I have a relative who was relating a story about how her husband had spanked her disobedient (just-turned) 14-year-old.
I didn’t say anything–and it wasn’t as though she had been or ever been hurt–but it just struck me as kinda creepy, punishing a chile that old by spanking.
However, I have no chirren of my own, so maybe it’s not that uncommon?
On a more serious note, I think once the children hit double digits spanking should stop. Not sure why but the double digits some seem like a good rule of thumb.
You have to be terribly careful about spanking the chile. If you hit it too hard all sort of thing can go wrong. Seeds all over the house, chile juice in your eyes, they can even stain the carpet. I’d recommend putting down plastic.
On a more serious note, my parent stopped whacking me around 10 or 11, not that it ever did any good.
I wouldn’t spank it all…it might be a voodoo chile!
Seriously, I think double digits is about right, if you are into corporal punishment at all these days. I was disciplined in such a manner until age 10. Or 11. I was bad.
I was in the sixth grade the last time I got paddled. It was definitely counter-productive, I laughed when the principal broke the paddle on my bottom. I wasn’t a bad kid and rarely got paddled, but that one was definitely a waste of time.
A few years later, I got my face slapped, and deservedly so, by my mother for telling my great-aunt “Mind your own business, old woman.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I was expecting the resulting slap, and I think that this type of disrespect deserves this type of response. But without the previous years of being taught respect by my parents, I don’t know whether another teenager would have felt the same, and it might be a risky thing for a parent to do if they haven’t built the underlying foundation of respect.
My parents spanked my sister and I until we were about 7 or 8, I think. After that, we had to sit there at the table and explain why we did whatever stupid thing we’d just done, with my dad’s piercing blue eyes drinking in every word.
Frankly, I’d rather have been spanked.
Violations involving other people–showing disrespect to a relative or neighbor, that sort of thing–involved making an apology to that person as soon as possible. Squirm-inducing, but very good for the character, lol.