Don't Let Public Temper Tantrums Give You Fits

AMEN!! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH A GOOD OLD FASHIONED SPANKING. IF MORE OF TODAY'S LITTLE SPOILED BRAT DIVAS GOT A SPANKING OR HAD A FEW WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER, THERE WOULDNT BE THE ROTTEN KIDS THAT ARE AROUND TODAY. (GUESS THAT WOULD ELIMINATE MORE THAN A FEW REALITY SHOWS THO, HUH? LOL)

Ok you have the right mind set. Not just the put them over your knee and spank them a few times but also giving them the explaination so that they understand what is wrong with what they were doing. My father never spanked unless it was really needed, but I'll tell you what. If we did something wrong we never heard the end of it. He would talk to us for about 3 hours about what we did was wrong, why it was wrong, and what was the right thing to do. And I'll tell you we never did it again. Cause we knew that if we did we were going to hear it for 4 hours next time. I completely agree with you. Spank then tell them why they got spanked and explain what is the right way to handle things.

You are so right. Maybe it is normal for small kids to throw tantrums. It is the parents responsiblility to teach them at that point that it is unacceptable behavior. A pop on the butt does not hurt the child but it does get their attention and lets them know that they did not get favorable results with the fit. People who don't teach this end up with grown kids that do not know how to act in public and throw fits all their life. Not too many friends or dates are going to stick around to see too many of their fits. Dang, it's just plain common sense.

You are some scary people.

First off, "I was spanked and I turned out OK" is NOT evidence.
Most pointedly, how do WE know you "turned out OK"?
How many people are going to admit "I got spanked and grew up to be a total tool"?

Yeah, time outs sound all "touchy feely" and "New Age-y" (whatever that is supposed to mean) but they DO work.

I worked on a pediatric mental health unit years ago when "time out" had yet to make it to common usage. We regularly had out of control kids brought to us and through a system of clear expectations, predictable consequences and, yes, time outs, parents came to visit wanting to know where their kid had "gone" because the reasonably well-behaved one they saw wasn't their kid.

As a psychologist (yes, one of THOSE), I conduct forensic evaluations. Of the dozens I have done, every single suspect/inmate has reported being "whupped" as a kid.

Hmm, guess criminals don't qualify as "turning out OK."

So right! I learned a lot about behaving after those beatings my father gave me. Man, if it wasn't for that belt and all the scars and bruises I don't think I'd ever turn out as a normal person! Talking to kids never works, let's continue to hit them! Yeah!

I agree with you! However being a mom of 4 ages 5 - 14yrs you are not allowed to spank your child! I yelled at my little one because he was refusing to get in into his carseat. I told him to knock it off or he would get spanked.....a nosy passerby started yelling at me and threatened to call CPS (child support services) on me! Society in general took all control and disciplinary tools away from parents. Even the older kids know this and will threaten their parents with the call themselves if their parent goes to spank them. This problem was not created by individual parents..... it was created by the people making the rules!! Society needs to give the conrol back to the parents without fear of reprocussions!!!

Right on Amanda! Saying it's ok to cry, but not ok to hit doesn't sit well with me. Of course it's not ok to hit me, but I know my son will scream bloody murder until he can't speak afterwards because he screams so loud and so hard. After a few swift smacks to the thighs, he knows mom means business and 9 times out of 10 he snaps out of it. And if he can't calm down after a trip to the bathroom for a spanking, then embarrassment really does the trick. If he hears me say he's not being a "big boy" and he's "crying like a little baby", and he knows other people can hear me, he quickly snaps out of it and reassures everyone by saying outloud, "I am a big boy" and he stops crying and throwing the fit. He's 3 and is still going through those terrible 2's. Either way, every parent is going to get through it somehow. I think it really just depends on the child and what works best for them. My daughter can just see the look on my face and she knows I mean business. So parents...don't judge other parents, especially when spanking is envolved. Put yourself in their shoes and understand that if that's what works, then that's what they have to do. We aren't beating our kids. We are simply teaching them respect in our own way.

I completely agree! My mother did the same to thing to me and my siblings. First off, before we got to whereever we were going it was made evident that no "funny business" would be allowed. Then if we did get a little unruly my mom would walk away. Then of course we went running. If all else fails, popping those legs is a sure way to get your kids to cooperate. Things needed to be done and cuddling and coddling babies all day would not be a great idea.

Exactly! Do not give the child attention at all, because that is all the child really wants it attention. Walk away, don't give the child the attention, they will learn right quick! I threw a tantrum once in a store, my mom did that to me and my mom said I never had a tantrum in public again.

Luisa, the joke's on you. YOU and YOU ALONE probably think your kids are 'well behaved.' Parents of absolute terrors NEVER think their kids are TERRORS!! What parent of an ill-behaved child ever admits that their child is ill-behaved, even if they're told they are? NONE. And I suspect YOU'RE one of them...

Oh Luisa. I think you are the one that has it all wrong. I can't wait to have my own children, and if they ever throw a tantrum in public you can bet that they will get a spanking (You call it hitting, I call it spanking.) I would NEVER "hit" my child. But a few swift smacks on the butt will teach him/her a good lesson.

I don't think people spank their kids because they are frustrated, they spank them to let them know that what they're doing is wrong - it's called punishment. Small children are usually not going to want to listen to reason. As someone said earlier in the postings, they JUST WANT THAT CANDY BAR!

Believe me, I'm not talking about hurting the child. There's a big difference between spanking and beating. I was spanked as a child as well (not beaten), and I don't recall ever feeling demeaned.

To imply that people that spank their kids are not using their brains and that they have "no mental capacity" to handle a situation implies to me that you have no ability to listen to someone else's point of view. You're very lucky that you have four well-behaved kids, but in the real world, most kids are not automatically well-behaved and some kids respond differently to gentle reasoning than they do to tough love.

I got hit "Spanked" as I kid and I dont think its okay to hit when I'm frustrated, but I expect to get hit if Im acting disrespectfully to someone. You keep coddling your babies and you cripple them to the real world. Have them throw a fit the first day at a new job and see if their boss will give them a timeout and be understanding and get in touch with their feelings. But first make sure they have several other job offers before trying this.

Your little darling are proably little brats out of your sight I have seen kids behave infront of thier parents only to revert to monsters when thier parents leave.

I completely agree. What are we teaching kids when we say, "Don't hit your brother" and then hit them? Besides teaching them to hit, you're teaching fear not respect, it is NOT the same thing. I am a teacher and I have babysat countless children, I am not allowed to spank/hit them in either situation and yet they listen. There are other ways if people actually think before they do.