don't do that or else you will lose a privilege" then make sure the child loses the privilege otherwise they walk all over you. Most parents are inconsistent with their follow through which tells the child they can walk all over authority figures. In households where both parents are working, it is easier to give in then it is to follow through. All parents should suck it up for the first few years of their child's life and be consistent. Once the child knows you mean what you say and that you follow through with the punishment, then it will get easier to discipline them. Don't get me wrong, all kids (well behaved or not) are going to try their parents on to see if they can get away with something but as a parent we need to stand strong and be consistent and don't bargain with or bribe the child. Nothing drives me more crazy than to be out in public and hear a parent say to a child that is misbehaving "if you stop crying, I'll buy you an ice cream" or some other such nonsense. The response should be - if you don't stop then you lose "x" privilege for the next number of days. Come on - who's the adult and who's in charge of the household? Today it appears to be the child more often than not!

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  • 11. Posted by David on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    I saw this story on Yahoo! Canada Lifestyle and thought that you might be interested. The Bible says ""spare the rod and spoil the child"", in my generation that was taken to mean a form of spanking. I will not say that my IQ is any less than someone that has not been spanked. When I was growing up I knew clearly what my parents stood for according to the Bible and were excellent examples of their belief.You see my standards and my parents standards went beyond us and went straight through to the Bible so ultimately our accountability was realized as being to God first before each other. Now one might argue that "the rod"could mean a form of discipline other than spaking and thier is room for that argument. So I think the issue goes beyond the discipline of the child and goes directly to the accountability of the parent. If the standard being set by the parent is based on a quetionable principle ( in my mind not Bibilically based), ultimately who are the parents responsible to in being role models. If we as children were truly created by God instinctively (until messed with) we would have inbuilt in our system (knowingly or unknowingly) things that reflect the character of God. If God then gives us the responsibility to raise our children and the ideals that we project are different that what has been implanted, It would create a conflict in the mind of a child which ultimately would show in the child being overly confrontational.As they truly are questioning the motive of the parent/adult giving out the punishment, which I do not think has anything to do with spanking or the lack thereof

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  • 12. Posted by annette l on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    I see nothing wrong with a swat on the butt. I had it a few times when I was little and also had to stand in the corner,and I turned out to be a great adult. I fail to see what a swat on the butt and the IQ have to do with each other , your brains are not in your butt.

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  • 13. Posted by David on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    I saw this story on Yahoo! Canada Lifestyle and thought that you might be interested. The Bible says ""spare the rod and spoil the child"", in my generation that was taken to mean a form of spanking. I will not say that my IQ is any less than someone that has not been spanked. When I was growing up I knew clearly what my parents stood for according to the Bible and were excellent examples of their belief.You see my standards and my parents standards went beyond us and went straight through to the Bible so ultimately our accountability was realized as being to God first before each other. Now one might argue that "the rod"could mean a form of discipline other than spaking and thier is room for that argument. So I think the issue goes beyond the discipline of the child and goes directly to the accountability of the parent. If the standard being set by the parent is based on a quetionable principle ( in my mind not Bibilically based), ultimately who are the parents responsible to in being role models. If we as children were truly created by God instinctively (until messed with) we would have inbuilt in our system (knowingly or unknowingly) things that reflect the character of God. If God then gives us the responsibility to raise our children and the ideals that we project are different that what has been implanted, It would create a conflict in the mind of a child which ultimately would show in the child being overly confrontational.As they truly are questioning the motive of the parent/adult giving out the punishment, which I do not think has anything to do with spanking or the lack thereof

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  • 14. Posted by David on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    I saw this story on Yahoo! Canada Lifestyle and thought that you might be interested. The Bible says ""spare the rod and spoil the child"", in my generation that was taken to mean a form of spanking. I will not say that my IQ is any less than someone that has not been spanked. When I was growing up I knew clearly what my parents stood for according to the Bible and were excellent examples of their belief.You see my standards and my parents standards went beyond us and went straight through to the Bible so ultimately our accountability was realized as being to God first before each other. Now one might argue that "the rod"could mean a form of discipline other than spaking and thier is room for that argument. So I think the issue goes beyond the discipline of the child and goes directly to the accountability of the parent. If the standard being set by the parent is based on a quetionable principle ( in my mind not Bibilically based), ultimately who are the parents responsible to in being role models. If we as children were truly created by God instinctively (until messed with) we would have inbuilt in our system (knowingly or unknowingly) things that reflect the character of God. If God then gives us the responsibility to raise our children and the ideals that we project are different that what has been implanted, It would create a conflict in the mind of a child which ultimately would show in the child being overly confrontational.As they truly are questioning the motive of the parent/adult giving out the punishment, which I do not think has anything to do with spanking or the lack thereof

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  • 15. Posted by David on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    I saw this story on Yahoo! Canada Lifestyle and thought that you might be interested. The Bible says ""spare the rod and spoil the child"", in my generation that was taken to mean a form of spanking. I will not say that my IQ is any less than someone that has not been spanked. When I was growing up I knew clearly what my parents stood for according to the Bible and were excellent examples of their belief.You see my standards and my parents standards went beyond us and went straight through to the Bible so ultimately our accountability was realized as being to God first before each other. Now one might argue that "the rod"could mean a form of discipline other than spaking and thier is room for that argument. So I think the issue goes beyond the discipline of the child and goes directly to the accountability of the parent. If the standard being set by the parent is based on a quetionable principle ( in my mind not Bibilically based), ultimately who are the parents responsible to in being role models. If we as children were truly created by God instinctively (until messed with) we would have inbuilt in our system (knowingly or unknowingly) things that reflect the character of God. If God then gives us the responsibility to raise our children and the ideals that we project are different that what has been implanted, It would create a conflict in the mind of a child which ultimately would show in the child being overly confrontational.As they truly are questioning the motive of the parent/adult giving out the punishment, which I do not think has anything to do with spanking or the lack thereof

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  • 16. Posted by allisondoobbie on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    It seems funny to me that all of the posts on here are in favour of spanking yet the "experts" say that spanking went out with the beehive. I think the "experts" should focus their energy on real issues, such as actual child abuse or healthy eating or something like that. We spank when we have to, we don't like it, neither do the kids....and that's the point!

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  • 17. Posted by lindylou on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    My husband and I (both 66) were spanked and or hit a lot when we were young and it a terrible affect on our self esteem as adults and our relationships, especially marriage (we are both divorced). Fortunately for me I have been able to confront my mother with these issues and resolved some matters, but my husband's mother died long ago and he never to the opportunity to deal with her. Please do not hit your children. Children take a lot of work and time and it can be exhausting a lot of the time, but like anything you try it is worth striving for the best. PLEASE DO NOT HIT YOUR CHILDREN.

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  • 18. Posted by crimsondragoneye2109 on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Ok, I think that this whole, 'Lowering IQ' is a load of croc. People need to realize when the line is crossed between discipline and abuse. I live outside of a town where there wasn't one kid who was punished by their actions. What happens, they grow up becoming more rebellious, they don't take their parents seriously as they should, and to top it all off, they become delinquents because they were never taught the difference between right and wrong. Parents gotta stop overlooking the troubles being caused and take action on the spot. I was spanked as a kid because I'll admit as a kid I was kind of a hellraiser. If I didn't get punished by my parents for my actions, I wouldn't have realized how bad my actions really were. I'm not saying go find your kid now and spank him/her for what they did in the past, but if they do something really bad, parents need to sit them down and tell them that because of that, they are getting spanked. A good way to help them realize what they did is asking them if they know 'why they are being spanked' so they can see what they did was wrong. If a kid is breaking stuff on purpose, shaving the cat, or slapping his mother, it's time to put down the sugar coated pleas and ring out the rod. Long story short, LOWER IQ MY @$$. What would you rather have, kids who know that rules were not meant to be broken and punishment comes after every wrong, or spoiled little snots who thinks they can get away with anything.

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  • 19. Posted by JANET on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    i am 20 years old, and there are many things i do not do, not because it is wrong, or i do not want to. it is because growing up, i got some taps on my hide that taught me that all that glitters is not gold. i am an honor student at university, and graduated high school with top marks. There goes the IQ theory. my understnading of the Kate situation is that she warned the child to cease and desist blowing the whistle and to rejoin her friends in other play and the child did not listen. in my day (this makes me feel so old) that was known as the warning system. my parents only ever had to speak to me once because if they spoke to me again, i wouldnt like it. that child got lucky, the way i see it, becuase she got more than one warning. in the caribbean, there is a saying, "ears dont hear backside must feel." how dare anyone try and tell anyone else how to raise their kids. when or if i have children, i sure as heck will be spanking them if the need arises. different strokes people...time outs may work for some but not others. the saying, "it takes a village" in my day meant that if the neighbour saw you doing something wrong and your parents werent around, they would give you a spank, then tell your parents what you did so that they could give you a spank. this entire debate is ludicrous.

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  • 20. Posted by Dawn on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    i believe that a swift swat on the butt or hand is really a good thing as long as you dont over do it. i have a two year old and sometimes it just has to be that way we do the talking thing we do the time out tihing and she still doesnt get it so the next step is the spanking thing one small tap on the butt and she gets it i dont feel she is tramatized when it is done it just licks in that that is something bad dont do it and i mean this is for really bad things like going outside alone or stuff like that not small things those are things she will learn in time

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  • 21. Posted by d4jc on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Wow ~ after reading the first page of comments, I am pleasantly and refreshingly surprised to read that most contributors are actually in favour of corporal punishment. I am relieved that there are some parents out there who've not been rendered impotent by the barrage of "expert information", which has left so many with no confidence in their parenting abilities. Sadly, we live in a time of great confusion within our families. Men are expected to be all things or nothing. Women are told that they can do it all, but are left with a sense that they do nothing "well'. And children have become the small, but mighty tyrants of the home, with no one left with the energy or will to raise them otherwise. None of us who support a parent's right to discipline are talking about beating a child. There's a huge difference between corporal punishment and child abuse ~ although those who would like to ban parent's rights, make great efforts to blur the line. My husband and I are parents of 11 children. I absolutely love children and empathize with them more and more, the older and more experienced I become. However, there are times and situations where nothing speaks more loudly, more clearly, or confirms your authority more decidedly than the well-deserved spank on the bottom.

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  • 22. Posted by JJ on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    My father was spanked as a child and he was a member of MENSA. He in turn spanked my sister and I when we misbehaved and though I'm not a member of MENSA I do have 2 university degrees. I am very much in favor spanking as long as the parent explains why the punishment is deserved. If a parent just whacks you without saying a word or in simple frustration, then it only confuses the child. When I had done something very bad as a child my father would sit down and explain how it was wrong and then whack my palm with a leather belt 3 times. It sounds harsh, but it was the most controlled discipline method I have ever witnessed. I learned my lesson and respected my elders. My father was also the first person I went to in my time of need. He always had a ready hug and sound advice. Nothing is ever black and white. Children are not whole persons yet. They need to truly understand that their actions have serious consequences. A firm talking to will not accomplish this. Just as some people need to recopy chapter notes to be able to absorb information, children need more than one method to assimilate life lessons. I am rather disgusted with the kids of today and I firmly hold the parents responsible. If you do not have the stomach to discipline your children properly than you should be sterilized. How dare you inflict your poorly raised genetics on the helpless public.

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  • 23. Posted by Hipmamajo on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    What does spanking a child when you are angry teach that child? That it is OK to hit someone when you are angry with them!! And that lesson is one that they take with them, when they go to school and they get angry with someone, it must be OK to hit them, since that is how Mom and Dad handle it! I personally believe (and it is ONLY my personal belief) that spanking children is a discipline tool of lazy parents who cannot be bothered to think up punishments that do not rely on physical pain, yet get the message across to the child. And believe me, those punishments exist. Yes, they may take more work, they may require some effort on the part of the parent, they may require actually interacting with the child rather than just doing the first thing that pops into the mind when the parent feels themself losing control (which is hit) To say that not hitting a child gives them no respect for authority is ridiculous! Hitting them may give them a FEAR of authority, but respect and fear are two very different things. And NO other person in a position of authority is allowed to hit our children, not a teacher, not a principal, not a police officer.. only a parent. What does that tell you? I have seen children standing next to a parent and that parent raises their hand in the action of speaking and the child flinches. Those are the children who are used to their parent raising that hand to them. It disgusts me. I have spent a lot of time researching discipline techniques, I have watched and learned from other parents who have well behaved children and have asked them what they do, and I have taken a page from my own Mother who never spanked us and raised three law-abiding, respectful children. But parents have to take the time to learn, and have the capacity to admit that they are not perfect and that we can learn from other parents. Violence against others is not acceptable, why is it acceptable towards children????

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  • 24. Posted by Hipmamajo on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    What does spanking a child when you are angry teach that child? That it is OK to hit someone when you are angry with them!! And that lesson is one that they take with them, when they go to school and they get angry with someone, it must be OK to hit them, since that is how Mom and Dad handle it! I personally believe (and it is ONLY my personal belief) that spanking children is a discipline tool of lazy parents who cannot be bothered to think up punishments that do not rely on physical pain, yet get the message across to the child. And believe me, those punishments exist. Yes, they may take more work, they may require some effort on the part of the parent, they may require actually interacting with the child rather than just doing the first thing that pops into the mind when the parent feels themself losing control (which is hit) To say that not hitting a child gives them no respect for authority is ridiculous! Hitting them may give them a FEAR of authority, but respect and fear are two very different things. And NO other person in a position of authority is allowed to hit our children, not a teacher, not a principal, not a police officer.. only a parent. What does that tell you? I have seen children standing next to a parent and that parent raises their hand in the action of speaking and the child flinches. Those are the children who are used to their parent raising that hand to them. It disgusts me. I have spent a lot of time researching discipline techniques, I have watched and learned from other parents who have well behaved children and have asked them what they do, and I have taken a page from my own Mother who never spanked us and raised three law-abiding, respectful children. But parents have to take the time to learn, and have the capacity to admit that they are not perfect and that we can learn from other parents. Violence against others is not acceptable, why is it acceptable towards children????

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  • 25. Posted by fit_andy001 on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Back when abolishing corporal punishment was just talk, a woman said, "if we can avoid the abuse of even one child, than abolishing corporal punishment is worth it!" I wish I could talk to her today. She'll be happy to know that we managed to stop that one child from being abused by over spanking. I'm just not sure how she'll feel knowing that in doing so, we created 20 juvinile delinquents, in the process, who have no fear or respect for something as simple as life it self. In the 20 plus years we have abolished corporal punishment, has anyone done a study to show the good or the bad about abolishing corporal punsihment? I would like to know how much more disruptive and delinquent kids have to get before we realize that sparing the rod is really spoiling the child. Where are those people who endorsed the Anit-Corporal Punsihment thing" now? Probably hiding from their own out of conrol kids! How many more youths have to end up in Juvie before we smarten their little asses into realizeing that if you do bad, there are consequences. Right now there are kids that go into schools with guns and kill their fellow students simply because they do not have the respect for even life. Spanking instills respect and although it seems cruel, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Today you tell a youth or kid what to do they walk up to you and swear in your face. Based on the spankin I recieved as a kid, I would never in a million years have disrespected an adult like that. It all boils down to respect! You realize that if we really love your kids, spanking them to learn respect will kep them out of trouble. I know it hurts to do so but if you love your child you want them to fly straight, right? Sometimes they have to learn the hard way that being bad has it's consequences. Just once I'd like to see a study that has the truth about what Abolishing Corporal Punsihment has done to society!

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  • 26. Posted by sallys_29 on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Who are They???? Spanking never hurt a child or killed a child??? let's get real! I have seen the kids in the schools! No respect!!! I work there! And respect starts at home. More children learn respect when home schooled. I know a good friend of mine that slapped her son across the face when he told her to f---k off. She did it real hard! He told her that he would call the cops and she told him to go ahead. He did and the cops (two) showed up, asked her if she was that person and if she slapped her son across the face and she said yes. The cops shook her hand and congratulated her!!!! They said it about time more people did that! Take that and run with it!!! The authorities are sick and tired of the parents not doing their job!!!! The kid was about twentyone years old, so you see it doesn't matter how old the child is! He didn't come home for about 3 days; you see he was more scared of his mom than the cops! A good fear! A respect fear! Now he respects his mom, and rightfully so! The end. Amen!

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  • 27. Posted by sallys_29 on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Do people actually get the point across and are these read by people who are going to do something?????

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  • 28. Posted by jsarookanian@ymail.com on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    I believe that this form of discipline is totally fine when done right! Its about immediate obedience that they child should have to the parent. Think about it this way when something happens to you as an adult does the situation sit down and talk to you about what is going on or does it just "discipline" you...as adults most of the time when we do something that is deemed "wrong" there are for the most part immediate consequences so why should it be any different for our children?! I think that after you discipline your child its important that you tell them what they did get them to acknowledge that they understand and give them a big hug to show them you are doing this cause you love them. I think that today we spend too much time thinking about what others will think instead of what is right for our children!

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  • 29. Posted by ...UKJ on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    I am an immigant. I had the same experience as you have. Kids of canada are mostly rude and out of control. Nobody stops them from being rude and vandalizing. If you do, the police will arrest you. In my country, usually kids are taught orietal ethics and to respect adults and honor. But here, such a savage. Somethimes, homeless adults were beaten to death by kids. Total problem is from education. Canadian education is no good. Somethimes kids call the police for spanking. Haha,why do u people raise these kids? Just kick them ass and let them go away!!!!!!!!

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  • 30. Posted by k c on Sun, Sep 27, 2009

    Respect is earned not beaten into a child, Spanking is the lazy way out of parenting. If you want you children to respect authority then teach them why they should respect authority, not teach the to fear it. It amazes me that all the replies on hear that seem to be angry and harsh are from people who support spanking. To blame childrens general attitude these days on not spanking is rediculous and if it was that easy to solve all our problems then I would strongly support it but its not. It seems that there is a lot more involves then that, possibly media, the way our government behaves, video games, over crowding at schools, lack of respect for children, hatred racism and wars going on all over. If spanking could solve all this then bring it on, lets spank adults also! Sorry but I don't think its that simple. Yet no discipline is not the answer also. Time to reevaluate everything our children are exposed to and realize it all affects them. And to those spanking supporters that think only a child can support respect for children, I am 36 and a parent of 1.

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