"Chotii" wrote in message
...

"Kari" wrote in message
...

New York Jen wrote:


I believe that here in the US, if you sign something agreeing
to let
the
school discipline your child, they are allowed to do so as
long as
they
don't leave any visible marks on the child. I may have just
fabricated
that
in my mind from watching too many television shows, but that's
what
sticks
in my mind.


There are states where public school officials can legally spank
your
child without your permission.

That's awful! I would be sooooo po'ed if someone touched my
child!!



In any case, if ANYONE lays a FINGER on my child, they are
going to
have
to
respond to one mad as hell momma with flying fists!


Better make sure you don't live in one of those states, then -
no point
in you ending up in jail as well as your child being spanked.

Well I'm totally with Jen, I'd be in jail too I guess. How insane
is that
law?! We are in the 21st century are we not??? Geez Louise.

When I was in middle school (6th grade, to be precise), I remember
kids
being sent to the principal to be swatted with a paddle. It doesn't
seem so
long ago, but of course it was 1979. That was a while ago. This was
in
Eastern Washington state.

I confess, we do swat. One swat, with a bare hand on a clothed
backside. I
haven't found that screaming in the child's face works any better
(and this
is what I have seen, and heard confessed, to be the alternative in a
great
many cases. And I don't see why it would *be* any "better" for
the child.
HOWEVER I would get all over anybody else who felt it was
appropriate to lay
hands on my children, and that includes (and maybe especially) the
grandparerents. I do *not* have a problem with an adult who
observes a
behavior problem either pointing it out to my child, or to me - and
I know a
lot of parents do - actually I would certainly HOPE that if another
adult
saw one of my children do something inappropriate, like shove
another child,
etc., that they would intervene and make sure the conflict was
resolved, or
make sure I knew about it so I could do so. (Of course, I find my
kids obey
complete strangers better than they do me, so they're less likely to
repeat
forbidden behavior around a stranger, or their grandparents, than
they are
around me.)

I have read a lot of books about discipline without the use of
corporal
punishment. I wish I could say they did anything for my family but
give me
sullen children who tuned out lectures, who smirked while they
repeated the
forbidden action, or who simply ignored us entirely, thus provoking
us into
the scream-at-the-child stage. Shrug. Again, I don't see how this is
an
improvement over a small pop on the backside, that gets somebody's
attention. Call my behavior inappropriate if you must. But do it
after you
walk a few miles in my shoes.

--angela

I'm with you. It works, isn't unduly traumatizing. My kids were more
upset by shots
or getting their ears cleaned than a quick swat on the butt.