Dear Ann Landers: You were way off base with your comments about spanking. How come it was standard practice until the s, but now, it is inappropriate? I believe spanking has its place. Sometimes, it is impossible to reason with a child under the age of 6. When that is the case, a swat on the behind is called for. The fact that a spanking could leave a mark means nothing.
Some children are more fair-skinned than others and sustain red marks when no harm was done. I am raising five daughters alone, and one has such fair skin that a very light swat leaves a red mark. Teachers need to mind their own business and stay out of family lives. They have no way of knowing all the details. Dear Dad: A man who is raising five children alone deserves a lot of support, and my hat is off to you.
But it is not necessary to hit your children. Please stop it. Depriving them of something they want can be just as effective. Parents who hit their children teach them that violence is acceptable. From Oneco, Fla. I spank my own child, and she now understands there are immediate consequences to inappropriate behavior.
Spankings are meant to cause discomfort, not injury. It is basic discipline, not abuse. Pueblo, Colo. I realize my parents did what they thought was best, but I suffered years of torment because people who were supposed to protect me failed to do so.
After years of therapy, I am still having problems because of that abuse. Shreveport, La. I knew my mother would have let me have it good if I even considered such a thing. Rewards, punishments and timeouts are baloney. Nobody disciplines kids properly anymore. Children today are spoiled rotten and have no respect for anything or anybody. In my opinion, a child who is rude or unruly deserves a good, hard kick in the butt. Norfolk, Va. My son makes me angry three or four times a day.
