Today is National Spank Out Day, I’m sad to say. In a society where we speak out against the hitting of women, against the hitting of racial minorities, against the hitting of animals, against the hitting and bullying of anyone, there are still a large number of people who think hitting children is perfectly acceptable or even necessary. It boggles my mind.
The thing is, parenting can be scary. We go through pregnancy with the child secure inside its mother’s womb, and then suddenly this little person is on the outside, completely dependent upon….us. Children depend on us for food, shelter, warmth, guidance, and love. It’s a lot to take on. The fact is that while some people who hit their kids really don’t care, most of the parents hitting their children actually love them and do so because they are afraid.
They are afraid….
- that by not hitting their kids, society will deem them unfit parents.
- that their children won’t respect them.
- that their children will be hurt even worse.
- of losing control.
- of the pressures of life.
- of not knowing what to do.
It’s a scary world out there, full of unknowns, but when it comes to parenting, you don’t have to be afraid! Your children come into this world knowing only you. You are everything to them. They look up to you. They love you. They just want to spend time with you and learn with and from you.
Forget about what other people might think. The only people who matter are your kids. Besides, haven’t you heard that you shouldn’t jump off a bridge just because your friends did?
You won’t gain respect by hitting someone. In fact, you will lose it. Hitting a person, especially a smaller person, in order to control them is called bullying.
Hurting your child will not protect them in the future. Helping them navigate life and giving them tools and techniques to deal with life’s situations will.
There are a lot of things in life you can’t control, and that includes other people. Accept it. Deal with it if you need to, and then help your children to learn to control themselves.
Life can be rough, but that idea that your kids are born loving you? Still there. Come home to your kids and remember that no matter how bad life gets, they love you.
If you don’t know what to do, don’t resort to violence. Learn a new way. Learn how to help your children navigate that allowing your hurt to rule your actions.
In the end, no matter why some parents hit, they still make that choice. With every day and every situation, you have the opportunity to choose not to hit. Your children love you. Live up to that love. Be deserving of the respect they want to show you. Be deserving of the love they freely give.
photo credit: dhammza via photopin cc
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living peacefully with children 
Whoa! Mandy, beautifully said. I don’t think anybody could say it more eloquently .
I just love your blog. It’s so peaceful and educational. You are so write when you say that we speak out against domestic violence, bullying – but not hitting your own child. Why is that?
You know, my husband was spanked as a child. I was not. There was absolutely no question how we were going to treat our children – at least if he was going to marry and have children with me. No one, under any circumstance – will not lay a hand on my kids.
It just seems like the obvious thing to me.
I very much look forward to reading the posts in the link up. I think they will be so eye opening to so many people. I would like to link up one of my own posts as well!
Thank you for writing this Mandy, I will certainly be sharing this!