Smacking at home, how your parents carried it out

[gingerw74]

The conversation in the media yesterday about banning smacking got me thinking about how I was punished when growing up. I was a child of the 70?s/80?s, so things were quite different back then. I remember that dad use to work long hours, so mum was the one left to keep discipline at home. She had me and my two brothers to control, and I don?t think that we were ever the easiest of kids to look after on a daily basis. Mum struggled a bit and her only way was to smack us. She would take her wooden scholl sandal off (this was her house slipper) to wallop us with, it?s what she had close to hand! She also used Dad?s dad?s plimsoll (it seem so big at the time, it could be that we were small), but that was mostly given to my brothers. I never got it out but would get a good hiding when I got home. I was always trying to get them into trouble with mum by telling on them, I feel bad now! I regularly remember my brothers and I having our pants pulled down and slippered, seemed to be a daily occurrence in our house hold. Hard to believe now, but I suppose it was the norm back then and what you also received at school i.e. home from home. Classmates also seemed to get the same at home. How things have changed! We?ve all turned out well so it hasn?t had much effect on us! We never saw it as abuse. I think my Mum and Dad were good parents.

[gamerchick]

Ooooold zombie.

[Heartofgold25]

DAMAGE is all I am saying. Smacking and hitting and general abuse was perfectly acceptable in those days, it was NOT good and it was NOT healthy, and I am so glad we are no longer like this as a nation. The children of tomorrow will be a calmer, happier and a less violent generation because we choose to change things...this makes me feel a whole lot better about our country and its values.
Don't hit big or small or tiny kids, it is abuse.

[Kiwiinkits]

so much abuse on this thread

I was only ever smacked twice. Both times it was a 'wait till your father gets home'. And poor old dad had to smack me . He was the biggest softy ever and you could tell he hated it.

Had my mouth washed out with soap for swearing a couple of times too. Once for saying "shut up" and once for saying "bastard". I swear constantly now so it clearly didn't help.

My parents set a very good example for dispute resolution. I'm argumentative now, like I was as a child, but I'm good at cooling down, forgiving, moving on. Not a shouter or a hitter. I think that is a learned behaviour.

[BocaDeTrucha]

Yep, I got smacked a fair few times but only ever with the hand, never with an object, and only on the back of my legs. I clearly remember the stinging, and holding back the tears. I don't ever remember hating my mum or dad for doing it though.

The one thing iI will never forget though is, after an afternoon at home fighting with my sister, my mum lost it and shouted "I could kill you" to both of us and ran into her bedroom, slamming the door and crying. I felt utterly horrified. I remember tiptoeing into her room to apologise.

[Esmum07]

Only ever remember a couple of occasions getting a smack on the back of the legs with the hand - once when I ran out into the road and once when my sister lied about something I did(n't). Mum found out later that DSis had lied and she got a harder smack for lying!

My dad lost his temper once when he was brushing my hair and smacked me with the hairbrush. Mum was dealing with my two younger Dsis at the time and we were late going to a wedding. I had long hair which tangled and I was doing the typical 8 year old pulling this way and that. I made a huge hullabaloo, mum rushed in asked what had happened. Dad told her and she said 'We agreed we don't hit with things. How would you like it?" and smacked him with the hairbrush! I was devastated - I'd got my dad in trouble, started an argument and the bloody smack with the brush hadn't even hurt! Never forgot that. Never remember a smack from my dad even before that day.

Both mum and dad could yell though and many a time we were chased through the house by one or the other shouting at us to get to our room. We all just learned that we would never win an argument if we'd done something wrong - we'd lose pocket money, days out or play time and we'd know when we were pushing towards one of those just by the look on mum or dad's face and, more often than not, we'd stop.

I have a similar temper - flare like a rocket and come down just as quick - but I rarely hit and never with an object.

[MrsLaurac]

A tea towel around the legs you knew you was in trouble especially on a Saturday when she wore all her rings.