To Spank Or Not To Spank?? That Is The Question.

As a Mexican-American born into this country and raised by immigrant parents, I was spanked. I never considered dialing 911 and never considered myself abused. I knew that I deserved every one of those spankings.

As a parent, I have used corporal punishment in my home. I believe any responsible parent must teach their children that bad behavior brings consequences. Because of the consistency of this teaching, I have found that I have very rarely had to resort to spanking my children. As a result, I have very well mannered, respectful children and as they get older, their punishment change. Now at ages 11 and 6, spankings are not as effective and one must improvise.

But I get so frustrated when I come upon articles like the following: Spanking Linked to Anxiety, Aggression. In this study, 336 women from 5 different countries were surveyed. Their children ranged from ages 6 to 17.

Of course there is going to be anxiety and aggression when you’re spanking a teenager!!

Then I read the following opinions of so-called “experts” that really tick me off: Dr. Steven Parker said the following, which I totally disagree with:

"Finally, spanking is often nothing more than a parental temper tantrum: You made me mad and you're going to pay the price. In that case, spanking usually has more to do with vengeance than instruction. ."

What he is referring to is abuse, not discipline. For God's sake, if you're that pissed with your kid, have a martini and chill...