Spanking

[Domo]

If a mother spanked her child in DisneyWorld, for example in the line for the Haunted Mansion, in full view of everyone, would you be cool with it? I ask because the family behind me came darn close to it, and the mother wasn't trying to play it on the down low either - we all knew it was on the cards.

 

[sonnyjane]

If a mother spanked her child in DisneyWorld, for example in the line for the Haunted Mansion, in full view of everyone, would you be cool with it? I ask because the family behind me came darn close to it, and the mother wasn't trying to play it on the down low either - we all knew it was on the cards.

I don't foresee this thread going well. That said, unless it's extreme, there's no law against giving your child a spanking, which means how you feel about it is very different than what you could do about it. You can't really intervene any more than you can intervene if you see a parent spoiling their kid and disagree with that parenting decision.

 

[DisneylandDarling]

My opinion is probably unpopular, but I'm fine with spanking. As long as it doesn't cross over into physical abuse, I'm absolutely okay with it. If the kid was acting like a brat, I would rather the mother actually intervene and make her kid behave rather than let him act up and ruin the experience for others.


Actually, there has been a pretty big uptick in the number of calls made to law enforcement because parents can't control their children (where we live of course, can't speak to other areas but I'm assuming the same). Officers have to respond to calls from parents in order to stop their 6, 7, 8 year old from punching their mom/dad, refusing to go to school, throwing rocks at passing cars, etc. Maybe a couple of spankings when the pattern started would have prevented the escalated behavior that makes calling the cops on your 2nd grader necessary. Just my thoughts.

 

[cjbcam]

I really don't see it as a big deal. I personally don't give my kids spankings but I don't judge a parent that does it either. I think the problem comes when people take it past just a smack on the butt. When a parent is angry they may hit harder than they intended. I just have a problem when people don't discipline their children at all or take it too far or are too extreme with discipline. Parenting is hard and what I think is right may not be what someone else does.

 

[superme80]

I agree that as long as it doesn't go into abuse then a quick smack on the butt is a fitting punishment at times.

 

[Wubar]

I have no problem giving my son a smack on the butt if he's misbehaving and refuses to listen to his parents. If other people in line don't like it, that's their problem. I don't like line cutters, people with offensive body odor, or people that talk loud enough to be heard 100 yards away, but I'm sure they aren't changing their behavior to suit my needs either.

 

[disykat]

The reason it would bug me is the "if they spank in public, what do they do in private" worry.

I'm not opposed to the use of a rare spanking as one method in a parent's hopefully more diverse array of discipline options. However, it does worry me if people pull out the spank threat as their first thought.

 

[jevs]

Lol. I witnessed a British family having a fabulous tantrum. It was hilarious with the whole I take you to the happiest place on earth and this is how you behave. Little girl was dressed as some princess, and she got a smack. I laughed.

Seriously, i don’t blame either parents or kids going off the rails at Disney. The expectations for seeing it all in a very short time frame means tempers and patience are going to be stretched. It’s why I wing our days at Disney parks, have rest times and have never had a meltdown in the park in public.

 

[fhtpdw20]

A couple of swats to the bottom with an open hand combined with "THE LOOK" and the first and middle names and a firm that's enough when they are small saves a whole lot of headaches as they grow older. The other thing is to mean what you say when you say it. IF you don't behave we are going to leave does not work unless they know you will follow through the first time you say it.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I would only step in if I deemed it to be abuse of a child. If the child is misbehaving and the parent gives a couple swats to the bottom, I wouldn't give it much thought. If, however, I saw any slaps to the face or a push that caused the child to hit the ground hard, I would absolutely step in and tell the parent to calm down.

 

[Klayfish]

I like spankings.

You know, I opened this thread wondering which form of spanking this was going to be...

Oh, for the record, on OPs question, I'm like others...I'm OK with it as long as it wasn't clearly over the top.

 

[Cameron1515]

It would always be nice to leave discipline up to the discretion of the parent, thus if the parent deemed it necessary to do so then they should be allowed. I don't necessarily agree that it should be carried out in a public place, in full view. However without getting to far into it, there are some parents who abuse this discretionary power, which is why I do sometimes frown upon spanking as it isn't necessarily the most appropriate measure particularly in such a public place.

 

[mom2rtk]

If a mother spanked her child in DisneyWorld, for example in the line for the Haunted Mansion, in full view of everyone, would you be cool with it? I ask because the family behind me came darn close to it, and the mother wasn't trying to play it on the down low either - we all knew it was on the cards.

And if you weren't cool with it?

 

[dosekies]

I would only step in if I deemed it to be abuse of a child. If the child is misbehaving and the parent gives a couple swats to the bottom, I wouldn't give it much thought. If, however, I saw any slaps to the face or a push that caused the child to hit the ground hard, I would absolutely step in and tell the parent to calm down.

Agreed. Although I personally am against spanking a child, I cannot control what others do and as long as they are not abusing the child there really isn't a reason to do or say anything.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It depends on how egregious it is. Then again, what could you possibly be doing in line at The Haunted Mansion that would result in spanking?

Maybe line cutting.

 

[Hikergirl]

A swat on the butt IMO is no big deal.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Good more kids needs spankings.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I have no problem with a little bit of spanking. That being said, in line for HM is not the place to do it. If your kid is acting up that much at Disney World, the obvious first punishment is to take them out of the park. Alternatively, if you really don't want to mess up your park enjoyment time, the second obvious punishment option is to take them out of line. This is what I did at California Adventure last year when my daughter started having a meltdown. We were almost at the front of the line, but I left (with her screaming apologies) and took her to the nearest bathroom where we could both calm down.

No reason you should make other guests uncomfortable, either with your misbehaving child or your spanking of them.

Edited: You know, the more I think of it, the more I realize that my way of handling a child-rearing situation is grounded very strongly in my understanding of operant conditioning. Taking away the chance for something desireable (a ride) is just as strong a deterrent (if not stronger) than a physical punishment. I know this from years of training animals (dogs, cats, horses, ferrets, guinea pigs, etc.), but not everyone was a psych/biology major like me. So, its probable that its not tht obvious to other people.

 

[luvsJack]

I would rather see a patent spank a child than hear the way I have heard some speak to a child. Cussing at a kid, calling them names or the "you ruin everything" makes me want to just sit down and hug the child.

A couple of smacks on the butt and a "knock it off" would go a lot further and wouldn't make that light go out in their eyes. (Makes me want to cry when I see that).

 

[Kitty 34]

I spanked my boys. They are grown men now who have turned out fine; for the most part!!