Here at AllMomDoes, we don’t shy away from the hard issues. We know that spanking as a form of discipline is an incredibly sensitive and divisive subject, so we asked four women to share with us the reasons why they chose to spank their children, or if they chose not to spank, why they opted not to. This series is not meant to convince anyone that spanking is either right or wrong, but rather to give us each the chance to hear from mothers who have chosen different from us. It also gives us the opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on (and possibly re-evaluate) how we’ve chosen to parent our own children.
Read All the Posts in the Series:
To Spank, or Not to Spank?: “My children were loaned to me from God himself and I felt a huge responsibility to raise them with that in mind. My top priority was to instill in them the characteristics that God would find valuable and useful: faith, empathy, remorse and a conscience. And, yes, spanking was one of the tools we used…”
Why I Don’t Spank My Kids: “To me, spanking is an aggressive and reactive form of discipline and one that I don’t want to bring into my house…”
My Approach to Spanking: “In this cultural age, the idea of spanking has been tossed around and made to be something that I know it was never intended to be. When you use the term, often it creates an image of physical harm, neglect, and extreme discipline in someone else’s mind. It has been equated with abuse, which was never what it was supposed to be…”
Why I’m Not Convinced “Biblical Spanking” is Biblical: “After a (pro-spanking) discussion in a church setting several years ago, I set out to learn a little bit more. Because something still didn’t sit right with me – and after doing my own research, I can unequivocally say that I won’t spank my kids…”
Do you spank as a form of discipline in your family? Why or why not? Differing opinions are always welcome, but kindness and respect are expected when commenting.
