I thought we were talking about discipline, not mere punishment!
It's hard to "explain" lots of things to young children. They really don't care, and don't totally understand the language, either.
Others may start to do something dangerous, but don't listen, and a good smack is really the only thing with serious impact that will stop it immediately, as a rule. My sister in fact, is 1 with an infamous story about this when she tried to step out in a road despite Mom's verbal warning from some feet away. Mom moved fast when she obviously specifically defied her and went in the street anway. She would've been yanked away and given a smack. And that ended it. Period.
In dogs, it is pretty well known that if you simply push, the dog will resist and hence still do exactly what he wants (just as your muscle will adjust to steady pressure and it won't hurt). If you let him loose except when he "does bad/wrong", giving him a quick impactful tap, he'll notice and learn quicker what he's to do. Even Cesar Millan acknowledges this, and he's hardly "cruel". He recognizes what goes on in nature.
Dear the OlLine Rebel,
"I thought we were talking about discipline, not mere punishment!"
That's fine, but you seemed to be complaining about those who are against hitting, not physical restraint:
"People against spanking (and I'll say HITTING,..."
I'm not sure that grabbing my kid before he rushes in front of the oncoming car is "discipline." I think it's just an emergency procedure. The discipline is what comes after I suffer a near-heart attack saving my kid's life.
And the discipline has never included any sort of hitting.
"It's hard to 'explain' lots of things to young children. They really don't care, and don't totally understand the language, either."
I think that folks think that, but I don't much agree. From even before the time they can walk, they can understand words like, "That's dangerous! Don't do that again!"
Usually, the son being scolded would then say something in turn. This might range from a simple tearful expression of sorrow to further inquiry for better understanding.
I started "explaining" to my sons pretty much from the time they came home from being born. Folks thought I was nuts. Maybe I was. It worked pretty good anyway.
"My sister in fact, is 1 with an infamous story about this when she tried to step out in a road despite Mom's verbal warning from some feet away. Mom moved fast when she obviously specifically defied her and went in the street anway. She would've been yanked away and given a smack. And that ended it. Period."
In that sort of circumstance, I've actually physically grabbed my son (both of them, in fact, as this sort of situation has happened with both). But no smack. No spanking. No hitting.
Just an after-the-incident brief, easy-to-understand exhortation and explanation, "Don't do that again! You could have been hit by the car! That could have killed you!"
Nothing more has ever been required.
"In dogs, it is pretty well known that if you simply push, the dog will resist and hence still do exactly what he wants (just as your muscle will adjust to steady pressure and it won't hurt). If you let him loose except when he 'does bad/wrong', giving him a quick impactful tap, he'll notice and learn quicker what he's to do. Even Cesar Millan acknowledges this, and he's hardly 'cruel'. He recognizes what goes on in nature."
When training my dogs, I routinely gave 'em a sharp (but mild) whack on the snout.
My sons aren't dogs.
sitetest