Thought of the Day 01.06.09

According to one website, we shouldn’t spank because, “Everybody agrees it is morally wrong to settle arguments between adult people with blows.”

Unfortunately, this standard would disqualify virtually all disciplinary action. Time-outs, for instance, are not common between colleagues in the workplace, though perhaps they should be. Even leading a coworker by the hand away from trouble is probably frowned upon. In short, you rarely deal with unruly adults in any of the ways you deal with unruly children. Why not?

Because children are not related to their parents in the same way adults are. My children are under my authority. They are not my peers. And one of the main lessons we must impart to our children is that there are authorities over them with the legitimacy to punish the body for serious violations.

See, you don’t spank to correct behavior, but to teach children that they are not the ultimate masters of themselves…a reality which only becomes more vivid as they age and, eventually, pass into eternity.