I was sitting in a Cosi with my sister and my niece when my niece decided to act out. There is nothing more frustrating and embarrassing than a child who acts out in public! My niece had decided that she did not feel like saying her prayers for her food before she ate; therefore, I took her food, prayed for my food, and continued to eat with my sister in front of her. When she began to cry, I sternly asked her to remove herself from the table and to not come back to the table until she was ready to act like a young lady.
She mustered her way to the bathroom, composed herself, and returned to say her prayers. We continued with our lunch and were laughing and joking within seconds. All the while, the woman sitting next to me could not tame her wild children who screamed, yelled at their mother, and were completely disrespectful to her. The look of amazement on her face as my niece waltzed her way back to the table and began to behave herself was priceless. She then gazed at her kids in disbelief and embarrassment. I made a comment to my sister, “ She must not spank her kids.”
The truth is that I do not remember the last time (if-ever) I had to spank my niece; but, there is power in the fact that she knows that I will spank her if I need to. I do not abuse her, I always warn her, and she is very well aware of the behavior I expect of her. Making these boundaries clear at an early age has fostered a relationship of respect, which has provided us with the ability to have fun and be extremely close.
I do not see a problem with the statistics stating children being spanked (as long as they are not being abused) are aggressive than children who are not spanked. I am curious to find out what the studies determine as aggressive behavior. Aggressiveness is a trait that is prevalent in many successful people, and should not always be seen a s negative trait. The behaviors of children that stem from the behaviors of the adults in their lives depend largely on parenting. Do not just spank your children and expect them to learn any sort of lesson. There is a huge difference between respect and fear. I know this may seem like a lot from a person who does not have children, but I have been extremely active in the raising of my niece. I am not afraid to state that more people need to PARENT along with their discipline.
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I completely agree! The mom stare is a must. My mother had to only beat me once when I was five. After that, whenever I was testing her patience she had THAT look. It quickly struck the fear of God in me and I realized I had better stop tripping. I don't agree with beating children (slapping in the face, kicking, punching) but I think every child can benefit from physical discipline if it's administered properly. -Tiara
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