General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I was switched all the time as a kid. [View all]Spirochete
(5,264 posts)switches, belts - you name it. There was a piano wire loop with a handle, even. (I think I ended up hiding that one).
Then the whippings stopped. That pissed me off, because they were abandoned in favor of grounding and loss of privileges. That I didn't like, and would whine "C'mon - that's not fair. You're not playing the game right. You're supposed to hit me this many times for doing this wrong thing. let's go back to that." Didn't work. They figured out switching was ineffective, because I didn't much care, but I did hate being grounded, so that was a much more effective punishment. I would bet spanking seldom accomplishes it's purpose with anyone. a little of it may be needed for very young children to communicate to them that certain things are a no-no - such as poking a fork into the wall sockets, etc. But that's about it. Other than that, spanking is mostly for parents revenge on their kids, and serves no other purpose.