February 10, 2025 SPANK OR SPOIL?
"Parenting is primarily an attitude and an understanding, not a technique." - Detroit Flanagan
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Some years back, I ran across a laminated bookmark featuring, the picture of a young man with a laptop computer in his hands. The accompanying caption read "My parents spanked me as a child. As a result, I now suffer from a psychological condition known as 'Respect for Others.' It is interesting to observe that since the evolution of parenting styles began, most prominently in the 1950s after the 1946 publishing of a book by Dr. Benjamin Spock called "Baby and Child Care." Though Dr. Spock did not directly advocate against spanking children, his book seems to have been the genesis for a general movement by the psychology sector away from spanking children. I, for one, have never endorsed the concept of
non-spanking. My Bible declares to me that "if you spare the rod, you spoil the child." As parents, we are charged with the responsibility to raise respectful children who are fit for integration into a civilized society. Whatever is required to make that happen, we must do. Let me just close with this: if your children don't respect you, they will not respect the authority of their teachers or law-enforcement. We as parents are the first authority figures in our children's lives, so we are the ones charged with the responsibility to teach them respect for authority. It's not the teacher's job; it's not their coaches job. That all important job belongs to the parents. Do your job and your child will have a much better chance of personal happiness and success in life.
© 2025 Detroit Flanagan
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