I was beaten with a belt three times that I can remember. I know I had welts on my legs and butt and even on my arms and hands, because no matter how much you are told to be still and not defend yourself, you really just can’t help it.
Now I was born in 1956 and this sort of discipline was considered normal. Or so I always thought.
So, it got me to wondering.
For the purposes of the poll, I’m considering a spanking to be a swat to the butt with the hand only.
Oh dang it, I screwed up the poll. As in, didn’t include it.
Oh well, you guys can just answer the question in your response, if you care to.
Spankings (as in, swats on the butt with a hand), yes, though not often.
Beatings, never.
Paddlings, I honestly don’t remember: paddling as a punishment did exist in elementary school, but it was seldom used, and I honestly don’t remember whether I was ever on the receiving end.
This was in the 70s.
Both, both spanked bare handed on the butt and beaten with belts and switches.
It didn’t work at all and would just enrage my parents so they would escalate and I’d dig in, parenting disaster.
I will add that as an adult this has never troubled me or made me think about it, the emotional abuse however has.
Swatted on the butt (with hand only) rarely. Never beaten.
Mostly, punishment consisted of being sent to my room for an unspecified time (which was usually under half an hour). Really severe was missing the family dinner (of which a modest portion, omitting dessert, was sent up to me).
Yes, we were occasionally spanked for misbehavior, always with the words, “this is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you.” 1950s. Bad kids at school were given the paddle, but rarely. For them, it was often a badge of honor.
My parents never spanked me (us). I assume they were philosophically against it, but it never came up in conversation. Likewise, I never spanked my kids.
The only physical punishment I can remember was once in elementary school. It was almost comical. It was the stereotypical big wooden paddle with holes drilled in it to cut down air resistance. It was administered by a female teacher and was witnessed by the principal. I was told to assume the position (bend over and grab my ankles) then the teacher gave me a smack with the paddle. It was hard enough to make an impression (a mental one, not physical) but didn’t sting for more than a minute or two. I can’t remember what the paddling was for and I never told the 'rents. I remember one or two other boys being paddled at the same time and I remember laughing with tears in our eyes at the absurdity of it.
My mother and father never hit me nor abused me emotionally. I was usually either sent to my room or had a privilege taken away temporarily. Born in 1957, by the way. My parents have both passed away and I loved them until the end.
I got to secondary school (age 11 typically, but I was younger) just as the cane and ruler were banned by the Diocese. In primary school teachers would occasionally slap your hands with a wooden ruler as a punishment for talking in class or other transgressions.
Our parents never laid a hand on us. On a couple of occasions we were left in the care of aunts while our parents travelled on business. One of them was an absolute horror show. She’d wale on us with anything that was handy. My mother did not speak to that aunt (her sister in law) for many years until the aunt was terminally ill.
Spanked occasionally in the 1980s. It was cloaked in a lot of ceremonial talking-to, and that was really the worst part. The spanking was ceremonial.
Yup. Deserved each and every one of them.
We called them whuppins. Always with a belt. I only got three or four whuppins, but other siblings (particularly my older sister) got more.
Yes. The only effect it had on me was making me want to hit back.
My Dad gave me whippings with a belt when I misbehaved. It didn’t hurt half as much as my Mom bawling me out then crying.
Belt, razor strop, loose piece of firewood, kitchen utensils if within reach.
Spanked, beat, and backhanded.
Always with this I’m only doing this because I love you and/or the why do you make me have to do this to you?
How stupid/sick is it to equate beatings with love?
Spankings: yes
Belt: yes
“Switches” —> skinny tough weeds cut for the purpose, whiplike: yes
Born in 1984. Well, I was never what you’d call “beaten,” but I was slapped a lot, by both parents. I remember when I was about 2 or 3, I had an unusual day, my mother remarking that I hadn’t been spanked that day. The first time I remember having a headache, it was because my mother hit me really hard in the head.
I remember when my 7th-grade class had a discussion on physical punishment, and I envied a classmate who said she’d only been spanked once. That was a painful (no joke intended) discussion for me to listen to.
I was spanked twice but never beaten. The spankings were well warranted - I still remember what they were for. The first, I tried to paint our burgundy station wagon white, along with a tree out front and the garage floor.
Second time, I was bothering my grandfather (who was on oxygen). Wouldn’t leave him alone, even though he explicitly said he was really tired and would I please leave him in peace. Poor guy could hardly move, but managed to smack me anyway. I really deserved that one, too.
born late 50’s. Spankings by mother with hand or small toy paddle. My father only spanked me twice. He was a big guy and afraid to spank. When He spanked me I’d really screwed up and done something dangerous to myself that required I fully understood not to do it again.
No bruises or marks except maybe a red hiney and I doubt even that. School teachers would paddle kids and that went all the way through high school. I remember a kid in shop class assuming the position. And like my father’s spankings, it was to drive home the point not to repeat dangerous behavior. The public spanking served as a lesson to the whole class and being a shop class they had a lovely wooden paddle made for the task. The teacher would invite the other shop class next store to witness the event.
Of course, back then everybody was on the same page. You had to really screw up to get paddled at school and if your parents found out you’d get it again at home.