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).
\ \ /
*----*
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