62 yr old man hits 2 year old at walmart.

[dry land fish]

Here in the UK it's socially unacceptable to hit kids. Mental torture is fine, just no hitting!

Well in the USA most people are afraid of hitting their kids in public because someone might call the police and have them taken away. Some people think just slapping their leg is child abuse. Personally for me my parents felt nothing was child abuse when it comes to spanking. I got my pants pulled down and my bare ass whipped with a belt. I was whipped with a rose bush cutting that still had the thorns on it by my aunt. My mom would use the wire end of a fly swatter, smack me with a wet diswater hand, and once I even got whipped with a wooden spoon. What is funny is that I was an extremely mean and spiteful child and whipping me didn't work. This was in the eighties but I remember in the nineties we started this thing where people were getting arrested for hitting their kids. Most people accept whipping your kids...it's just that you never know who may be watching if you are in a store. It's best to whip their asses when there are no cameras around!

[fr0d0]

Well it's good Christian teaching to 'not spare the rod' Personally I agree with that in principle but in practice it feels wrong. My parents never hit me. I also come from a line of easy kids.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

I think most readers would agree that this man went too far, but what do you think about people who try to discipline strangers' children

"To discipline" ,means " to teach". I do not presume to teach the children of others. It's none of my business and I really don't care. IE ;very young children misbehave. If an older child is being really obnoxious and disruptive it may feel appropriate to say something the parent. Usually a waste of time and will probably earn you a mouthful of abuse.

I will (and have) said something when I see an adult hurting a child or putting a child in danger.If they abuse me ,I tell them I'm calling the police,and take out my cell phone. That has been enough so far.--I've taken action twicence in a supermarket where man was holding a toddler off the ground by its arm and hitting it. The other was in a supermarket car park:I saw a car drive up with a woman in the front seat holding a baby in her arms.That is illegal here as well as stupidly dangerous.Even at around 30MPH,car stops suddenly,baby becomes approximate weight of a bag of cement and goes through windscreen.

My friends have always been welcome to bring their children to my house. If a child misbehaves and is not disciplined by the parent, child is not permitted a return visit. This has not happened so far.The people I have chosen as friends have always been competent,loving parents.

[dry land fish]

Well it's good Christian teaching to 'not spare the rod' Personally I agree with that in principle but in practice it feels wrong. My parents never hit me. I also come from a line of easy kids.

I deserved my spankings. I'd intentionally mess with my parents or other kids to see how far I could go before I got whipped. Once I shredded all of my dads underwear with a pair of scissors and put them back into the drawer all neat. He wasn't too happy about that. Why would I do that you say? As a joke.

[fr0d0]

That sorta demonstrates the futility of it dontcha think?

Of course you shouldn't get away with doing bad stuff. It's all about finding effective punishment. Personally I can't stomach violence and rewards and sanctions are very effective with my kids so anything else is unnecessary. Shouting is just as bad. Kids are just gonna learn strange ways of dealing with things other than being rational IMO.

[Retorth]

That old man is seriously disturbed thats all I can say

[Violet]

I hate loud and high-pitched noises... but i could never hit someone who did not soundly deserve it (I.E. attempted rape or kidnap or other such.)... and I'm more likely to "vouch" my 'Carry Concealed' than I am to hit such a person.

[binny]

Un-fucking-believable.

[Minimalist]

My parents never hit me.

That explains a lot.

[Tiberius]

My mother used to spank me until she watched a documentary on the possible adverse affects of such action. It was only a couple of years later that the government put restrictions on it (such as you are not allowed to leave a visible mark).