Poll - Did you get beatings as a kid?

only when I needed it.

I got spanked on the butt as needed. I never got anything that I would call a "beating".

I got the snot "whooped" out of me several times as a child. I was an unruly child. At the time I'm sure I considered it a criminal act. I look back now and realize that the correction I was given (even corporal) was all in the name of love.

Later on in high school I was given 'licks' for being at the pool hall and not English Lit class. The Principal gave me a lecture about being the "adults of tomorrow" and I needed to act like it.

After he smacked me several times I turned and asked him what good it was doing to hit "tomorrow's leaders" with a stick of wood. I believe I was too old to take a spanking by then. It was merely a beating.

> Did you get beatings as a kid? Parents, teachers, family?
>

Didn't everybody?

I never received what I would call a beating from anyone. But, I was the recipient of plenty of corrective actions because they were warranted. I learned a lot about what not to do by watching by older sister screw up.

Dad--Gave me a few spankings and a few good hard slaps. Attention getters.
Mom--Didn't spank. Had a vicious little chin thump created by trigger-releasing a finger full power under the jaw. Could bring tears to a little boy's eyes.
Grandma--Slapped me one time. I'll never forget how badly I felt for provoking such a kind-hearted person into doing something she did not believe in doing.
Teacher--Got a half-hearted spanking from my Second Grade teacher two days in a row for being mean towards a fellow student.

Most corrective actions involved verbal assault and/or loss of privileges. I would have preferred to have taken a beating and got it over with much quicker.

We used to call them yard beatings, because the house wasn't big enough to whip me and my brothers in without tearing up the place. My Daddy would grab an arm and whip us around in a circle with a belt until he got dizzy. The first guy usually got a pretty decent whipping with well placed hits on the butt. The next two just kinda took their chances. I was the middle son, so I usually got it second. My younger brother was last and probably got off better than me or my older brother - since he was younger he cried quicker and louder and by that time my Dad was tired and had got his mad out. When we knew it was coming, we would hide all the belts we could find and for years afterwards, every time we moved furniture a belt or two would fall out.

Right or Wrong? That didn't make any difference back then. I think it's wrong that a large part of our society has allowed kids to grow up the way they have today. A whooping or two at the right time may have helped - all I know is that what is going on with a bunch of kids today doesn't seem to be working.

Sometimes too often, but more often, not often enough.

Never beatings, but plenty of corporal punishment with belts, paddles, switches, and horse *girts*. Never got one I didn't deserve but skated by without a few I did.

Only boy in Grad e8 that didn't get the strap.

Not because I was a "goody two shoes" either, just knew when to not be involved when a teacher could/would know it was me !

Now as for my Dad & Mom, more than a few times the leather belt was not used to keep pants up.

Derek

Never received a "beating." It's such an over-exaggeration that marginalizes any discipline as bad. I was, however, regularly "disciplined" while growing up (I was a real PITA as a child). I was never "slapped, hit or struck" out of anger. Discipline was always given in an appropriate (loving) way at the appropriate (private) time.

There are many forms of discipline, including corporal punishment, given in a controlled environment. Corporal punishment isn't intended to break anyone's spirit; it's intended as a consequence. Bad actions result in bad consequences. Like touching a hot stove. If you don't want to get burned (again), then don't touch it. Life lessons are like that.

Whether discipline comes as a word of correction, loss of a privilege, a swat on the behind with a 5-gallon paint stick, or from the principal's custom paddle we made in shop class, it must never be done in anger and must always be done as a final act preceded by discussion and followed by forgiveness and restoration. Punishments that go on and on or are brought up time and time again can become nothing more than harassment invoking a negative response rather than a positive result.

I'd say that the discipline that I received from my parents, teachers, and school principals (persons who had a platform of authority in my life), had a very positive effect upon my upbringing.

I see students in my wife's first grade classroom who are in serious need of discipline while her hands are completely tied because of inanely stupid rules. Children who are disruptive and completely out of control have little if any consequence. The parents would rather blame-shift than discipline their own child. Society has them living in fear of losing their entire family if they so much as touch one of their own children. The kids know it and are empowered with a "you can't touch me" attitude.

We're living with the consequences.

JBS

"Fond" memory...

We used to spend the summer at my Uncle's cotton 'ranch' on the River in south Hidalgo County, Texas, south of Mercedes. The only thing that was out there (besides cotton) was a dusty dirt road and a power line.

Being the youngest of seven cousins I was just a tag-along. Our greatest challenge was throwing dirt clods at the power lines or a crop duster. Well my oldest cousin got a lucky shot one day and nailed the crop duster as he cut his engine and 'slipped' a low altitude turn over the road to return for the next pass. We could hear the pilot yell from his open cockpit.

Oh sheeut..we headed home. The crop duster went and landed a half mile away where his gas truck and my uncle's pickup was parked.

By the time we got to the house my uncle's truck was there (a real bad sign..). He wasn't happy. He lined seven of us up, ages four through fourteen and proceeded to whale the tar out of each of us in no particular order.

I remember trying to claim diplomatic immunity due to age...didn't matter. First time I ever saw my oldest cousin cry...and the last time any of us nailed the crop duster with a dirt clod.:-$

The old man was a WW2 vet with seven kids. He never hit any of us that I remember. He didn't have too we, had too much respect (fear) to get him that worked up. I didn't hit mine either except one spanking-it didn't accomplished what I wanted and I never did it again.

He was a teacher and coach, always wore a suit, never swore at or hit a student-those real old school guys had way too much class to do that. I remember his complete disgust observing Bob Knight throwing a chair and swearing at the refs and his players. Of course, he considered Knight a young pup with a lot to learn.

Well I'm 62 so the answer YES, HELL YES. And they should re-introduce "paddling" in the third grade on up. Of course the person administering the punishment is more likely to end up the receiver rather than the giver thanks to technical advances in modern personal weaponry.

Captain Bingingham?

Unfortunately most of my childhood “felonies” were committed at parochial elementary school. This, of course, meant two beatings. After the Nun’(s), who apparently were immune from prosecution for killing children, finished their well rehearsed ritual involving screaming, bad breath, saliva, and a steel reinforced yardstick, I was required to bring back correspondence bearing BOTH parents signatures. That immediately qualified me for an encore beating from my parents for embarrassing them.

As for home beatings at least my “Parents” had enough sense to call an ambulance (paramedics hadn’t been invented yet) before administering corporal punishment for some silly infraction such as blowing a hole in the side of the garage while “testing” gunpowder quantities. They just told first responders I fell off the roof or something equally stupid that a child would do.

All in all I’m glad the Nun’s beat the bejesus out of me. I learned respect and compassion for almost everything on the planet including them (the Nun’s), as a matter of fact I’ve become rather chummy with one Nun in particular who is an excellent horticulturalist. (Sometime early Saturday morning when “in the mood” we are going back to Mars to collect diamonds.) And yes Paden, she is aware of the debt.

Y’all behave, you never know where a Nun lurks with a yardstick in the ready.

Most good parenting is done between the ears. Beating a child isn't necessary. Loving them is. I wont discuss my upbringing on a public forum other than to say no child should have to deal with the fear of being beaten.

> I got spanked on the butt as needed. I never got anything that I would call a "beating".

ditto.

Sure did but only when called for. I wouldn't call it a beating either - simple "a$$ whoopin" might be more appropriate.
Mom never touched me that I can recall.
Dad rarely ever did and he used a belt or his college fraternity paddle. Always on the butt.

Step-mom and her family were quite a bit more generous with a$$ whoopins however. I recall at times being about scared to death to even fart in the wind without getting beat. Yes, I will call those beatings - never mind being locked in the toolshed one time during the summer. That was down right child abuse in my opinion. I have no clue what I did. Granny just happened to come by and heard me beating on the doors and she let me out. Dad was at work that day and had no clue. Granny took me home with her that day. Decades later she recounted to me that day and was surprised that I remembered. She said her and Grandpa started proceedings to take custody and adopt me. To this day I don't think Dad knows about it. If he does, he's never mentioned it to me. That was almost 50 years ago.

Granny is about to turn 96 now and generally doesn't recall what she had for lunch so it would be pointless to ask about it any further.
Step-mom and I have long since buried any hatchets some 30 years ago. The rest of her family have long since passed. Today I would take a bullet for her if need be. That would not have been the case a few decades ago. I might have only been 4 or 5 at the time (mid 1960) but I dam sure remember everything.

As to punishments and a$$ whoopins: I'm all for it - when called for. And, within reason. Certainly not the crap I went through. When I had the two step-daughters, I never laid a hand on them. Just a stern talking to and letting them know of my disappointment seemed to work for us. I made a concerted effort to be sure they never experienced what I did. They never did - at least by my hand. They were calling me Daddy before I became their Daddy. I am a bit surprised neither has tried to look me up. I haven't heard anything about them in about 20 years. They would be in their late 20s about now I think.

Sorry for the long ramblings.
E.

> I got spanked on the butt as needed. I never got anything that I would call a "beating".

A better person for it. I learned there are consequences for my actions.

I was never "beaten", but I fully understand the concept of "frog marching". :'(

Yes Sir I did, and looking back on it I'm glad I did. I agree with others it should be brought back. All to often I see other people kids that are down right disrespectful and could sure use a good whoopin'. One of the worst things to hear when I was a kid was "Wait until your father gets home." 😀