dennis@terak.UUCP (Dennis Kodimer) (03/13/85)
The term corporal punishment is really about communication. I have been taught by my 3 year old that the developing mind sometimes looses over to passion. You can't expect a toddler to understand a treatise on the dangers of swimming pools or clorox. Yet, as they grow I see glimmers of logic - that grow then fade then change. When you see a path to their minds through civilized channels, use it! However, when the need arises to convince a child that something (usually a parental limit to some activity) is profound, monolithic and universal, there are really very few channels of communication open, that I've found. Enter spanking. I've found that this is a blunt channel useable for only one message. I think it is wrong to be frivolous with it. For instance, siblings may never say 'you'll get a sp**ng for that'. By limiting its scope to punishment, the pain actually can be quite light - it's the act that counts. One should also be consistent so the child never confuses the meaning of a smarting butt - i.e. never slap, tease, pinch, ridicule. The intention of spanking is not punishment but communication. If you want to punish a child, have them do retributive work. I believe that such work would be a more effective tool in the hands of teachers than spanking. A teacher's many kids each have a different impression of spanking and I really don't expect personal attention from a PUBLIC school system. So... Spank at home, in private, under control, when nothing else works. -- Sincerely, *----* / / \ Dennis Kodimer / /still waiting for the *----* electrician or someone \ \just like him (or her). \ \ / *----* uucp: ...{decvax,hao,ihnp4,seismo}!noao!terak!dennis phone: 602 998 4800 us mail: Terak Corporation, 14151 N 76th street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260