LogFAQs > #913713548

mooreandrew58 posted...

shipwreckers posted...

Olld-Onne posted...

Yellow posted...

Spanking is a perfectly valid method of discipline for people who actually cannot control a 5 year old without hitting them.

Last resort, physical strength when intelligence is matched.

Are you saying all 5 year olds are dumb? Some are smarter than you already believe it or not. Born with intelligence it is not learned.

I think he's referring to the intelligence of the parents (as in, they're not intelligent enough to figure out a way of discipline that doesn't involve spanking).

I could be wrong, though.

Or that even if a 5 year old is smart there is a difference between intelligence and giving a fuck. Kids are going to do what they want to do unless the parents find some way to make the understand why they shouldn't and sometimes the kid knowing there will be consequences is what stops them.

That's true. It's also what makes the condescending comments about parent intelligence so absurd. As PO pointed out earlier, kids are absolutely incapable of abstract thought until they develop critical thinking skills, and the ability for basic empathy (they don't REALIZE the dangers of busy streets, or that hitting others in the head with sticks inflicts pain; they CAN'T).

So, there has to be some sort of negative reinforcement for dangerous / hurtful actions so that the kid associates the bad actions with a negative feeling. Granted, every kid is different, and for some kids, a mere verbal rebuke is sufficient (since they don't like seeing mommy or daddy angry-faced).

But, if you're a reckless kid like I was, who was dense as a bag of bricks when it came to following orders, talking alone wasn't going to cut it. Practicality also makes a difference, because you can't just give a kid a "time-out" when he's being disobedient in a transitory environment (e.g. parking lot, or interstate rest stop during a road trip).
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