Do you believe that hitting children is acceptable? Wrong? What is your religious persuasion?

Hitting children is wrong in all cases, but I think psychological abuse leaves much more permanent damage

I have no kids, and I have mixed feelings about corporal punishment. My parents used it on me, so at the very least I can say from experience that there comes an age at which it definitely stops being effective, and can even spark further defiance. Kids are not unaware that physical violence is often unjust, and when they reach an age where they can bear it, you'll just make them angrier.

On the other hand, a swat on the behind can be effective when you're little. Is it more effective than using reason? I don't know the answer. Animals use corporal punishment on their children with success, and we are animals. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that we may be hardwired to respond best to corporal punishment when we are little, rather than reason.

My emotions want to say that corporal punishment is beneath us as human beings. My observations say that kids raised in households where corporal punishment has never been implemented tend to be rather ill behaved in contrast with those who were raised with swats on the backside.

Of course, anything more than a quick swat is unnecessary, and definitely can lead to behavioral problems as well as other problems. I do not advocate harsh or extended corporal punishments, nor striking children anywhere but the posterior - and even then, I'm not sure if it's efficacious or not.

The problem is, how do you create a reliable study on this without violating basic ethical codes of conduct? We may never know the answer. So at the very least, I can say I would never use more than a quick swat to the behind.

---I'm an atheist.

**EDIT*** Then again, I could be wrong. Although this study questions its own reliability since it relied on "self-reporting:" http://www.apa.org/releases/spanking.html

I don't believe in hitting children, but sometimes you have to control them by holding them back from whatever they were about to do that is either dangerous or going to have bad consequences for someone. Usually the kid, often an adult in their presence. Sometimes the quickest way is to bat their hand away from what they are about to touch. Punishment is not the issue; protecting them from harm, and from harming others, is.

I'm a member of the Ethical Society and an atheist. I do not have any children.

The expression "beat like a stepchild" may have been started by my grandmother who never forgave my stepfather for the whippings my sister and I received for the smallest misdeeds.

Many times I fell asleep full of hatred for him, and vowed to never hit my children when I grew up because I wouldn't want them to hate the way I did.

One of the things I am most proud of is that I was able to keep that promise to myself. I believe the only person who gains anything from beating a child or a spouse is the person doing the beating, as it sometimes vents the anger and brings back control.

King Solomon is credited with the "spare the rod and spoil the child" advice I believe. He was noted for his wisdom. In this case

I question his wisdom. There is absolutely nothing wrong with spoiling your child or loved one. Why not spoil them? Who else would? And there is much wrong about using the rod.

You don't have to hit your children to punish them for misdeeds and I have two wonderful and well adjusted children to prove it, both college graduates and successful in their fields.

Christian...I say a small smack on the bottom is fine when the kid's being very naughty but most especially if the kid's in danger - like about to step off of the curb into the street without looking.

I don't have kids. I was 'smacked' a lot as a kid and I can honestly say, the 'smacks' for misbehaviour didn't affect me; my nan would smack me as well as my mum. But my mum would actually get angry and shout and call me names; I remember that and that affected me.

I agree 'spare the rod; spoil the child'...but verbal abuse or chastising in anger are not acceptable; that's abuse because at that point the adult is out of control and the child becomes a victim.

My dad hit me and my siblings with belts and switches yes we were little angles and deff. didnt disobey or we knew we would "get it." But i wouldnt put another human through what i went through. He was horriably abused as a child... My childhood was happy besides the hitting. I think if you can get your child to behave without hitting them then yes but some children dont respond to any other form of disipline. There is a differance between beating and spanking... Spankings arent even suposed to leave a red mark. I watch my nephew all the time and when he is bad i cannot bring myself to spank him i kinda just let it go lol. and act like i didnt see him being bad but he isnt mine so its not my job to do it. "spare the rod, spoil the child" is somewhat true... mean somehow i feel like what my father did taught me how to deal with things. My friend amys parents never hit her and she was a brat she always got her way and felt like she had a horriable life. I remember a girl pushed her in school and she pressed charges lol for pushing. She cries her eyes out if she is confronted with any confrontation and over all she is well a BABY. But she does this annoying thing where she will push people to their limits just to see if they will react then when they do she is completely lost. Like a child who annoys or is bad until their parent reacts and smacks them. But when they are smacked they somehow forget what they did. It is somehow a life lession to give them a spankin at the really really bad stuff. I am a christian but havent been for very long.

Children need to understand when they are acting far out of line, and a quick smack on the bottom is enough to give them a fright and calm down. This should never be with intent to hurt them, or let out your own anger. It is a simple step for punishment when the child is acting out and will not calm down.

This is a very tricky topic to debate about, because it's hard to be pro-smacking without sounding cruel. But sometimes verbally warning the child will not be enough.

I believe a spanking is acceptable for correction depending on the circumstances, there is a difference between a spanking and a beating.

I have spanked my kids for running onto the road, touching lighters, etc..Things that have serious and/or deadly consequences.

As they grew they were also told they should use their common sense when making decisions for themselves.

I am Christian.

I think spare the rod spoil the child is true..If a child never learns a consequence to their actions, they will assume everything is a free for all...

It would be interesting to see out of the posters who here actually has children to have dealt with this question.

I got disciplined when I was little. I believe it made me more responsible.

No one punched me in the face though. Just a slap on the bottom.

Back then, you could get the lash in school. Then, they stopped doing that.

Now school is worse.

I don't know if there is a connection. But I do believe that Sparing the Rod spoils the Child.

Within reason of course.

I am not a Christian or affiliated with any other Religious organization.

When my boys were little, the only time I hit them was when it became obvious I wasn't getting their attention, and even then it was more of a "love tap" than anything.

I believed more in trying to talk to them and get them to approximate acceptable behaviour by setting the example for them and letting them learn by watching.

My "religious persuasion" is biblical theist.

Of course hurting your child isn't acceptable, but discipline such as a spanking or being grounded is good to teach them that there are consequences for their actions (And that would be a peice of cake compared to some of the consequences out there.) Also in the Bible, children are God's blessing to us and we are supposed to love them. A father who loves His children will discipline them also.

Edit: that motto is false