Saturday, January 20, 2007
California may make spanking infants and toddlers illegal
Democratic California assemblywoman Sally Lieber wants to make it illegal to spank a child three years old or younger. I’ve got to admit that I didn’t even know it was actually legal to spank such a young child.
I’ve never really understood the fascination some parents have with the practice of spanking their kids. It seems barbaric. It seems to me to enforce the idea into a child’s head that it’s ok to use physical violence against people when they make you mad.
The child does something wrong. The parent gets mad at the child for doing something wrong and takes their anger out on said child by whacking their ass with the palm of their hand or device such as a paddle or a belt. Some might see this as a parent teaching their child discipline.
I see it as a parent hitting their child when they make them mad.
I guess I would think differently about it if we lived in a society where it was ok to hit people when they make you mad. When they do something they aren’t supposed to do. To be honest, nothing would make me happier then being able to legally throttle someone when they piss me off. The thing is, I don’t have that particular privilege. Nobody does. The only person you are allowed to hit when they make you mad is your own child. That’s simply wrong.
I guess my opinion on spanking might be a little different if we as a country didn’t have such a rampant problem with child abuse. Far too Americans physically abuse their children. Do all parents that spank their kids also abuse them? No, of course not. I’m not saying that. I do think there is a definite connection between spanking and child abuse.
Conservatives in California are up in arms with assemblywoman Sally Lieber’s anti-toddler spanking bill. Of course they are.
Not all conservatives are against the idea though. Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he may be receptive to just such a law. Schwarzenegger has said that he and wife Maria Shriver do not believe in spanking. Instead of spanking their four children, they have found it much more effective to threaten to take away their children’s play time instead of whacking them.
Imagine that.
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Is spanking my monkey still legal? Jesus, it better be. Or I’m moving to Canada.
Also, what about spanking spouses, hookers, and/or servants? Is that still legal? Damn, so this is what the world has come to…
Ricky used to spank Lucy.
He should have cracked her across that big mouth of hers. God, I hated Lucille Ball.
Hello,
Just wanted to let you know I linked to your blog in my column on CBSNews.com today. Thanks!
If you want to take a look, here’s the link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/23/blogophile/main2388332.shtml
Thanks,
Melissa
Take away their play time? Silly Sally, Do you not have anything better to do than make up silly rules? Get real. Do you not think that our children are being overindulged. Columbine…. I was raised respecting my elders and that fear in my heart kept me in line. Consequences. Let’s teach our children that there are consequences to their actions; positive or negative. I don’t agree in abuse, maybe we should have more parenting classes out there, to teach parents how to discipline and to a limit. Use your position to do some good. Not scare Californians into abortions. It is scary to be a parent nowadays.
I completly agree with you, adults should not be allowed to hit their kids at that young of an age, you can be just as effective by expaining to them what they did wrong and taking away priviledges rather than hitting them on impulse just to get your frustrations out.
Jenn, CA
Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer…you do not have any children, do you? Nor, have you obviously spent much time with one? If you did, you would know that ‘talking’ to a child is about as effective as pushing a semi truck with your tricycle. C’mon! A child has the attention span of a rock, when they are focused on a certain thing. I think that people are misconstruing the word ’spanking’, and turning it into the word ‘beating’. A spanking is, and should be, nothing more than an attention getting swat on the diaper padded bottom of a child over 1, who does not have the ability to pay attention, and is in the process of hurting themselves or others. It is not done for the benefit of getting our frustrations out, and it is not done often. If someone is going beyond what a ’spanking’ should be, then that person needs help, and should probably take up some kind of kickboxing or spin class. Breaking the law is certainly something that a person should be punished for, but a spanking does not belong in the same category as whipping and beating. There is a difference, and common sense MUST be made.
Regarding your comment; are you really that much of a better person? Let’s not get overly ridiculous when we are atop our soap boxes, and preaching down to others about how they ought to be living their lives, huh?
Honestly, do you really want a bunch of ‘you’s’ roaming the earth?
We are individuals! We have different opinions! We are not the same, you and I!
I think it is a wonderful photo, mother’s should spank there children. It would be wonderful if mother’s and older sister, aunt, grand mother’s would take the children for trip to woodshen and switch there bottoms red. I still spank my 17 year son, bare bottom with a spoon or switch when he’s naughty, mostly when he gets caught wearing pantyhose and touching himself. Trust me it does work!