Quote Originally Posted by mwfanelli2
Well, lets see...uh...um... I WAS A KID!!!
So are you suggesting kids can't be held personally responsible for their actions just because they are kids? If so, I highly disagree. If anything, parents need to hold their children accountable. After all, the real world will.

For me, being hit or paddled was counter-productive. But yes, by high school I had learned how to easily outwit adults and not get caught. Hardly the lesson they intended.
It's not the lesson that failed, it's what one chooses to do with the lesson that made all the difference in whether or not he or she continues in bad behavior.

I have no idea why I was wild as a kid, but I do remember that there were some adults I never messed with. Why? Not the threat of violence, but because they engaged me, challenged me, and treated me as if I was more than just a pain in the butt.
Well, we shouldn't expect that adults other than your parents would resort to corporeal punishment to correct you. It's not their place.

FWIW, I was also an "A" student in spite of my wildness which made many adults even angrier.
That's great that you got good grades, but it doesn't excuse or make up for any bad behavior. Your parents were probably bewildered as to why you could get good grades but couldn't or wouldn't show the same enthusiasm with good behavior. So I can understand their frustration.

Good grief. Besides the obvious repeat of "I was a kid", it is because VIOLENCE DOESN"T WORK! It's like saying the death penalty helps prevent murders
You can't avoid personal responsibility by claiming "I was just a kid." Kids make choices, good or bad, knowing the consequences laid down by their parents. That makes them accountable for how they behave. Yes, kids do stupid things without thinking sometimes, but that is what discipline is for...to remind them that they can't act stupid and get away with it, that they need to modify their behavior. Spanking isn't the only means to accomplish that, but I fully support a parent's right to resort to it should they feel it necessary.

By the way, the death penalty is 100% effective in preventing murders, as the one put to death can never harm another human being again.

You can't modify behavior in a good way through the use or threat of violence. At least, that's my opinion.
Wanna bet? The very reason for which we have laws and punishments is to curb bad human behavior and prevent anarchy. And it works for the most part, excepting those of course who fear no consequences–you know, the incorrigible.

I wasn't willing to accept that violence was a good or proper thing. Wow, pity me!
Of course you weren't willing to accept it. What kid likes to get spanked? But this doesn't negate that spanking is a good thing in that it instills in the child a sense of right and wrong, that there are boundaries to behavior, and that bad behavior can sometimes have a swift and harsh consequence.

I still would like you to answer my question. Don't worry, you're not gonna shock or upset me.