Were you spanked or hit growing up in the '80s (or earlier)?

[SilverSurfer2020]

I grew up in the 80s and while I was only "spanked" once by a male teacher at primary school and never spanked or hit by my parents (that I can recall) ... I was very aware of the ever present talk of rulers, canes, hitting at the rural primary school I attended, of stories of older children having been hit, and on too of that my older siblings were hit occasionally by my parents.

Was this normal for the time?
I always got the impression it was fairly normal for people a bit older than me, and further back.

I wonder what impact it had on their (and our) perception of physical violence within families, partners etc.

What do you think?

Aibu - no, it was not common.
Aibu - yes, it was common.

(The impact question is not part of this aibu just looking for additional opinions. Maybe I could do a separate aibu for it).

*sorry
YABU - no, it wasn't common
yanbu - yes it was common

Think I just accidentally voted in my own thread, is that even possible.

Hmmm... Not voted because I was smacked at home by both mum and dad, but never at school, and I don't remember anyone else being hit at school either. I was born 83 though so maybe it was done by the time I started school?

Why are you only asking about the 80s or before? Everyone born in the 90s is at least 21 years old now.

I've voted the wrong one sorry because your first post confusing.

I went to a private primary so smacking etc was still legal and yes I was hit. Not often.

Very much the same reasons my dad would smack me - being autistic in a way that annoyed neurotypical people.

It makes me quite nervous still when I can see people getting frustrated with me.

I remember once I moved to state primary my teacher showed me the taws (leather strap) which I found quite intimidating but he didn't use it.

Yep! Walloped regularly with a slipper/hairbrush. I’m not scarred by it, I don’t think.

@hipslikecinderella

I've voted the wrong one sorry because your first post confusing.
I think you can just click on the option you want to change it if you voted incorrectly.

I grew up in the 1950's and my parents were quite unusual for the time as they never smacked/spanked/slapped us.
The nuns at my convent school however ........................
My kids grew up in the 1980's and were not smacked/slapped or spanked by us and fortunately schools had ceased corporal punishment by then.

I was smacked in very extreme circumstances at home I.e of I'd done something extremely naughty.My parents are the best you could ask for,it was just simply anger/frustration at that time.I dont hit ds though.

Was at school mid 70s to mid 80s. Mum hit us occasionally, if we'd been naughty. Dad didn't. At school, I remember some children getting the slipper, or a whack on the hand with a ruler. Not common, but it happened sometimes.

Yes, hit on the bottom with a wooden spoon by my mum, who now denies it and says she only threatened us with it. Strangely we laugh about it now. No bad effects

In school, once hit on the knuckles with a ruler. Sometimes kids were sent to the headmaster if they were naughty for a this

No, no one ever hit me. I was born in the late 70s and so was primary school age in the 80s.

I was smacked a handful of times by my parents (usually for doing something dangerous) in the 90s. Never at school though.
I don't feel affected by it but I don't smack DS - it was a different time!

DParents went to school in the 60s/70s, DM got smacked once by a nun for talking at nap time ( ) but never at school, DF got a ruler to the hand for playing football in the corridor and breaking a window.

For my generation of friends, 'never to a handful of times' seems to be most common, DH (different culture) got smacked a lot.

I think they outlawed it in the 80s I was born in 70s and have vague memories of talk of the headmaster caning, or using shoes to spank someone, but also remember around that time being aware that it was 'illegal' . I also don't recall anyone ever actually being punished this way.

My post was in reference to school. My parents weren't big on spanking, maybe occasional smack but nothing notable.

Yes by both parents and usually due to their own frustrations and they would go bananas, not in school though. It’s quite scaring actually, I don’t have a good relationship with them now

Yes, spanked VERY occasionally by parents (can only recall once though) and ruler over the knuckles at school for getting sums wrong. I was 9. 'Hasn't done me any harm' - it really hasn't - what it taught us was no means no and to behave at school (I certainly don't think it taught us to respect the teachers - I hated some of mine but it did make us behave) What pisses me off is the anti smacking brigade that cannot differentiate between a smack on the back of the leg (which is what i used to get) and a child being thrashed and beaten.

I was born early sixties. Smacked by my mum not by my dad or teachers.
I’m not much of an advocate for smacking mainly because I don’t think it works.
Why do you ask?

By parents and grandparents, yes. Not in school. It is scarring and traumatic.

I was smacked and hit often by my parents, but never at school. Teachers did hit children when I was at secondary school, but I was well behaved so was never on the receiving end. Thinking about it, I only ever saw or heard of male teachers hitting male pupils.

I voted the wrong way round. Yes it was very common. I was born in 1974 and I got the a hand print on my leg on more then one occasion. I have a good relationship with my parents but feel they were wrong to do it. They have looked after my two and never hit them as they know my views although I have never addressed it with them. Lots of my friends got a wooden spoon or slipper. My did smacked my face once aged about 9. I was being a brat and pushed him to the limit. I think he felt bad about it but he didn't apologise. I don't feel scarred by it but I didn't respect my parents for it and I felt very angry about it at the time.

I was at school in NI for a couple of years (military family) and the teacher rapped knuckles with a ruler for something as minor as not having neat enough handwriting. A couple of people got caned while I was there.

Sorry OP but just to remind people to be a bit wary of sharing these stories.

Why is it ok to give a child ‘a smack on the back of the leg’ if you don’t like their behaviour, ijustwanttoretire but not an adult?

I disagree with you strongly, it is abusive and a breach of trust.