:whip :whip :whip Shazam Shazam Shazam!

No.

I could never understand why the boys,especially Beaver was afraid of Ward because the man never did lay a hand on them. There were times he might have gotten firm with them and they thought he was yelling. To me they didn't know what yelling really was, I did, I grew up with a Marine as a father. Make no mistake my dad loved me but he also reminded me who was boss.

I think that was supposed to be the way children look at things versus adults. For example, if they referred to lecturing as "being yelled at" or even "being hit". Of course lectures aren't as bad as those, but for kids, it feels just as bad (well, if you've never actually been hit, then it feels like its just as bad). I think the over-exaggeration was on purpose and was supposed to be funny. I thought it funny at least.:D

Oh yeah it was funny I laughed everytime. I just thought it was strange that's all. One thing I admire about Ward also is that I never seen him scream or yell at June even if he got irritated. I think the angriest I've seen him with her was in that episode about Chopper when his shirts were full of startch and even then he only raised his voice and Beaver acted as though he was screaming at her and wanted a divorce.

I just remember Ward saying that they were going to be "punished." But that was usually taking away their privileges temporarily or having them do extra chores. Compared to many fathers of that era, Ward was a softie.

I read in an episode synopisis that in the first epiosde there is a line that makes reference to Ward openingly threatening his sons when he gets home. Help! Would this be "Captain Jack", "Beaver gets 'Spelled'", or 'The Black Eye?" Syndicate and TV LAND often did not go by the original airdate of the episodes.

Jack

NO WAY !! they never would let that on t.v

There's one episode where Beaver is up in a tree and there is a crowd gathered around; Ward is trying to get Beaver to come down and there is some reference made to getting hit when they get home, but then Ward realizes all the people are standing there and he changes his tune. Does anyone know which episode this is?

I believe that was in "Beaver Gets 'spelled"

I can't think of the particular ep-- I think it is a latter one-- when Wally and Beaver are just talking about something and Beaver makes the comment, "You mean like a long time ago, when Dad used to spank us?"

There is also "School Picture" when Ward was "yelling" at Beaver for having fallen for Gilbert's trap and made the face in the snapshot. Beaver says, "Dad, if this had happend about 3 or 4 years ago, you'd have spanked me, wouldn't you?" Ward says, "Yes, Beaver, I probably would have. But I think you're old enough now to reason with about things like this."

One really vague term used throughout the run of LITB is "clobbered"... "get clobbered" or "clobber you." Clearly it's sometimes used to mean Ward's lectures. Yet at other times it does seem to imply physical punishment. For example, in "Beaver's Autobiography," Beaver comes back to his room from having told his dad and mom about getting the F because of letting the girl write his 'autobiography,' and Wally asks what happened, then adds "At least you didn't get clobbered." Beaver says Ward told him he has to write his own paper in spite of the teacher not requiring Beaver to do that. Wally then says, "It would have been better if Dad had clobbered you."

When used in relation only to Wally, Beaver, and their friends, "clobbered" does mean physical violence, as when Wally is raising his fist to Eddie and says "You've got 2 choices-- one {....} or else I'm gonna clobber you!"

But anyway, even though Ward did apparently spank the boys when were younger and the threat might still be there even when they are 12 or older, Ward was nothing like his own father, whose "shortcut to child psychology" was using a strap on his kids for almost any kind of trouble. And really, it wouldn't have been that easy for a man raised like Ward to be so much less 'violent' and more understanding as he was shown to be.

Originally posted by tdr
I can't think of the particular ep-- I think it is a latter one-- when Wally and Beaver are just talking about something and Beaver makes the comment, "You mean like a long time ago, when Dad used to spank us?"

There is also "School Picture" when Ward was "yelling" at Beaver for having fallen for Gilbert's trap and made the face in the snapshot. Beaver says, "Dad, if this had happend about 3 or 4 years ago, you'd have spanked me, wouldn't you?" Ward says, "Yes, Beaver, I probably would have. But I think you're old enough now to reason with about things like this."

One really vague term used throughout the run of LITB is "clobbered"... "get clobbered" or "clobber you." Clearly it's sometimes used to mean Ward's lectures. Yet at other times it does seem to imply physical punishment. For example, in "Beaver's Autobiography," Beaver comes back to his room from having told his dad and mom about getting the F because of letting the girl write his 'autobiography,' and Wally asks what happened, then adds "At least you didn't get clobbered." Beaver says Ward told him he has to write his own paper in spite of the teacher not requiring Beaver to do that. Wally then says, "It would have been better if Dad had clobbered you."

When used in relation only to Wally, Beaver, and their friends, "clobbered" does mean physical violence, as when Wally is raising his fist to Eddie and says "You've got 2 choices-- one {....} or else I'm gonna clobber you!"

But anyway, even though Ward did apparently spank the boys when were younger and the threat might still be there even when they are 12 or older, Ward was nothing like his own father, whose "shortcut to child psychology" was using a strap on his kids for almost any kind of trouble. And really, it wouldn't have been that easy for a man raised like Ward to be so much less 'violent' and more understanding as he was shown to be.


I tend to think of those isolated lines as more inconsistencies of the show, just like Beaver's tonsils and Gilbert's last name. There was another episode when Ward told the boys that they knew he'd never hit them. It was also said that "Dad was never a hittin' father." The overall message of the show was that Beaver and Wally did not get hit. I think the writers just got careless sometimes or thought a good line was worth an inconsistency.

The picture episode was in season 4. Four years before was season 1, and Ward was then telling them they wouldn't get hit.

The boys being hit was yet another inconsistency during the series run. Sometimes it was mentioned that Ward never hit the boys, yet the boys were always worried about being hit.

In "Silent Treatment," June asked Ward what his father would have done if Ward had treated his mom the same way Beaver was treating June, and Ward stated that his father would have taken him to the "toolshet." Ward further mentions that if Beaver didn't stop treating June the way he was a "trip to the toolshed" might be in order.

Whipping your children doesn't help the problem at hand. It only makes them MORE afraid of their parents!

Ward's bark was definitely worse than his bite. By the way, I like how Uncle Billy disciplined Beaver when he was caught sneaking Gilbert into the movies. Beaver did the crime, paid the price and all was forgiven. Uncle Billy didn't even tell Ward and June what happened.

Yeah. He was such a nice guy! :):)

But why do parents whip their kids. It only makes them more afraid of their parents.

:crying: :whip

Beaver: Stop it, dad! Please!

:smash:

Ward: Not until...

:boxing:

...You learned your lesson!