Was anyone NOT hit when they were growing up?

[bohemianbint]

Following on from my other thread, have been talking to DH who was leathered when he was growing up, as was I. We were talking about whether this happened to everyone - I have a few friends who I don't think were hit, but I can't be sure.

So, was it most people's experience because it was accepted that that's how you did it?

(I recently told my father that we would not be hitting our children and he said, "but how will they learn?" )

ohbollox, the only thing that would get me is fear, not anger. I would probably slap DS's hand/arm away from something dangerous, and the less time I have to react to it, the harder it is likely to be.

I was smacked, kicked, punched etc. by both parents.

And I hated and despised both of them.

You reap what you sow.

And yes, it did me a lot of harm.

My parents never smacked me or my brothers. They were very loving, but firm, parents. I had a great respect for them and still do.

RockinSockBunnies on Sat 03-Jan-09 02:03:55

"In terms of corporpal punishment and discipline though, has it occurred to anyone that it's only been in the past 30 or so years that anyone's given any thought about whether smacking is indeed appropriate as a method of discipline? "

In this country. It was really unusual when I grew up in Sweden in the 60's and I don't either of my parents were smacked when they grew up in the 30s either.

Yes I wonder about the cultural thing of smacking. Historically, has it been the norm or not? Does anyone know?

I was slapped across the legs a couple of times total by my mum. Never by my dad but then he wasn't very hands on at that time. So I really don't consider that I was hit as a child as it was such a rare occurence.

We don't hit our DCs ... never had any reason to, and can't imagine what that reason might be.

My in laws sometimes talk about the good old days of corporal punishment in school so culturally it was very accepted in the UK historically.

But when I say historically, I don't just mean in England in the last couple of centuries or so. But across all cultures, over the last few thousand years. I know that in England it has been accepted for a long time in a school context - that Shakespeare poem springs to mind. But I jsut wondered if it is actually the historical norm.

We need an historian of childhood.

Cory, when you said your parents were firm, what did they do to be firm?
Just interested as have been thinking a lot about how to dicipline recently