Spanking: Don't !

Hurt people hurt people.

Back when my kids were small I spanked them.

Today, I know that hitting little people shows a parent's ignorance, --even stupidity. Spanking a child says more about the parent's problem than it does about the kid's behavior.

My own inner anger was expressed by hitting them. How stupid is that?

I was angry about my job.
Angry about my poor communication with my mate.
Angry about my tight finances. All of that stuff.

Further, I know now, that I still held old anger and resentments inside of me from the way my parents had treated me! My parents had been spanked and even beaten when they were children. That is how all Neanderthal parents like mine treated kids in those days. They just repeated what their parents had done to them. How many centuries has this gone on? Long enough?

What did Forrest Gump say, "Stupid is as stupid does?" Yep.

So there I was with a house full of little people doing what little kids do, and I was taking MY ANGER out on them! Counseling helped me get rid of my anger. Stopping alcohol made me more even-tempered. 12-step groups like Al-anon and AA helped me learn how to deal with problems better.

Today I know there are zillions of ways to deal with children's misbehavior BESIDES HITTING THEM. Consider reading the book called Redirecting Children's Behavior, or even better would be taking some evening classes (see my FAV Links on the right side of this page).

IF YOU HAVE ANGER PROBLEMS you could start by reading an interesting page on the web: http://www.drheller.com/tbppangr.html

MY ADVICE ABOUT SPANKING: DON'T ! Get help for yourself.

XOXO
Dad