Do You Spank Your Children?

As I've said before, there's no manual you receive after becoming a parent. Soon after the excitement has died down, the family has left and returned home; you're left with an instructionless baby. You don't think about the intricacies of raising a child the correct way until he or she is laying in your living room looking up at you with the doe-eyed wonderment of a newborn baby. Most of what I've learned about raising a child has been trial by fire. Heating up a bottle at the perfect temperature, the exact number of diapers needed for a trip to the park or avoiding the Mickey Mouse aisle at Target to prevent a potential meltdown. I've made mistakes, but one mistake I do not want to make is discipline, more specifically spanking.

Now, I know this is a controversial topic, and that's ok. I intend to learn from opinion and comment. As of the time of this writing, I can see both sides of the issue. My grandmother disciplined me with a switch. When I really did something terrible, she would make me pick a switch from the garden and skin it in front of me. The trick, select a switch that was thin but not too small that she would realize I didn't feel the pain. One summer day I spray painted all of the doorknobs in the house pink. I remember being pulled over her knee. I never touched spray paint in that house again. I wasn't abused, she never went overboard, it was discipline, and it worked.

On the other hand, being a part of Live for 175 since it's creation and completing variations of my own campaigns to raise awareness I understand how spanking can be detrimental. I've been told there are better alternatives such as positive reinforcement that work much better.

So, what are your thoughts? Leave your comments below and please be respectful. We are all here to learn.