Rachel's Paideia Blog

Spanking--Missed Class

Dr. G asked me to post a blog about the class discussion that I missed about the spanking issue, so here it is. The article (which I read a while ago and can't seem to find to refer back to...) argued both sides, for and against spanking. I couldn't help but draw from personal experience when judging the two. I was spanked as a kid, not severely beaten or anything, and I felt it was beneficial and not at all detrimental to my health or well-being or anything like that. The article that was against spanking was not clear enough in its definition of what constituted "corporal punishment", as the other article pointed out, which I thought was a major point of weakness for it. Of course I think it's wrong for a parent to physically harm their child as punishment, but I don't see much wrong with spanking.
I feel like this also relates back to something that's come up a lot in our group's discussions: the fact that parents today seem to baby their children much more than our generation's parents did. I was spanked, and I spent most of my time as a kid out around the neighborhood getting into mischief and whatnot, and I am so glad! That seems to have a lot to do with my independence as a person today, which is a really great thing and a crucial part of my personality.
Spanking, as I remember it, has a lot more to do with shame and embarrassment for wrong-doing than it does with violence. I am not traumatized because my parents spanked me. I completely understand why they did it--I would do it to my kid if he was being a little shit too. I'm afraid the kids that grow up in this generation are going to be overly sensitive, weak adults. That's scary!

posted by Rachel @ 9:21 PM