Quote:
Originally Posted by zombiegeisha
I have a theory that it has something to do with the whole wave of "spanking is not the answer" discipline approach.
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If a parent cannot think of another form of discipline OTHER than spanking, it still falls on them for laziness.
There are other forms of effective discipline. But sometimes it takes trying a few different techniques to find one that works.
Pain is immediate, and all living creatures will avoid painful stimuli if possible. It doesn`t necessarily mean they learn anything from the experience though... But it is generally quick, simple, and effective (at least in the short term).
I still think it`s a bit lazy to take that route when there are other often more effective routes that don`t rely on a "fear of pain" factor. And even if that fear of pain is there, it doesn`t mean that there is a real understanding of the reasoning behind it.
Why don`t we scream in public? "Because someone will smack me..." Is not really a very good answer and doesn`t carry over well into real life. Especially past a certain age.
"Because people will stare, parents will be disappointed, and we`ll have to leave immediately." - is a bit more in line with the real reasons behind it.
You can discipline a 10+ year old fairly easily - but I think that spanking them would be silly. Empty threats are the worst then too. It wouldn`t take but a minute for a parent to remove all access to tv, games, pc, etc... But I have yet to see a parent actually REALLY follow up on that kind of threat. Saying it 50 times is only going to tell the kid you don`t really plan to do it. If you say "Do that again, and it`s gone..." and it`s really gone the next time they do said thing... Well, things change.
But it`s way too easy for parents to not bother with real parenting, then just wring their hands, blame society, games, and media... When it`s all their own laziness.