Religion and Spanking

[lisah]

So I was listening to a TTA podcast and while I think the forum went over this topic a few years ago I thought I'd rehash it. Spanking, right or wrong? You thoughts on spanking as a form of godly discipline? Were you spanked? Did it affect you in anyway? Thoughts in general…

I don't think spanking is very effective. At least it never was for me.

I never resented my father for spanking, but then I thought he could do no wrong. He was a school principal, and knew how to discipline. He had a large board (paddle) that he used. When we got into trouble, it was usually all of us. He would line us up outside the garage and call us in individually. First came the talk about what and why. The first person had it best, as they did not have to listen as they waited. I usually cried while being talked to and I don't really recall the spankings. I was just relieved when it was over.

My mother, on the other hand, spanked in the heat of the moment with whatever was available. I'll never forget the metal spatula she used, nor her dragging me into the house by my long hair to beat me with a ruler. (But, that might not be as bad as my husband had it. His mother forced the kids to kneel on rice as punishment.) I resented her for the beatings she gave. Beatings my father never knew about. As soon as I was old enough, I moved out on my own. And I had my hair cut extremely short.

As far as it being related to "godly discipline", I never thought it as such, until now. I exercised self-punishment as a bargaining tool with God when I did things that I knew were wrong. I thought that if I did it, I wouldn't have to suffer as much. They were milder forms of punishment, like going to bed without brushing my teeth and/or washing my feet. I hated that. And sometimes I would spank myself too. It may have also contributed toward my practice of beating my head with a ceramic hairbrush when my hair would not behave. (I hated having long curly hair!)

I chose not to practice that kind of discipline as a mother. Somehow, I managed to raise a pretty good kid.