Are you for or against it? I'm for it. I think it needs to be passed into law.

link (http://www.click2houston.com/family/10793180/detail.html)

Lawmaker Proposes No-Spanking Law
Sponsor Says Measure Would Help Young Children

Updated: 10:47 am CST January 19, 2007

Sacramento, Calif. -- A California legislator introduced a bill Thursday that would make it illegal for parents to spank their young children.

Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, authored the bill, which would make it a misdemeanor for parents to spank a child age 3 years or younger, television station KCRA reported.

The crime would carry a punishment of up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Lieber said the bill is long overdue.

"This bill is absolutely not big mother government coming in to tell parents what to do," Lieber said. "But it is creating a line in the law that stands on the side of very young children. Children that are 3 years old or younger are really sitting ducks for physical punishment, and they're no match with the speed or size or force of an adult who's beating them."

Opponents said the government shouldn't tell adults how to be parents.

If the bill passes and is signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lieber said it would make California the first in the nation to have a no-spanking law.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting.

I don't think 3 and Under is a good benchmark. Why? The terrible twos. And at 2 years a child is at least developed enough physically to get at least some degree of a spanking. I think prohibiting it for any child up to 24 months would be fine, but any more than that and you start to lose the ability to discipline unruly kids.

Perhaps Arnold and Sally should demonstrate what the legal definition of a spanking is. Like...will you get thrown in jail if you give your 2 year-old a quick whack on the butt for being disobedient?

Otherwise, I am all for the government deciding what's right and wrong in our own homes, especially with pressing issues such as spanking.

I'm 100% for it. The sooner we start delivering the message that raising your hand is NOT the answer, the better off we'll all be.

J

totally fine with me.

If they mean proper, hard, spanking, then I agree with it. I don't see anything wrong with a little tap, though - nothing big, nothing that hurts too much, just a warning to show kids that what they're doing is wrong. I think that's probably okay.

I don't think 3 and Under is a good benchmark. Why? The terrible twos. And at 2 years a child is at least developed enough physically to get at least some degree of a spanking. I think prohibiting it for any child up to 24 months would be fine, but any more than that and you start to lose the ability to discipline unruly kids.
I agree.

I don't think 3 and Under is a good benchmark. Why? The terrible twos. And at 2 years a child is at least developed enough physically to get at least some degree of a spanking. I think prohibiting it for any child up to 24 months would be fine, but any more than that and you start to lose the ability to discipline unruly kids.
I agree. and their's enough unruly kids already.

What a complete waste of time and tax payers money to even consider this. What next.....the government telling us we can only eat out at a fast-food resturant once a month?? Starting to sound alot like the gov. wanting to tells what to do all the time. Communism?? Solcialism???

i dont know how well this is going to work

you shouldn't be allowed to have kids if you think spanking them is a good form of discipline.

you shouldn't be allowed to have kids if you think spanking them is a good form of discipline.


Why not "you should not be allowed to have kids if you can't provide for them and have to constantly sponge off the government". That's a bit more appropriate.

Spanking works. You don't have to beat the kid to a bloody pulp to get results. A nice little swat on the ass is a very good attention getter.

Spanking works. You don't have to beat the kid to a bloody pulp to get results. A nice little swat on the ass is a very good attention getter.
You shouldn't have to raise a hand to your child to get their attention, whether it be their ass or their face. If thats what you result to, you're a lazy parent. Most parents only spank their kids out of their own anger and frustration.

You shouldn't have to raise a hand to your child to get their attention, whether it be their ass or their face. If thats what you result to, you're a lazy parent. Most parents only spank their kids out of their own anger and frustration.


Seeing as you are only 19 tell me how many kids do you have???:lol: I've seen kids that have been perfect and have never needed to be spanked and some that were holy hell and nothing but a swat on the ass would get their attention. It ain't about being lazy. It's about making sure that an unruly child understands who is in charge. Get back to me in about 10 years when you've had kids.:lol:

Seeing as you are only 19 tell me how many kids do you have???:lol: I've seen kids that have been perfect and have never needed to be spanked and some that were holy hell and nothing but a swat on the ass would get their attention. It ain't about being lazy. It's about making sure that an unruly child understands who is in charge. Get back to me in about 10 years when you've had kids.:lol:
I grew up with an abusive father, I think I can speak with experience on this subject. I will never lay a hand on any of my kids.Dont think you know all because you're older than me. I've been practically a second father to my step sister, and shes a kid from hell. Never would I consider spanking her. She has learned when enough is enough just by the tone of voice I take up.

Whats the difference between giving them a "swat" on the butt and not just doing it on their face? They dont have to look at you when you're doing it?

I grew up with an abusive father, I think I can speak with experience on this subject. I will never lay a hand on any of my kids.Dont think you know all because you're older than me. I've been practically a second father to my step sister, and shes a kid from hell. Never would I consider spanking her. She has learned when enough is enough just by the tone of voice I take up.

Whats the difference between giving them a "swat" on the butt and not just doing it on their face? They dont have to look at you when you're doing it?

Blah, blah, blah...you may be able to speak with experience on being abused but not on raising children. I could care less if you're a second father or not. It's a completely different animal when it's your own child.

It don't matter to me if it's on the butt, face, arm, leg...it all get's the same result. Spanking is not the same as being abused. Once you realize that you might finally get a clue.:wave:

This is a very touchy topic but I think it's ok to spank within reason.
Unfortunately; some people overdue it and that's when it's wrong.

This is a very touchy topic but I think it's ok to spank within reason.

I agree with that.

When I was little, if me or my sister misbehaved enough, we'd get a few small smacks on our backsides. It was nothing big and it didn't happen often. As long as people aren't hitting hard, or beating the kids, I don't think spanking does much harm.

It may not be the best way to go about disciplining, but I don't think it does any harm, in the long term.

I agree with that.

When I was little, if me or my sister misbehaved enough, we'd get a few small smacks on our backsides. It was nothing big and it didn't happen often. As long as people aren't hitting hard, or beating the kids, I don't think spanking does much harm.

It may not be the best way to go about disciplining, but I don't think it does any harm, in the long term.

I agree with you, as long as it doesn't cross over into being abusive. Also, I'd never smack a kid, or any other person for that matter, in the face; I think it's so insulting and humiliating. I think it's one of the most horrible things anyone can do. Same goes for name-calling (stupid, worthless, moron, never amount to anything--stuff like that)--it can damage a kid's spirit and healthy sense of self-worth.

As for spanking in general, it's for disciplining, not taking out anger and beating on someone, and as such should be used judiciously and rarely, IMO

To answer the thread question: I think the government should not interfere with how parents raise children, except in cases of abuse or neglect.

I don't think 3 and Under is a good benchmark. Why? The terrible twos. And at 2 years a child is at least developed enough physically to get at least some degree of a spanking. I think prohibiting it for any child up to 24 months would be fine, but any more than that and you start to lose the ability to discipline unruly kids.

I agree. I work in a nursery and so many kids these days are bad behaving little monsters because their parents were too much of a pansy to spank them. Abuse is a different story, but spanking your child when they've been disobedient is totally acceptable. "Spare the rod, spoil the child."

Blah, blah, blah...you may be able to speak with experience on being abused but not on raising children. I could care less if you're a second father or not. It's a completely different animal when it's your own child.

It don't matter to me if it's on the butt, face, arm, leg...it all get's the same result. Spanking is not the same as being abused. Once you realize that you might finally get a clue.:wave:

Blah, Blah, Blah another inciteful post from the wise and witty Bobby.

The model parent speaks up :lol: :lol: :lol:

I will agree with you that spanking is not abuse but it certainly can turn into abuse.

Mocking someone because they were abused Bobby, is there no depth of the gutter that you won't delve? Nevermind, dumb question of course there isn't.

I'm not sure if this should really be a law. I believe there should be alternative ways to discipline a child without spanking. My nephew is 4 years old and I found that if he doesn't do something, I tell him I will count to 5 and if I get to 5 he usually have done what I asked of him. He went through the terrible twos and I did the exact samething.

I've worked in social services and it's very sad to see innocent children in custody of CPS due to their parents going overboard in beating them. Many people may not agree with this, but parents can cross boundaries when punishing their children. It doesn't take much to pick up a child to throw him/her against the wall. Sadly, I've worked with children who experienced something similar.

I'm not sure if this should really be a law. I believe there should be alternative ways to discipline a child without spanking. My nephew is 4 years old and I found that if he doesn't do something, I tell him I will count to 5 and if I get to 5 he usually have done what I asked of him. He went through the terrible twos and I did the exact samething.

I've worked in social services and it's very sad to see innocent children in custody of CPS due to their parents going overboard in beating them. Many people may not agree with this, but parents can cross boundaries when punishing their children. It doesn't take much to pick up a child to throw him/her against the wall. Sadly, I've worked with children who experienced something similar.
Counting works until they turn 6. Then all bets are off. I have only spanked my son a handful of times. Most of these times were for out right lying or disobedience. He has gotten the belt twice. One time was for calling me a nasty name. The other time was for out right lying to me. Since then he has done neither.

Now as far as day to day discipline I find that taking away his Gameboy is much more effective than spanking. Homework isn't done? Then guess what? No gameboy for a week. The usually the homework is done for the rest of the week. Talk about positive results. Sometimes I only have to look at him and he admits when he did something wrong.

Parenting isn't easy and sometimes it seems like all I get from my son is a bunch of attitude. But when he looks up at me and tells me he loves me, I melt like chocolate in the sun......

The reason I disagree with spanking children is that it is not a true form of discipline. Discipline is supposed to be a punishment which teaches someone that they did something wrong, and after the punishment is finished, the person should know why what they did was wrong. Spanking a child will teach them to behave out of fear of being hit. It won't show them why what they did was wrong. The idea of spanking is (from a parent's point of view) "If I spank my child, they will know they were out of line and will not do it again, because they know what will happen next time". So it teaches children to be good because of fear, not for the sake of being good.

i personally think grounding or taking something away from the kid is much more effective then just spanking them. being grounded always worked for me when i was little.

What you also have to understand is that there are kids who not only can't help but to do bad things, but others enjoy it and think that the punishment is worth it. I know kids who are not effected by punishments at all.

Blah, blah, blah...you may be able to speak with experience on being abused but not on raising children. I could care less if you're a second father or not. It's a completely different animal when it's your own child.

It don't matter to me if it's on the butt, face, arm, leg...it all get's the same result. Spanking is not the same as being abused. Once you realize that you might finally get a clue.:wave:

That's just sick even for you Bobby.

Normally when I see you make an insulting post Bobby I make some kind of sarcastic remark about it.

But this one doesn't even deserve the effort. I've seen you insult other races, sexes and sexualities on a daily basis, but this is new low. To make fun of someone who tells you that they grew up being abused. ohno:

I'm not a parent but I do work with children. Kids definitely do need discipline and guidance, I won't argue with that. I just don't think spanking is the answer. It may get the kid to stop misbehaving at that moment, but what do they actually learn about right and wrong behavior from the spanking? All spanking does is teach the kid that it is OK for bigger people to hit smaller people and if you mess up then you will be physically harmed. Personally, I think there are much better ways to teach children the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

My parents rarely spanked, but they yelled a lot. After a while, I stopped listening.

Why not "you should not be allowed to have kids if you can't provide for them and have to constantly sponge off the government". That's a bit more appropriate.


:clap :clap :clap Agreed! Also, you should not be allowed to have kids if you can't be bothered to take care of them or raise them responsibly.

Why not "you should not be allowed to have kids if you can't provide for them and have to constantly sponge off the government". That's a bit more appropriate.

Spanking works. You don't have to beat the kid to a bloody pulp to get results. A nice little swat on the ass is a very good attention getter.

Oh my lord, I actually agree with you on this one! Yes spanking works, if your kid wants to act like a damn brat then yes. I'm not saying that you should pull out the belt and get the beating but a good swat always works! I've gotten spanked before and let me tell you, I never did anything bad again!

I know some people who should have got spanked(Paris Hilton, Jim Jones, Hilter, etc..) then maybe they wouldn't acted like such fools!

i personally think grounding or taking something away from the kid is much more effective then just spanking them. being grounded always worked for me when i was little.

Being grounded can work too, but in the age where kids are more spoiled then my generation(plasma T.V or any T.V, DVD players, iPods, Playstations and Wii, Computers in their rooms), grounding won't work today in 2007 more like 1987 when kids weren't as spoiled as they are now.

I don't think it should be law because it'd be hard to prove and there's a difference between a light tap and actually hitting a child. However, I think that parents really shouldn't spank their children and there are other forms of punishment.

Why not "you should not be allowed to have kids if you can't provide for them and have to constantly sponge off the government". That's a bit more appropriate.

Spanking works. You don't have to beat the kid to a bloody pulp to get results. A nice little swat on the ass is a very good attention getter.
:yeahthat

Counting works until they turn 6. Then all bets are off. I have only spanked my son a handful of times. Most of these times were for out right lying or disobedience. He has gotten the belt twice. One time was for calling me a nasty name. The other time was for out right lying to me. Since then he has done neither.

Now as far as day to day discipline I find that taking away his Gameboy is much more effective than spanking. Homework isn't done? Then guess what? No gameboy for a week. The usually the homework is done for the rest of the week. Talk about positive results. Sometimes I only have to look at him and he admits when he did something wrong.

Parenting isn't easy and sometimes it seems like all I get from my son is a bunch of attitude. But when he looks up at me and tells me he loves me, I melt like chocolate in the sun......


See, you've done alternative punishments instead of sticking with physical punishments. I think more parents should try the things that you've done such as taking things away, or grounding instead of just sticking with being hit.

I don't think spanking should necessarily be done on every occasion. As others have pointed out, there are other ways of punishing a kid.

Like I said, I don't think getting spanked harms kids in the long run (if they're being beaten, then that's not proper spanking in my opinion - for me, spanking is a few small, sharp smacks - nothing major, and nothing that hurts too much, but just something that will act as a warning not to do that.) I don't think that does any harm to the kids. I don't think spanking should necessarily be the first option, however. I think it would be good if parents tried other punishments and, if their child still refuses to listen, then resort to spanking. Like Yooch said, don't use it too regularly.